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Using Weekly Laboratory Sessions to Stimulate Student Discussion

Charlie PeltierSaint Mary’s College

Notre Dame, IN

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Why do this ?(content)• Students learn better in a course if they are

more involved in the course• Students learn course material better if they

talk about the material and have to organize and explain their own insights

• If more students are talking at once, more students are active

• I can learn more about what my students are thinking if I can observe them working

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Why do this? (other)

• We need to help students move (over time) to a more active role in their own learning

• Most work environments are based on teamwork and cooperation

• Communication is a critical part of using the mathematics for most of our students

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Goals for this Approach

• Encourage student conversation about mathematics

• Make students responsible for their learning

• Develop student’s experience with working in a team situation

• Increase opportunities for discussion and feedback

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Process - overview

• Activity each week – uses one class meeting - specified exercises to be completed

• Usually new content or enrichment, though sometimes a second day on a topic.

• Students work in teams of 3-5, fixed for the semester

• Instructor present, observes, answers questions, watches for process, wrong directions

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More process overview

• Team produces a written report on content and on process at the end of each session

• Reports are read, commented, graded, and returned (copies for team) at the next class meeting

• There are specified “roles” for team members - report must comment on these (as well as on mathematical content)

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Team Roles

• Captain: coordinate, keep all team involved• Recorder: produce copy of answers, work• Reflector: observe, comment on team work• Spokesperson: ask questions, give oral

reports, responsible for technology issues (computer work, etc.)

• Roles rotate weekly basis - everyone must do all

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Required reports

• “Recorder’s report” - team’s work on the exercises, answers to questions - students see this as the “content”

• “Reflector’s report” - functioning of the team. As a minimum– Strength and area for improvement for the team– Role, strength, area for improvement for each

member

• Team’s self-assigned grade (0.0 to 5.0)

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Parts of an Activity - 1

• Why: The point of the topic, exercise in the course

• Learning objectives: What the students should gain from the activity

• Criteria: Basis for judging success, for grading

• Resources: Tools available to complete the activity

• Plan: An outline of “How to complete”

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Parts of an Activity - 2

• Discussion (if appropriate): Content explanation

• Models (if appropriate): Examples of use of the ideas

• Exercises: The work to be written up for submission

• Assignment for next class

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Developing an Activity - 1

• Activity usually covers the next natural topic of the course

• May be enrichment, side topic

• Necessarily one topic - but can be two aspects

• Content about equivalent to one day of lecture, with examples

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Developing an Activity - 2

• Begin with “What is the point for today?” or “What do I want them to do (or see)?”

• Design exercises that will lead there• Write discussion, models to allow them to

work on the exercises and see the point• Time - about 2 hours first time - with a

“library” developed, this is greatly reduced.

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Benefits

• Increased discussion among students (over the semester)

• Increased opportunity for the instructor to see the students at work

• Student experience with working in teams - begin skills, see costs and benefits

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Benefits - 2

• Many short writing experiences with quick feedback

• Improved student preparation for classes

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Problems/Costs

• Takes longer than developing a lecture• Have to give up control of the discussion• Have to plan whole activity, commit to

exercises and examples - harder to adjust• Timing is an issue

– Teams work at different speeds– There are variations between classes– Sometimes time estimation is simply wrong

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Problems/Costs - 2

• Weaker students have to be pushed to contribute, stronger to listen

• Personality and style clashes can occur

• There is always some “Just get it done” pressure acting during the activity

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Some anticipated questions• Instructor time - it does require more

preparation time - grading time about equivalent to a quiz

• Course time - it does not slow down the course. If anything, it speeds things up

• Some students are resistant to working together, to being graded as a team

• Absences - treat as usual for test or quiz

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Some references

• Basic outline and terminology adapted from processes taught by Pacific Crest (Lisle, IL) for their Process Education™Philosophy

• The outline for the learning activities and the team roles is adapted from Myrvaagnes, Brooks, Wolf, Foundations of Problem solving, Pacific Crest software, Corvallis, Oregon, 1997.