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PD Led Workshops – Session B:Transforming Undergraduate

Educationin

EngineeringLouis EverettSusan FingerDon Millard

Russ PimmelJanis Terpenny

Zhanjing (John) Yu0

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AGENDA• These are good things

– Research based methods– Theoretical foundations

• BUT … what does this mean?– Research is extensive, technical, out of

reach of some practitioners• Enter the National Academies

– They understand our problem– “How People Learn”

• Today we will walk you through a small piece of this work

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ACTIVITY 1• As an individual, take 1 minute to list a few

research findings on how people learn• Form a team of those at your table and in your

team– Take 5 minutes to introduce yourselves– Take 5 minutes to create a list of research

findings related to how people learn– Report back

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Key Findings• Students come with preconceptions

– If initial understanding is ignored• may fail to grasp new concepts and

information • may “memorize” for a test but revert outside

class• To develop competence one must have:

– A deep foundation of knowledge (large data set)– A conceptual framework for facts (interrelate

ideas)– An organizational structure for retrieval (ready

access)• Students should think about their thinking

– “Metacognitive” skills help students control learning

– Students should define learning goals and monitor progress

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Time Out!• For 3 minutes, as a team, find a suitable

definition for

METACOGNITION

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ACTIVITY 2• As an individual, take 1 minute to list key teaching

strategies for accommodating how people learn• As a team

– For 5 minutes, list as many pedagogies (a.k.a. Correct instructional strategies) that address these findings• Preconceptions• Deep information• Conceptual framework• Organization• Metacognition

– Report out35

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Teaching Implications

• Teachers must draw out pre-existing concepts – Be familiar with predictable preconceptions– Recognize and draw out unpredicted

preconceptions– Work WITH preconceptions so students

• Build on them, • Challenge them,• Replace faulty concepts

• Use formative assessment to make students aware of their thinking

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Teaching Implications 2• Teach fewer topics in greater depth

– (less is more)• Provide many examples of the concept

– (practice)• Teachers must also be in-depth learners

– (model behavior)• Assessment must test deep understanding

– may require new methods• Develop independent learners

– teach metacognitive skills integrated into the curriculum

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ACTIVITY 3• Consider a current course or project• For 3 minutes, list current or potential

activities that address these teaching pedagogies:– Identifying and working through

preconceptions– Creating formative assessments– Covering less but in more depth– Developing metacognitive skills

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ACTIVITY 4 - Summarize• For the same project spend 5 minutes to:

– Create a list of activities you can do to:• Disseminate (get others to use) the ideas

where you are strong• Strengthen your areas of weakness

– List ideas you can share

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Other Topics From How People Learn

• How experts differ from novices• Learning and transfer• Mind and brain• Designing Learning environments• Teacher learning• Technology• …

J. D. Bransford, A. Brown, and R. Cocking. How people learn: Mind, brain, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Research Council, 1999.

Available from many sources from $15.8058

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Conclusions• Please reflect on what you have heard

(learned?)• Share your reflections (criticism praise) with

us.

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Use of Technology• Help bring exciting curricula based on real-

world problems into the classroom• Provide scaffolding and tools to enhance

learning• Give students and teachers opportunities for

feedback, reflection, and revision• Build local/global communities that include

teachers, administrators, students, parents, practicing engineers/scientists

• Expand opportunities for teacher learning