Active LearningClarissa Dirks

Jim Stith

Learning Objectivesfor this session

• Describe the link between a learner’s misconceptions and active learning

• Assess if a classroom is learner centered• Identify ways to apply active learning in the 

classroom• Present arguments for the use of active 

learning

Instructor:

• “I know a lot about this topic, so I will transmit my knowledge to you by telling you about it”.

Transmissionist View of Learning

The transmissionist view of learning

• Learners are empty vessels to be filled with knowledge

• Instructor‐centered

Smith et al., 2005

The typical outcome…

The constructivist view of learning• People must grow their own knowledge structure from experience– we cannot put knowledge into students’ heads

Learner‐centered!

www.tracingyourpast.co.uk

Moving from an instructor‐centered to a learner‐centered classroom

Begin with this drawing . . . 

As a table, sketch what it would look like if it were learner‐centered

5 minutes!

Smith et al., 2005

Transmissionist vs. Constructivist

“I know a lot about this topic, so I will transmit my knowledge to you by telling you about it”.

Instructor

“I know a lot about this topic, so I will create situations and present challenges for you so that you construct your own knowledge and understanding”.

Facilitator

How do learners construct their own knowledge?

Formative assessments allow both learners and instructors to gauge the learners’progress during learning.

MeasurableObjectives

Summative Assessment(Exams)

Formative Assessment(Instruction)

General Goals

Backward Design

Provided by active learning exercises

If a camera crew making a documentary on student misconceptions were to question your students at the end of your course or the

end of your degree program, what would you be most embarrassed to find out that they

didn’t know?

Talk to your neighbor.

Clickers: “the greatest teaching tool since chalk”

My experience with clickers is . . .

A.  I have used them before

B.  I know what they are but have never used them

C.  I have no idea what a clicker is but  would like to know more

The following is true with respect to the use of clickers in my country.

A.  They are used in my country.

B.  They are not permitted in my country.

C.  I am not sure if they are permitted in my country.

Back to formative assessments!

Formative assessments have multiple roles in the classroom

(Example method: clicker)

1. Assessments help confront alternate conceptions/misconceptions

A researcher prepared three identical plates of radish seeds which were incubated under three different conditions:

1. Light, no water2. Light, with water3. No light, with water

An Experiment with Radish Seeds

Anwiksha Ghosh

www.gardenswag.com

2

1 3

Three identical plates of radish seeds are incubated under three different conditions, with results as shown.  How will the dry weights of the three plates compare at the end of the experiment?

A)  1 < 2 < 3B)  1 < 3 < 2C)  1 = 3 < 2D)  3 < 1 < 2 E)  1 = 2 = 3

D. Ebert May, Pathways to Scientific Teaching

2

1 3

Three identical plates of radish seeds are incubated under three different conditions, with results as shown.  How will the dry weights of the three plates compare at the end of the experiment?

A)  1 < 2 < 3B)  1 < 3 < 2C)  1 = 3 < 2D)  3 < 1 < 2 E)  1 = 2 = 3

D. Ebert May, Pathways to Scientific Teaching

2

1 3

Three identical plates of radish seeds are incubated under three different conditions, with results as shown.  How will the dry weights of the three plates compare at the end of the experiment?

A)  1 < 2 < 3B)  1 < 3 < 2C)  1 = 3 < 2D)  3 < 1 < 2E)  1 = 2 = 3

1.46 g 1.63 g 1.20 g

Bloom’s level?

D. Ebert May, Pathways to Scientific Teaching

Each year Emperor penguins migrate across Antarctica totheir breeding grounds 50 miles away from the sea (andfood). For over 2 months the male emperor penguins carefor and incubate the eggs while the females return to thesea to feed. During this time, the male penguin can lose upto 50% of its biomass (by dry weight). Where did themajority of this biomass go?

A. The mass was converted to urine and feces and eliminated from the body

B. The mass was converted to energy and used up

C. The mass was converted into ATP molecules

D. The mass was released as CO2 and H2OAlison Crowe 

What is the evidence that active learning works?

The Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation (ERME) program at the Lynch School

Smith, M. et al. Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In‐Class Concept Questions. Science, 2009 January, 2. Vol. 323

Does active engagement of students during discussion with peers, some of whom know the correct answer, lead to increased conceptual understanding?

OR

Do students not in fact learn from the discussion, but simply choose the answer most strongly supported by neighbors they perceive to be knowledgeable?

Clickers and Peer Interaction

Students answer a clicker question individually (Q1).

Students talk to neighbors and answer Q1 again (Q1AD for Q1 “After Discussion”).

Students answer a different question individually (Q2). Q2 is asking about the same concept as Q1 (isomorphic).

Testing the value of peer discussion:

Smith et al., Science. 2009, 323(5910):122.

