how (you can help) people learn

How People LearnPeter Newbury, Ph.D.Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning, andSenior Advisor for Learning Initiatives, UBC Okanagan

peter.newbury@ubc.ca peternewbury.org @polarisdotca

#etug

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etug.ca

“Fish is Fish” by Leo Lionni (1970)

I started my presentation with a picture from Leo Lionni’s “Fish is Fish” showing a frog describing a cow to a fish (get all that?). The picture is copyrighted so I’m not including it here but you can see it at 2:27 of this great video:

https://vimeo.com/39374062

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Why are we here?

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What do you think students are doing in a typical university class?

A) listening

B) absorbing

C) learning

D) note-taking

E) not paying attentionPeter Newbury CC-BY

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POWER ONCLICK A–E

WATCH FORGREEN LIGHT

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The traditional lecture is based

on the transmission

model of learning

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um.dentistry on flickr CC

Important new number system. Please learn it.

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1 = 4 = 7 =

2 = 5 = 8 =

3 = 6 = 9 =

What’s this number?

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Transmission model

proven to be less effective than active learning

“the equivalent of blood-letting”

(Wieman, 2014)

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We must abandon thetabula rasa (“blank slate”) and

“students as empty vessels” models of teaching and

learning.

Important new number system: tic-tac-toe code

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1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

What number is this?

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Constructivistmodel of learning

New learning is based on knowledgeyou already have.

You store things in your long term memory through a set of connections with your existing memories.

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Rebecca-Lee on flickr CC

learning is doneby individuals

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How People Learn(2000)

Available for free from the National Academies Press

12www.nap.edu/catalog/9853/how-people-learn-brain-mind-experience-and-school-expanded-edition

Key Finding #1

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Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the worldworks. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to graspthe new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn themfor the purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside of theclassroom.

Key Finding #2

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To develop competence in an area, students must:

a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge,

b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptualframework, and

c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval andapplication.

Key Finding #3

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A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to takecontrol of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoringtheir progress in achieving them.

Metacognition

thinkingabout

thinking

“I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am

having more trouble learning

A than B.”(J. Flavel, 1976)

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cognitionmeta

Key Finding #3

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A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to takecontrol of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoringtheir progress in achieving them.

Key Findings: Theory Practice

1. IN GROUPS OF 2 – 3, TEAR YOUR SHEET INTO 9 CARDS

2. MATCH ONE IMPLICATION AND ONE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT WITH EACH KEY FINDING

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Key Finding

#2

Implicationsfor Teaching

Implicationsfor Teaching

Implicationsfor Teaching

DesigningClassroom

Environments

Peter Newbury CC-BY

Key Finding #1

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Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the worldworks. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to graspthe new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn themfor the purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside of theclassroom.

Implications for Teaching

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Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings thattheir students bring with them.

TRANSMISSION MODEL CONSTRUCTIVIST MODEL

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1 = 4 = 7 =

2 = 5 = 8 =

3 = 6 = 9 =

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

unsupported, unfamiliar built on pre-existing knowledge

Implications for Teaching

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Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings thattheir students bring with them.

Designing Classroom EnvironmentsSchools and classrooms must be learner centered.

Key Finding #2

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To develop competence in an area, students must:

a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge,

b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptualframework, and

c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval andapplication.

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Smith & Tanner (2010)

knowledgeframeworkretrieval

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knowledgeframeworkretrieval

Smith & Tanner (2010)

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knowledgeframeworkretrieval

Smith & Tanner (2010)

Implications for Teaching

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Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth, providing manyexamples in which the same concept is at work and providing a firmfoundation of factual knowledge.

Designing Classroom EnvironmentsTo provide a knowledge-centered environment, attention must be given towhat is taught (information, subject matter), why it is taught(understanding), and what competence or mastery looks like.

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Peter Newbury CC-BYPeter Newbury CC-BY

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Bruce Barett CC-BY-ND-NC

Am Steuer CC-BY-SA

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

1Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

1

2

Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

1

2 3

Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

1

2 3

4

Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Think about the last time you taught something.Where are you on this chart?

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

A

B C

D

Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

2 3

Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

1

2 3

4

5

Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Development of Expertise

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conscious

unconscious

incompetent competent

Beh

avio

ur

Level of Expertise

2 3

4

Sprague & Stewart (2000)

Think about the house you grew up in…

How many windows are there?

As you counted the windows, did you see them from inside the house or outside the house?

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4 5

Key Finding #3

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A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to takecontrol of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoringtheir progress in achieving them.

Implications for Teaching

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The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated into thecurriculum in a variety of subject areas.

Designing Classroom EnvironmentsFormative assessments — ongoing assessments designed to makestudents’ thinking visible to both teachers and students — are essential.

YOU’RE HAVING TWINS?!?

Your sister calls to say she’s having twins. Which of the following is more likely? (Assume she’s not having identical twins.)

A) twin boys

B) twin girls

C) one boy and one girl

D) all are equally likely

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Wikimedia Commons

HOW (YOU CAN HELP) PEOPLE LEARN

1. draw out and build on their pre-existing knowledge

2. model expertise (especially framework and retrieval)

3. create opportunities (and time) for people to practice being metacognitive

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“Any questions?”

Why do you think instructors ask, “Any questions?”

A) to signal they’re at the end of a section or concept

B) so the instructor can check if they can continue

C) so the instructor can check if the audience understands

D) so the audience can check if they’re ready to continue

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“What questions do you have for me?”

…and give them enough time to ask a useful question

ReferencesFlavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem solving. In L. B. Resnick (Ed.), The nature of intelligence (pp.

231-236). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Lionni, L. (1970). Fish is Fish. New York, NY:Pantheon Books.

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. www.nap.edu/catalog/9853/how-people-learn-brain-mind-experience-and-school-expanded-edition

Smith, J. & Tanner, K. (2010). The Problem of Revealing How Students Think: Concept Inventories and Beyond. CBE –Life Sciences Education 9, 1.

Wieman, C.E. (2014). Large-scale comparison of science teaching methods sends clear message. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 (23), 8319-8320.

Sprague, J., & Stuart, D. (2000). The speaker’s handbook. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College Publishers.

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