The College Classroom Week 6: Cooperative Learning

The College Classroom

November 5 and 7, 2013

Week 6: Cooperative Learning

Cooperative Learning Strategies 2

PBL – problem-based learning

POGIL – process-oriented guided inquiry learning

PLTL – peer-led team learning

PI – peer instruction

Why are we talking about these today?

collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu #tccucsd

2010–2011 Higher Education Research

Initiative (HERI) Faculty Survey [1] 3

published October 23, 2012

based on responses from 23,824 full-time faculty at

417 four-year colleges and universities

“faculty member” = any employee of an accredited

4-year college or university who spend at least some

of his or her time teaching undergraduates


What do you see? 4


What do you see? 5

Identify the most interesting item in Table 1. Record

your thoughts on the whiteboard and be prepared to

share your group’s opinion.


What do you see? 6


What do you see? 7


What do you see? 8


HERI: Cooperative Learning 9

[C]ooperative learning is a teaching practice that has

the most well-defined literature base, and research

consistently has revealed positive effects of cooperative

learning on student achievement across experimental and

quasi-experimental studies on college students.

([1], p. 8)


HERI: Cooperative Learning 10

It is important to note, however, that we see the starkest

gender gaps across fields in faculty’s use of cooperative

learning. The majority of women in all other fields

(71.8%) use cooperative learning techniques in all or

most of their courses, and it is encouraging that 60.3%

of women teaching in STEM use cooperative learning in

the classroom, a figure that exceeds both men in STEM

(40.7%) and men in all other fields (52.6%).

([1], p. 8)



PBL – problem-based learning

POGIL – process-oriented guided inquiry learning

PBL is driven by the premise that basic science concepts will be understood

and remembered longer when they are learned, discussed, and applied in a

practical, real-world context. An essential and distinctive feature of the

approach is that problems come first and introduce content, rather than

problems following a presentation of facts and concepts. Students learn on a

need-to-know basis by group-directed exploration with the idea that they gain experience on the way to becoming self-directed learners.[Eberlein et al. [2]]

Students work in self-managed teams during class on specially designed

materials. These activities consist of a series of carefully crafted questions

(the ‘‘guided inquiry’’) that generally follow the three-phase ‘‘learning cycle’’

approach [14–17] which includes an exploration phase, a concept invention

phase, and an application phase. [2]



PLTL– peer-led team learning

PI – peer instruction

peer-led groups meet weekly (separate from the lecture and the instructor) to

work together on problems that are carefully structured to help students build

conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. [2]

a class taught with PI is divided into a series of short presentations, each

focused on a central point and followed by a related conceptual question

which probes students’ understanding of the ideas just presented. Students

are given one or two minutes to formulate individual answers and report their

answers to the instructor. Students then discuss their answers with others

sitting around them; the instructor urges students to try to convince each other

of the correctness of their own answer by explaining the underlying reasoning.

Finally, the instructor calls an end to the discussion, polls students for their

answers again (which may have changed based on the discussion), explains the answer and moves onto the next topic. [Crouch & Mazur [3]]


recognizes that knowledge

is constructed in the mind

of the learner by the

learner

([1], p.262)

implies that this “building”

process is aided through

cooperative social interactions

([1], p. 262)

13


constructivism social constructivism

not just constructivism but social constructivism

Key ideas

Key ideas


14

PXnL activities and PI “intentionally create learning

environments…” [1, p. 263]

“the best teachers try to create a natural critical

learning environment” [6, p. 99]

students encounter the skills, habits, attitudes, and information they are trying to learn embedded in questions and tasks they find fascinating – authentic tasks that arouse curiosity and become intrinsically interesting

students learn to think critically, to reason from evidence, to examine the quality of their reasoning using a variety of intellectual standards, to make improvements while thinking, and to ask probing and insightful questions about the thinking of other people

What is the role of lecture?


15

PBL

instructor facilitates discussions, keeping students on-track

may deliver lectures between PBL classes

PI

lecture for 10-15 minutes when the students are prepared to learn:

PI has activated the concepts in their memories

students have tried, failed, received feedback, tried again and are waiting for confirmation

students are prepared to intellectually appreciate your expertise you’re about to share with them

Students’ preparation – PBL


16

“Students need to identify what they need to learn,

look it up wherever they can, and be able to judge

reliable sources.” [1, p. 269]

students prepare extensively before class each team

member in charge of a specific component

in class, share their expertise with the others in the

team to develop a solution

Students’ preparation - PI


17

Effective peer instruction requires

students be prepared to engage in conceptually-

challenging conversations

TIME! (alternate 5-minute episodes of PI with 10-

15 minutes mini-lectures)

Where does that time come from?

reduce course content by 25%

reduce class content by 25%

Traditional classroom


18

1. Transfer: first exposure to material is in class,

content is transmitted from instructor to student

2. Assimilate: learning occurs later when student

struggles alone to complete homework, essay,

project

1. learn easy

stuff together 2. learn hard

stuff alone

(Mazur [7])

Flipped classroom


19

1. Transfer: student learns easy content at home

through reading, video, etc.: definitions, basis skills,

simple examples. Frees up class time for...