Q2Individual

Q1ADAfter Discussion

Q1Individual

102030405060708090

100

0

avg % correct

n= 350 students(Genetics)16 sets of questions

Easy(5 questions)

Medium(7 questions)

Difficult(4 questions)

Percen

t correct

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

00

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Even when questions are initially difficult, students can answer correctly after discussion

Q1

Q1after discussion

Q2

Very few students knew correct answer to Q1, but after discussion, many more answer correctly: students are constructing their own knowledge

Smith et al., Science. 2009, 323(5910):122.

Smith, M. et al. Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In‐Class Concept Questions. Science, 2009 January, 2. Vol. 323

“Our results indicate that peer discussion enhances understanding, even when none of the students in a discussion group originally knows the correct answer.”

This study provides support for peer discussion, but more importantly it provides guidance for how faculty should deliver clicker questions!

You don’t need clickers – paper and fingers work just fine!

Socrative Poll Everywhere

Mentimeter InfuseLearning

Active Learning . . .

. . . is engaging. . . can be challenging

. . . may reveal misconceptions

1. Formative assessments help confront alternate conceptions/misconceptions

2. Assessments help students distinguish between what they know and what they don’t know.

3. Assessments can aid construction of new knowledge

4. Assessments allow students and instructors to gauge students’

progress during learning.

• group work• think-pair-share• peer instruction• inquiry-based learning• technology-enhanced learning• concept mapping • clickers• cooperative learning• collaborative learning• problem-based learning• case-based learning• creative others?

Active learning encompasses many different approaches:

Research supports…

Evidence for the Efficacy of Active Learning in the Life SciencesAnderson, W.L., S.M. Mitchell, and M.P. Osgood, Comparison of Student Performance in Cooperative Learning and Traditional Lecture-Based Biochemistry Classes. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education., 2005.Armbruster, P., et al., Active Learning and Student-Centered Pedagogy Improve Student Attitudes and Performance in Introductory Biology. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2009.Armstrong, N., S.-M. Chang, and M. Brickman, Cooperative Learning in Industrial-Sized Biology Classes. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2007.Born, W.K., W. Revelle, and L.H. Pinto, Improving Biology Performance with Workshop Groups. Journal of Science Education and Technology., 2002.Brauner, A., et al., Open-Ended Assignments and Student Responsibility. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education., 2007.Brickman, P., Gormally, C., Armstrong, N. and Hallar, B., Effects of Inquiry-based Learning on Students’ Science Literacy Skills and Confidence. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2009. 3(2).Burrowes, P. and G. Nazario, Promoting Student Learning through the Integration of Lab and Lecture: The Seamless Biology Curriculum. Journal of College Science Teaching., 2008.Burrowes, P.A., A Student-Centered Approach to Teaching General Biology That Really Works: Lord's Constructivist Model Put to a Test. American Biology Teacher., 2003.Butler, J.A., Use of Teaching Methods within the Lecture Format. Medical Teacher., 1992.Buxeda, R.J. and D.A. Moore, Transforming a sequence of microbiology courses using student profile data. Microbiology Education, 2000. 1(1): p. 1-6.Caldwell, J.E., Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2007.Casem, M.L., Active Learning Is Not Enough. Journal of College Science Teaching., 2006.Casem, M.L., Student Perspectives on Curricular Change: Lessons from an Undergraduate Lower-Division Biology Core. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2006.Christianson, R.G. and K.M. Fisher, Comparison of Student Learning about Diffusion and Osmosis in Constructivist and TraditionalClassrooms. International Journal of Science Education., 1999.Cliff, W.H. and A.W. Wright, Directed case study method for teaching anatomy and physiology. Advances in Physiology Education, 1996. 15(1): p. 19-28.Cortright, R.N., et al., Student retention of course content is improved by collaborative-group testing. Advances in Physiology Education, 2003. 27: p. 102-108.Cortright, R.N., H.L. Collins, and S.E. DiCarlo, Peer Instruction Enhanced Meaningful Learning: Ability to Solve Novel Problems. Advances in Physiology Education., 2005.Daempfle, P.A., Instructional Approaches for the Improvement of Reasoning in Introductory College Biology Courses: A Review of the Research. 2002.D'Avanzo, C., Biology Concept Inventories: Overview, Status, and Next Steps. BioScience., 2008. 39(11): p. 952-978.Dirks, C. and M. Cunningham, Enhancing Diversity in Science: Is Teaching Science Process Skills the Answer? CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2006. 5(3): p. 218-226.Ebert-May, D., C. Brewer, and S. Allred, Innovation in Large Lectures--Teaching for Active Learning. BioScience., 1997.

