The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies Listen to this article as a podcast episode: Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:22 — 53.1MB) Subscribe: iTunes | Android | When I worked with student teachers on developing effective lesson plans, one thing I always asked them to revise was the phrase “We will discuss.” We will discuss the video. We will discuss the story. We will discuss our results. Every time I saw it in a lesson plan, I would add a note: “What format will you use? The problem wasn’t them; in most of the classrooms where they’d sat as students, that’s exactly what a class discussion looked like. So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. I’ve separated the strategies into three groups. Enjoy! Gallery Walk > a.k.a. Basic Structure: Stations or posters are set up around the classroom, on the walls or on tables. Philosophical Chairs > a.k.a. Pinwheel Discussion > Socratic Seminar > a.k.a. a.k.a.
Community Colleges Take Major Step in Defining Role, Effectiveness -- WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2011 New National Accountability Measures Drill Down on Unique 2-Year Mission WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following 18 months of intensive research, analysis and pilot testing, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and its partners today launch the first-ever custom framework to measure how 2-year colleges perform in serving their more than 13 million students. The Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA), along with its newly-minted Metrics Manual v. 1.0 (www.aacc.nche.edu/vfa), will give community colleges what many believe has long been lacking in reporting their successes to the public and policymakers: specific metrics that assess how they do in areas such as student progress and achievement, implementation of career and technical education programs (credit and noncredit) and transparency in reporting outcomes. "We believe the VFA can be the foundational accountability framework for our colleges for now and into the future," said Bumphus.
5 Highly Effective Teaching Practices I remember how, as a new teacher, I would attend a professional development and feel inundated with new strategies. (I wanted to get back to the classroom and try them all!) After the magic of that day wore off, I reflected on the many strategies and would often think, "Lots of great stuff, but I'm not sure it's worth the time it would take to implement it all." We teachers are always looking to innovate, so, yes, it's essential that we try new things to add to our pedagogical bag of tricks. What Research Says This leads me to educational researcher John Hattie, who wrote Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. Hattie has spent more than 15 years researching the influences on achievement of K-12 children. 1. When a teacher begins a new unit of study or project with students, she clarifies the purpose and learning goals, and provides explicit criteria on how students can be successful. 2. 3. 4. 5. Collaborating with Colleagues Great teachers are earnest learners.
NCAT Homepage ADA:Fast Facts for Faculty - Writing in the University Writing in the University By Brenda Brueggemann. Introduction The General Education Curriculum (GEC) Course Guidelines for the second and third (required) courses in writing at The Ohio State University state that: The abilities to read and listen with comprehension and critical acuity are requisite to the gaining of knowledge in a university setting. The ability to express oneself with clarity, both orally and in writing, provides the deepest proof of understanding. Further, we recognize that writing especially is a primary tool in learning itself, not just a means of expressing learning that has taken place. Many students, however, may often experience difficulties with writing that are not caused by a lack of understanding or critical ability. For students with disabilities there may be even greater obstacles to college writing. In-class Writing Activities Examples: Challenges: In-class writing may be challenging for many students. Lack of Technology: Time: Environmental Distractions:
Nuancing of Access and Success Because the nation is rightly fixed on improving degree completion rates, the discussion about America’s higher education agenda is at risk of becoming so pedestrian that terms like access and success lose their meaning. In similar fashion, once everyone and everything became “green” it was less clear to me what was meant by a “green economy,” “green jobs” or “green politics.” Presently about 39% of the nation’s adult population has a college degree. Yet, the two fastest growing populations (Latinos and African Americans) remain the least likely to earn a college degree. Notwithstanding the importance of the degree completion agenda, there have been several instances over the last year that have caused me to worry that these terms are being thrown around with less than sufficient understanding about what they actually mean in relationship to required actions or more importantly what they might mean for students.