2. Assimilate: students come to class prepared to

tackle challenging concepts in class, with immediate

feedback from peers, instructor

2. learn hard

stuff together 1. learn easy

stuff alone

(Mazur [7])

Ease of implementation 20

Rank the 4 cooperative learning activities

PBL POGIL PLTL PI

by ease of implementation (how hard they are for the

facilitator to carry out)

1 = easiest

…

4 = hardest

When your group has reached consensus, write your

rankings on the spreadsheet.


Student buy-in


21

Key elements in assuring acceptance from students include

clear explanation of the classroom format and

expectations

an understanding of how the format is connected to

research on learning, and

frequent reinforcement of how the classroom activities

will benefit them.

([1], p. 269)

Communication 22

All of the [cooperative learning techniques] emphasize

communication of conceptual understanding of course

content.

([1], p. 269)

What about MOOCs ?


xMOOC Participants, watch video lecture, complete

assignments, learn about a subject or skill,

usually by themselves.

cMOOC – connectivist MOOC

The course is developed with a weak ‘centre’.

While etmooc.org will provide a level of

aggregation, detail, and direction, the majority

of interactions are likely to occur within groups

& networks, facilitated through various online

spaces & services. [4]

MOOCs 23


etmooc.org

What is a MOOC? by Dave Cormier @davecormier

24

From the video: A MOOC is a step on road to life long

learning. It

promotes independence among learners

encourages participants to work in own spaces

creates authentic networks that last beyond the course

How do we design a MOOC so this happens?


http://tinyurl.com/TCCMOOC

MOOCs 25

Educators who care about student-centered,

cooperative learning are building interaction and

communication into their MOOCs.

if you do nothing, it will happen “organically” (on it’s

own) but maybe only by/with/for higher-

achieving students

cannot assume students know how to build and

participate in an online community:

set it up for them

coach them how to use it


MOOCs 26

Interested in learning more about MOOCs?

History and Future of Higher Education – January 2014

Cathy Davidson (Duke University, HASTAC) www.hastac.org/collections/history-and-future-higher-education

@CathyNDavidson

cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/online-education/moocs/

@derekbruff

derekbruff.org

educationaltechnology.ca/couros/

@courosa

#etmooc (educational technology MOOC)


http://www.hastac.org/collections/history-and-future-higher-education









Learning Communities


27

bring people together for shared learning,

discovery, and the generation of knowledge

all participants take responsibility for achieving the

learning goals

learning communities are the process by which

individuals come together to achieve learning goals

Center for the Integration of Research, Leaching, and Learning (CIRTL)

www.cirtl.net/CoreIdeas/learning_communities

LC Core Ideas


28

1. Shared discovery and learning.

Collaborative learning activities where participants

share responsibility for the learning that takes place

help the development of a learning community.

Rather than relying on traditional "expert centered"

lecture formats, practitioners should include

collaborative learning techniques so learners can see

their contribution to the learning goals.



LC Core Ideas


29

2. Functional connections among learners.

Learning communities develop when the interactions

among learners are meaningful, functional and

necessary for the accomplishment of the "work"

within the courses or learning activities.

meaningful connections must extend throughout the

entire learning community - for example, among

students, post-docs, faculty, and staff-rather than

simply among cohort- or role-related peers



LC Core Ideas


30

3. Connections to other related learning and life

experiences.

Learning communities flourish when implicit and

explicit connections are made to experiences and

activities beyond the course or program in which one

participates.

connections help situate one's learning in a larger

context by solidifying one's place in the broader

campus community of learners and life experiences.

connections decrease one's sense of curricular and

personal isolation. Center for the Integration of Research, Leaching, and Learning (CIRTL)


LC Core Ideas


31

4. Inclusive learning environment.

Learning communities succeed when the diverse

backgrounds and experiences of learners are

welcomed in such a way that they help inform the

group's collective learning.

activities should be sought that help participants

reach out and connect with others from backgrounds

different from their own.

Improving the classroom climate:

They’re not dumb, they’re different.

Next Week: 32

References


33

1. Hurtado, S., Eagan, M. K., Pryor, J. H., Whang, H., & Tran, S. (2012). Undergraduate teaching faculty: The 2010–2011 HERI Faculty Survey. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. www.heri.ucla.edu

2. Eberlein, T. Kampmeier, J., Minderhout, V. Moog, R.S., Platt, T., Varma-Nelson, P., & White, H.B. (2008). Pedagogies of Engagement in Science: A Comparison of PBL, POGIL, and PLTL. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 36, 4, 262–273.

3. Crouch, C.H., & Mazur, E. (2001) Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics, 69, 9, 970–977.

4. #etmooc Massive Open Online Course on Educational Technology & Media etmooc.org

5. Hanson, D.M. (2006). Instructor’s Guide to Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning. Lisle, IL: Pacific Crest. http://www.pogil.org/resources/implementation/instructors-guide

6. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

7. Mazur, E. (2009). Farewell, Lecture? Science, 323, 5910, 50-51.

http://www.pogil.org/resources/implementation/instructors-guide