Fonseca, A., C.I. Extremina, and A. Freitas da Fonseca. Concept Mapping: A Strategy for Meaningful Learning in Medical Microbiology. in First International Conference on Concept Mapping. 2004. Pamplona Spain.Francom, G., et al., Biology 100: A Task-Centered, Peer-Interactive Redesign. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning., 2009.Freeman, S., et al., Prescribed Active Learning Increases Performance in Introductory Biology. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2007.Froyd, J., Evidence for the Efficacy of Student-Active Learning Pedagogies. 2008, Texas A&M University: College Station. p. 1-20.Gehring, K.M. and D.A. Eastman, Information Fluency for Undergraduate Biology Majors: Applications of Inquiry-based Learning in a Developmental Biology Course. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2008.Goodwin, L., J.E. Miller, and R.D. Cheetham, Teaching Freshman to Think: Does Active Learning Work? BioScience., 1991. 41(10): p. 719-722.Halme, D.G., et al., A Small-Scale Concept-Based Laboratory Component: The Best of Both Worlds. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2006.Harris, M.A., et al., A Combination of Hand-Held Models and Computer Imaging Programs Helps Students Answer Oral Questions aboutMolecular Structure and Function: A Controlled Investigation of Student Learning. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2009.Hoffman, E.A., Successful Application of Active Learning Techniques to Introductory Microbiology. Microbiology Education, 2001. 2(1): p. 5-11.Hoffman, K., et al., Problem-Based Learning Outcomes: Ten Years of Experience at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. Academic Medicine, 2006. 81(7): p. 617-625.Hufford, T.L., Increasing Academic Performance in an Introductory Biology Course. BioScience., 1991.Huxham, M., Learning in Lectures: Do 'Interactive Windows' Help? Active Learning in Higher Education., 2005.Johnson, M.A. and A.E. Lawson, What Are the Relative Effects of Reasoning Ability and Prior Knowledge on Biology Achievement in Expository and Inquiry Classes? Journal of Research in Science Teaching., 1998.Kitchen, E., et al., Teaching Cell Biology in the Large-Enrollment Classroom: Methods to Promote Analytical Thinking and Assessment of Their Effectiveness. Cell Biology Education., 2003.Klappa, P., Promoting Active Learning through "Pub Quizzes"--A Case Study at the University of Kent. Bioscience Education., 2009.Klionsky, D.J., Constructing Knowledge in the Lecture Hall. Journal of College Science Teaching., 2002.Knight, J.K. and W.B. Wood, Teaching More by Lecturing Less. Cell Biology Education., 2005.Lawson, A., et al., Evaluating College Science and Mathematics Instruction: A Reform Effort That Improves Teaching Skills. Journal of College Science Teaching., 2002.Libarkin, J., Concept Inventories in Higher Education Science, in A manuscript prepared for the National Research Council Promising Practices in Undergraduate STEM Education Workshop 2. 2008: Washington, D.C.Lord, T.R. Is the Final Grade in College Biology a True Measure of Student Knowledge? 1988.Marbach-Ad, G. and P.G. Sokolove, Can Undergraduate Biology Students Learn To Ask Higher Level Questions? Journal of Research inScience Teaching., 2000.Marbach-Ad, G. and P.G. Sokolove, The Use of E-Mail and In-Class Writing To Facilitate Student-Instructor Interaction in Large-Enrollment Traditional and Active Learning Classes. Journal of Science Education and Technology., 2002.Marrs, K.A. and G.W. Chism, III, Just-in-Time Teaching for Food Science: Creating an Active Learner Classroom. Journal of Food Science Education., 2005.McCrindle, A.R. and C.A. Christensen, The Impact of Learning Journals on Metacognitive and Cognitive Processes and Learning Performance. Learning and Instruction., 1995.McDaniel, C.N., et al., Increased Learning Observed in Redesigned Introductory Biology Course that Employed Web-Enhanced, Interactive Pedagogy. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2007.

