Increasing Your Instructional Effectiveness through Student-Centered Teaching

Mary Lee Jensen,Head of Instructional ServicesKent State University

mjensen@kent.eduLOEX 2005

I hope that by the end of this session you will:

Feel more comfortable with the vocabulary of learner-centered teaching

Understand the importance of putting yourself in your students’ shoes when you are teaching.

I hope that by the end of this sessionyou will:

Understand the impact that you have on your students’ learning.

Leave with at least one new idea that you can incorporate into your teaching.

Please place a sticker on your bookmark

every time one of the following statements resembles something

you have said or thought…….

Statement 1

In the classes I teach, there is rarely enough time to cover everything I think my students should know.

Statement 2

I have tried to have students work in groups, but they seem a bit ….resistant.

Statement 3

I am worried about trying something new when I teach – and having it not work.

Statement 4

I want to reduce the number of blank stares in my classes.

Statement 5

I’m not comfortable with the uncertainty that comes with doing unscripted

instruction.

Statement 6

I teach large classes of students and am not sure how to incorporate hands-on activities

Statement 7

I want to be more effective in the classroom.

Count up your stickers!

The move away from lectures…

The lecture works for students who “learn auditorially, have high working memory capacity, have all the required prior knowledge, have good note-taking skills, and are not susceptible to information processing overload.”

Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (1991) in John C. Bean. Engaging ideas: the professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. P. 89

Learner-centered teaching… Acknowledges the needs of the learner

Moves from teacher as imparter of knowledge toward teacher as facilitator

Recognizes different learning styles

Active learning … Students learn by doing – they are

involved in more than just listening

Students are involved in higher order thinking – analysis, synthesis, evaluation

Active learning in and of itself is not learner-centered – objectives are important

Problem-based learning… Students are guided to learn on their own

There is no right answer – emphasis on the process

Students identify tools they need to solve a problem

Cooperative learning … Collaborative learning sometimes used

interchangeably

Learning is facilitated through support of others

Facilitates the development of social skills

Works best when some direction is provided -- establish roles

Is not the same as group projects…

Brain-based learning… Uses information about the construct of the

brain to facilitate learning

Focuses on stimulating multiple neural networks and multiple areas of the brain

Recognizes the role of prior knowledge

Seeks to make connections -- senses

Whole-Brain Learning

Mind mapping…..

Created by Tony Buzan Brain-friendly method for taking

notes Links verbal side (words) of the left

brain with creative side (color, pictures) of the right brain

Creates multiple pathways for recall

Your turn to try mind mapping…… PINK Characteristics

of a good learning experience you have had – your perspective as a student

BLUE Characteristics

of an instruction session that you think went particularly well – your perspective as a teacher

Now partner with one other person who has the same color sheet. Share your mindmaps and decide on one

characteristic you both agree on. Use the Sharpie pen that one of you has and

write the characteristic on one of the post-it notes at the back of your folder. Add the word student if you are pink and teacher if you are blue.

Pass your slip to the end of the row. The person at the end should put the slips on

the correct easel sheet on the wall.

Multiple IntelligencesHoward

Gardner1. Verbal-linguistic – loves to read, talk, listen,

and write

2. Logical-mathematical – loves to solve problems.

3. Musical-rhythmic – loves to sing, hum, tap to music

4. Visual-spatial – loves to imagine, manipulate objects in space, create art

Multiple intelligences (continued)5. Bodily-kinesthetic – loves to move and

express movement or action

6. Interpersonal – loves to communicate, listen, persuade, negotiate

7. Intrapersonal – loves to be alone, reflect, set internal goals

Be aware that learners have different strengths – in addition to learning styles….

Auditory

Visual

Kinesthetic

Learning Styles: VAK

Time to pass the toy…..Form a virtual circle with two rows

Green = right

Red = left

Many articles in a database are available in full-text though not always. Sometimes you just get the citation. If you are using a database like Academic Search Premier and scan your search results you will see the words HTML and PDF. Clicking on HTML will give you the text version of the article which is sometimes harder to cite. The PDF version looks exactly like the article would when it was originally published,but you will need Adobe Acrobat to view it.

Sometimes the article is not in full text and you just get the citation. Sometimes the article is in full-text, but it doesn’t say that on the screen. In some databases associated with OhioLINK you will see the term Find a Copy. Click on this and you will sometimes go to the link to full-text. It might say full-text available in the EJC. This is the Electronic Journal Center which is another database that is linked to this one.

Sometimes Find a Copy will link to another full-text source and you might have to click on one link and then another link and then the PDF icon to get the article. Sometimes you will click on Find a Copy and you won’t get a link to the full-text. The screen will show you the journal holdings. In our online catalog, you will first see holdings for branch campuses. You will want to look for the word Main which is our campus.

You will see a list of the volumes we have received for that journal. Sometimes there are gaps where for some reason we stopped getting the journal for a couple years. Make sure you have the complete citation so you can find the journal on the second floor where the bound journals are arranged alphabetically by the title of the journal not the article.

Sometimes it looks like we don’t own the journal, but we actually do. You will need to do a title search in the online catalog to confirm this. The record for the journal will show you whether we own the journal or not. If we don’t, you can try to get the article through Interlibrary Loan. But that might take a couple weeks…….

How did that feel?

The activity requires reconciliation of different learning styles – auditory, visual, kinesthetic

Frustration, confusion, fear, boredom are barriers to learning – keep this in mind when teaching

A few observations about learner-centered teaching -- a personal perspective *

* (obligatory disclaimer)

Read the class and respond to cues that you might not be

getting through.

Acknowledge that students bring different levels of

knowledgeto the class.

Provide a context for why the information is

important.

Pay attention to the importance of the

physical space.

Acknowledge what is going on outside the

classroom.

Show that you care!

70% of communication is nonverbal 7% = words (actual content)

23% = tone of voice

33% = facial expression

35% = body language

Exley and Dennick. “Giving a lecture from presenting to teaching.” 2004, p. 91.

Reflect on your teaching.

You are already a great teacher – because you are

here and because you care!

Please use your evaluation forms to provide feedback!!!! Write your name and email address and

institution on the index card in your baggie and give it to me before you leave. Share one new idea that you will try in your class.

I’ll collect the ideas and distribute them.

Thanks!