ADA: Partnership Grant - Fast Facts for Faculty Guided Notes Improving the Effectiveness of Your Lectures Developed by William L. What Are Guided Notes? Guided notes are instructor-prepared handouts that provide all students with background information and standard cues with specific spaces to write key facts, concepts, and/or relationships during the lecture. Some Pros and Cons of the Lecture Method Lecturing is one of the most widely used teaching methods in higher education. Advantages of lecturing. Although some educators consider the lecture method outdated and ineffective, it offers several advantages and reasons for its continued use (Barbetta & Scaruppa, 1995; Michael, 1994). Lecturing is an efficient use of the instructor's time. A good lecture can be presented from one semester to the next, reducing subsequent planning and preparation time to review and update. Lecturing is versatile. It can be used with large or small groups, for any curriculum area, and can last from a few minutes to several hours. Lectures can be personalized. 1.
A 'Moneyball' Approach to College - Technology By Marc Parry Cambridge, Mass. Educators have long held that the interactions between students and professors defy simple reduction. Yet in several areas of campus life, colleges are converting the student experience into numbers to crunch in the name of improving education. Think of it as higher education meets Moneyball. In one Harvard calculus class, even who you pair up with for group discussion is determined by a computer, one that tracks how well students are doing on the material. The software records Ben Falloon's location in the back row and how he answers each practice problem. Getting data down to frontline students and instructors like this marks a shift for an industry that often focuses on pushing numbers up to accreditors and trustees, says Mark Milliron, formerly of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which backs college data-mining. Today, half of students quit college before earning a credential. Educational data-mining also presents ethical questions. Better Choices Mr.
ADA: Fast Facts for Faculty - Universal Design Elements of Good Teaching Universal Design Definition: Universal design is an approach to designing course instruction, materials, and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation or retrofitting. Universal design provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information. Although this design enables the student to be self-sufficient, the teacher is responsible for imparting knowledge and facilitating the learning process. Who Benefits: Students who speak English as a second language. Principles: Identify the essential course content. "Compiled from North Carolina State University's Principles of Universal Design and Chickering and Gamson's Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Essential Qualities Representation: Course content offers various methods of Representation. Engagement: Course content offers various methods of Engagement. Expression: Course content offers various methods of Expression. Implementation: Resources:
Lumina Unveils a National Framework for Measuring Student Learning - Government By Sara Hebel National conversations about the quality of higher education, as well as efforts to measure what students learn in their college careers, could be aided by developing a common understanding of what degrees mean in the United States, officials at the Lumina Foundation for Education say. To that end, the foundation released today a suggested framework for defining the knowledge and skills students need to acquire before earning an associate degree, a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree. Lumina's framework, which it is calling the Degree Qualifications Profile, spells out reference points for what students should be learning and demonstrating at each degree level in five areas: broad, integrative knowledge; specialized knowledge; intellectual skills; applied learning; and civic learning. Lumina officials say the degree profile is intended to help define generally what college graduates should know and be able to do, regardless of their majors or fields of study.
Beyond Discussion Forums: Asynchronous Student-To-Student Interaction Online This article first appeared on the California Acceleration Project blog. When I asked my students for anonymous feedback at the end of my online course, they responded, “I loved being able to still have interaction with my classmates. I didn’t think I would really get that interaction in an online class so that was definitely a bonus for me,” and “I liked how the professor was able to keep us all connected with each other and made it feel as if we were in an actual classroom even though we were in the comfort of our home.” Students taking online courses that are intentionally designed with opportunities for asynchronous student-to-student communication and collaboration reap the rewards of not only the cognitive benefits of sharing ideas with peers, but also the socio-emotional benefits of being a member of a learning community. Humanizing & Equity This is the third blog in a series within the theme of humanizing online teaching and learning with an equity-minded lens. Group Discussions
Khan Academy ponders what it can teach the higher education establishment As a fledgling voice of reform in higher education, Salman Khan is an oddity. He cannot name any higher education accrediting agencies off the top of his head. He advocates for competency-based credentialing, but has never heard of Western Governors University. Here is what Khan does know: algebra, statistics, trigonometry, calculus, computer science, biology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, economics, and finance -- well enough, at least, to demonstrate the concepts via brief video tutorials on Khan Academy, his free learning website. Many have lauded Khan’s natural skill as a teacher. But Khan and his 20-person team -- refugees from hedge funds, consulting firms, software companies, and tech start-ups -- say the videos are hardly the most innovative work they are doing. Khan Academy’s explicit goal is to teach people fundamental concepts. “I think too much conversation about Khan Academy is about cute little videos," Khan said in an interview last week. Mastering Solutions