The College Classroom Fa15 Meeting 6: Peer Instruction

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

2013–2014 Higher Education Research Initiative (HERI) Faculty Survey of

16,112 full-time faculty at 269 four-year colleges and universities

The College Classroom Meeting 6:

Cooperative Learning and Peer Instruction

November 3 and 5 2015

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Please form groups of

2-3 with others in

your subject area:

Look for colored cards

like yours.

Scholarly approach to teaching:

(also known as Backward Design)

Learning Outcomes - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 3

Carl Wieman

Science Education Initiative

cwsei.ubc.ca

What should

students

learn? learning

outcomes

assessment

active

learning

What should

students

learn?

What are

students

learning?

What instructional

strategies

help students

learn?

Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 4

active learning

cooperative

learning

peer

instruction

What do you see?

5 Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

2013–2014 Higher Education Research Initiative (HERI)

Faculty Survey of 16,112 full-time faculty at 269 four-year

colleges and universities [1]

Cooperative Learning[2]


Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so

that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s

learning.

(Rique Campa)

constructivism social constructivism

recognizes that knowledge is

constructed in the mind of the

learner by the learner

([3], p.262)

implies that this “building”

process is aided through

cooperative social interactions

([3], p. 262)

Key to successful cooperative learning


If you choose to use cooperative learning so that students learn how to work effectively as a team,

you need to teach the students how to work effectively as a team

You can’t leave it up to them to figure out

positive team member traits

team-building, management, conflict-resolution skills

how to remain inquiry-based: asking questions of each other, making recommendations, receiving feedback

how to make effective, professional presentations

What to watch for

and what to do about it


lack of group maturity insufficient guidance and training from instructor about how to work together

“free-riding” instructor hasn’t built in enough individual accountability

loss of motivation instructor needs to stay in touch with groups frequently

lack of skills and abilities instructor needs to create groups with more diverse skills and abilities

In natural critical learning environments


students encounter safe yet challenging conditions in

which they can try, fail, receive feedback, and try again

without facing a summative evaluation.[5]

try

fail receive

feedback


Discussion (Economics)


Which of the following professionals chooses to drive an

expensive car as a sign of their success compared to others

in the same profession?

A) a realtor

B) a politician

C) a carpenter

D) a major league baseball player

(adapted from Steve Morris, Bowdoin College, ME)

Typical Episode of Peer Instruction


1. Instructor poses a conceptually-challenging multiple-choice question.

2. Students think about question on their own and vote using clickers, colored ABCD cards, smartphones,…

3. The instructor asks students to turn to their neighbors and “convince them you’re right.”

4. After that “peer instruction”, students may vote again.

5. The instructor leads a class-wide discussion concluding with why the right answer(s) is right and the wrong answers are wrong.

Peer instruction is successful when


students teach each other while

they may still hold or remember

their novice preconceptions

students discuss the concepts in their

own (novice) language

each student finds out what s/he does (not) know

the instructor finds out what the students (do not)

know and reacts, building on their initial understanding

and preconceptions.

students practice

how to think,

communicate

like experts


1. identifying key concepts, learning outcomes, misconceptions

2. creating multiple-choice questions that require deeper thinking

3. facilitating episodes of peer instruction that spark and support expert-like thinking

4. leading a class-wide discussion to clarify concepts, resolve misconceptions

5. reflecting on the question: note curious things you overheard, how they voted, etc. so next year’s peer instruction will be better

before

class

during

class

after

class

Effective peer instruction requires

t h e l e a r n i n g c y c l e

Peer instruction helps students learn


BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning

Adapted from Rosie Piller, Ian Beatty, Stephanie Chasteen




BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning





BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning


The students have not

resolved Concept X.

But they’re know X exists

and why X is interesting.




BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning





BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning


Students have had opportunities to

try, fail, receive feedback and

try again without facing a

summative evaluation.




BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning


Writing Good

Peer Instruction Questions


clarity Students waste no effort trying to figure out what’s

being asked.

context Is this topic currently being covered in class?

learning

outcome

Does the question make students do the right things

to demonstrate they grasp the concept?

distractors What do the “wrong” answers tell you about

students’ thinking?

difficulty Is the question too easy? too hard?

stimulates

thoughtful

discussion

Will the question engage the students and spark

thoughtful discussions? Are there openings for you

to continue the discussion?

What makes a good question?

Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 22 (Adapted from Stephanie Chasteen, CU Boulder)

Sample Questions


With others in your group, look through the collection of

questions (start with the questions in subjects you’re

familiar with. )

WARNING: Some are good, some are not.

Try to identify at least one characteristic (clarity,

context,…) that makes each question good (or bad).

Try it yourself:

In your groups of 2 – 3,

1. Show each other the learning outcomes you brought to class.

2. Decide which learning outcome all of you are familiar with.

3. On a whiteboard, write a peer instruction question that helps a

student move towards that learning outcome.

4. Select someone in your group to be prepared to state the

learning outcome, describe the question, and justify each choice.


References


1. Eagan, M. K., Stolzenberg, E. B., Berdan Lozano, J., Aragon, M. C., Suchard, M. R.,

& Hurtado, S. (2014). Undergraduate teaching faculty: The 2013–2014 HERI Faculty

Survey. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. www.heri.ucla.edu

2. Derek Bruff, Henry (Rique) Campa, III, Trina McMahon, Bennett Goldberg (2014).

“An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching” (coursera

MOOC) class.coursera.org/stemteaching-001

3. 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

4. National Research Council (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School:

Expanded Edition. J.D. Bransford, A.L Brown & R.R. Cocking (Eds.),Washington, DC:

The National Academies Press.

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

Press.