1. In theory, there is no difference between theory and
practice. But, in practice, there is." Yogi Berra
2. Learning objectives for this lesson Identify characteristics
of Millennials, and generate ideas on how to effectively teach this
generation of engineering students Identify diverse characteristics
of learners , and generate ideas on how to effectively teach and
include different types of students in engineering
3. Millennials - and the next generation of college students
are well studied Beloit College has compiled a list of traits of
the next graduating class since 1998. From the Beloit College
Mindset List for the Class of 2018: Students heading into their
first year of college this year were generally born in 1996. Among
those who have never been alive in their lifetime are Tupac Shakur,
JonBenet Ramsey, Carl Sagan, and Tiny Tim. On Parents Weekend, they
may want to watch out in case Madonna shows up to see daughter
Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon or Sylvester Stallone comes to see
daughter Sophia. For students entering college this fall in the
Class of 2018... During their initial weeks of kindergarten, they
were upset by endlessly repeated images of planes blasting into the
World Trade Center. Since they binge-watch their favorite TV shows,
they might like to binge-watch the video portions of their courses
too. When they see wire-rimmed glasses, they think Harry Potter,
not John Lennon. Celebrity selfies are far cooler than autographs.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has always been the only news
program that really gets it right. . Beware of hardening of the
references students are not the same every year!
4. What makes Millennials different? Special Sheltered
Confident Team-oriented Conventional Pressured Achieving From The
Teaching Professor Conference, 2007:
http://www.teachingprofessor.com/
5. What are students likely to look like in the next decade?
The Chronicle of Higher Educations Prospects: Who Will Reach
College Age in the Next 14 Years? (Chronicle of Higher Ed, Jan 19,
2014): http://chronicle.com/article//144061/#00/0-1 Interactive
maps show population distributions based on ethnicity and race. Our
notion of majority and minority student populations will need to
shift with the next generation.
6. Other Aspects of Diversity: Learning Styles There are many
ways to characterize how students best perceive, process and
understand knowledge. But there is much debate about whether
learning styles actually exist.
7. Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model Processing: Active
Reflective Perception: Sensing Intuitive Input Modality: Visual
Verbal Understanding: Sequential Global R.M. Felder and L.K.
Silverman, "Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education,"
Engr. Education, 78(7), 674-681 (1988).
8. Active and Reflective Learners Active Learners Tend to
process actively (doing something physical with presented material,
then reflecting on it) Think out loud Lets try it and see how it
goes Tend to jump in prematurely Like group work Reflective
Learners Tend to process reflectively (thinking about presented
material, then doing something with it) Work introspectively Lets
think it through and then try it Tend to delay starting Like solo
or paired work Materials adapted from the National Effective
Teaching Institute, with permission (Richard Felder, Rebecca Brent
and James Stice)
9. Sensing and Intuitive Learners Sensing learners Focus on
external input Practical Observant (notice details of environment)
Concrete thinking (facts, data, hands-on work) Learn through
repetition Methodical Like working with details Complaint about
courses: no apparent connection to the real world Problems with
exams: run out of time Intuitive learners Focus on internal input
Imaginative Look for meanings (miss details) Abstract thinking
(theories, math models) Like variety in learning experiences (bored
with repetition) Quick Like working with concepts Complaint about
courses: Plug and Chug Problems with exams: Careless mistakes
10. Visual and Verbal Learners Visual learners Show me
Pictures, diagrams, sketches, schematics, flow charts, plots Verbal
learners Explain it to me Spoken words, written words, symbols
(seen, but translated by brain into the oral equivalents)
11. Sequential and Global Learners Sequential learners Build
understanding in logical sequential steps Function with partial
understanding of information Make steady progress Explain easily
Good at analytical thinking (the trees) Global learners Absorb
information randomly, then synthesize the big picture Need the big
picture (interrelations, connections to other subjects) in order to
function with information Large leaps in understanding with little
progress between them Cant explain easily Synthesis, holistic
thinking (the forest)
12. The debate about learning styles We know learning is hard,
and that different concepts/ideas can be learned more easily in
different ways. But there is little evidence that characterizing
students by learning style is useful for teaching. Whether people
can learn better in one way over another is not as important in the
classroom as the meaning we are trying to convey. We want students
to learn material based on meaning; that meaning may be best
conveyed visually (i.e. a free body diagram), by text or equation
(theory or mathematical method), or audibly (expert testimony)
Watch the commentary on this topic by Dr. Dan Willingham, cognitive
psychologist and neurobiologist at UVA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIv9rz2NTUk More from Dr. Willingham
(Learning Styles FAQ):
http://www.danielwillingham.com/learning-styles-faq.html
13. A similar word of caution about personality types You can
prove anything with statistics. I prefer interpreting anecdotes.
~Carl Jung Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) is based on Jungs
theories of personality Although very popular (especially in work
environments), there is very little scientific evidence, and no
supporting research for MBTI Big Five personality traits are based
on research, but many generalizations made to interpret results
Like learning styles, personality types simply provide frameworks
to describe the spectrum of students in our classrooms
14. Regardless of the questions, the answer is: Repetition and
balance! If students are taught only in their less preferred modes,
they will be too uncomfortable to learn effectively If they are
taught only in their preferred mode, they will gain skills in those
modes but will not develop equally important skills in their less
preferred modes (i.e. we will not be developing lifelong learners)
We need to teach in multiple modalities, multiple times
15. Time for reflection Watch the YouTube video of Dr.
Willinghams commentary and other materials on his website. Write a
reflection (1 page, double spaced) to defend or disagree with Dr.
Willinghams position. State your stance in the first sentence of
your reflection. Clearly explain your understanding of learning
styles and how this affects your stance.