McInerney, M.J. and L.D. Fink, Team-Based learning enhances long-term retention and critical thinking in an undergraduate microbial physiology course Microbiology Education, 2003. 4: p. 3-12.Michael, J., Where's the evidence that active learning works? Advances in Physiology Education, 2006. 30: p. 159-167.Montelone, B.A., D.A. Rintoul, and L.G. Williams, Assessment of the Effectiveness of the Studio Format in Introductory Undergraduate Biology. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2008.Nehm, R. and L. Reilly, Biology majors' knowledge and misconceptions of natural selection. BioScience., 2007. 57(3): p. 263-272.Nelson, J., et al., Cloning the Professor, an Alternative to Ineffective Teaching in a Large Course. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2009.Orsmond, P., S. Merry, and A. Callaghan, Implementation of a Formative Assessment Model Incorporating Peer and Self-Assessment. Innovations in Education and Teaching International., 2004.Orsmond, P., S. Merry, and K. Reiling, A Study in Self-Assessment: Tutor and Students' Perceptions of Performance Criteria. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education., 1997.Orsmond, P., S. Merry, and K. Reiling, The Use of Student Derived Marking Criteria in Peer and Self-Assessment. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education., 2000.Osborne, J., Arguing to learn in science: the role of collaborative, critical discourse. Science, 2010. 328(5977): p. 463-6.Paschal, C.B., Formative assessment in physiology teaching using a wire- less classroom communication system. Advances in Physiology Education, 2002. 26: p. 299-308.Pelaez, N., Problem-based writing with peer review improves academic performance in physiology. Advances in Physiology Education, 2002. 26: p. 174-184.Perez, K.E., et al., Does Displaying the Class Results Affect Student Discussion during Peer Instruction? CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2010.Peters, A., Teaching biochemistry at a minority-serving institution: An evaluation of the role of collaborative learning as a tool for science mastery. Journal of Chemical Education, 2005. 82(4): p. 571-574.Pisani, A.M. Involvement through Cooperative Learning: An Attempt To Increase Persistence in the Biological Sciences. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper. 1994.Preszler, R.W., Cooperative Concept Mapping: Improving Performance in Undergraduate Biology. Journal of College Science Teaching, 2004. 33(6): p. 30-35.Preszler, R.W., et al., Assessment of the Effects of Student Response Systems on Student Learning and Attitudes over a Broad Range of Biology Courses. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2007. 6(1): p. 29-41. Preszler, R.W., Replacing Lecture with Peer-Led Workshops Improves Student Learning. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2009.Preszler, R.W., Student and teacher learning in a supplemental learning biology course. Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching., 2006. 32(2): p. 21-25.Rao, S.P., H.L. Collins, and S.E. DiCarlo, Collaborative testing enhances student learning. Advances in Physiology Education, 2002. 26: p. 37-41.Roy, H., Studio vs. Interactive Lecture Demonstration--Effects on Student Learning. Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching., 2003. 29(1): p. 3-6.Rybarczyk, B.J., et al., A Case-based approach increases student learning outcomes and comprehension of cellular respiration concepts. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education., 2007. 35(3): p. 181-186.Schroeder, C.M., et al., A Meta-Analysis of National Research: Effects of Teaching Strategies on Student Achievement in Science in the United States. Journal of Research in Science Teaching., 2007.Smith, M.K., et al., Why peer discussion improves student performance on in-class concept questions. Science, 2009. 323(5910): p. 122-4.Steele, J., Effect of essay-style lectures quizzes on student performance on anatomy and physiology exams. Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching., 2003. 29(4): p. 15-20.

Tessier, J., Small-group peer teaching in an introductory biology classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 2007. 36(4): p. 64-69.Tessier, J., Using peer teaching to promote learning in biology. Journal of College Science Teaching, 2004. 33(6): p. 16-19.Traver, H.A., et al., Student Reactions and Learning: Evaluation of a Biochemistry Course That Uses Web Technology and Student Collaboration. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education., 2001.Trempey, J.E., M.M. Skinner, and W.A. Siebold, Learning microbiology through cooperation: Designing cooperative learning activities that promote interdependence, interaction, and accountability. Microbiology Education, 2002. 3(1): p. 26-36.Udovic, D., et al., Workshop Biology: Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Active Learning in an Introductory Biology Course. Bioscience., 2002.Walker, J.D., et al., A Delicate Balance: Integrating Active Learning into a Large Lecture Course. CBE - Life Sciences Education., 2008.Wilke, R.R., The effect of active learning on student characteristics in a human physiology course for nonmajors. Advances in Physiology Education, 2003. 27: p. 207-223.Windschitl, M. Student Epistemological Beliefs and Conceptual Change Activities: How Do Pair Members Affect Each Other? 1997.Wood, W.B., Innovations in teaching undergraduate biology and why we need them. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology,2009. 25: p. 93-112.Wright, R., Learning cell biology as a team: A project-based approach to upper-division cell biology. Cell Biology Education, 2002. 1: p. 145-153.Yarden, H., G. Marbach-Ad, and J.M. Gershoni, Using the Concept Map Technique in Teaching Introductory Cell Biology to College Freshmen. Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching., 2004.

91% of studies indicated a positive impact of active learning

• Students/learners are not empty vessels to be filled up

A Recap of Key Concepts about Active Learning

• In learner‐centered classrooms, students are guided by a  facilitator to engage and construct their own knowledge

• There are many tools for implementing active learning.

• There is overwhelming evidence that active learning is an effective method for student learning

• Create learning environments that reflect the process of science!

Lunch

Break