ctd fa14 weekly workshop: peer instruction questions that support expert-like thinking

Peer instructions questions that

support expert-like thinking

1 Peer instruction questions to support expert-like thinking

Peter Newbury

Center for Teaching Development,

University of California, San Diego

[email protected] @polarisdotca

ctd.ucsd.edu

resources: see Weekly Workshops at ctd.ucsd.edu

please

sign in

try to sit with

others in your

subject area

How familiar are you with peer

instruction and clickers?

A) I’ve heard about it but never used it

B) I’ve used it once or twice

C) I use it every time I teach

D) I can’t imagine teaching without clickers

Peer instruction questions to support expert-like thinking 2

What is expertise? [1]

To develop competence in an area of inquiry, student

must

(a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge

(b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a

conceptual framework, and

(c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval

and application



knowledge


knowledge

framework

6

knowledge

framework

retrieval

Peer instruction questions to support expert-like thinking

Peer instruction questions to support expert-like thinking

What the best college teachers do[2]

More than anything else, the best teachers try to

create a natural critical learning environment:

natural because students encounter skills, habits,

attitudes, and information they are trying to learn

embedded in questions and tasks they find fascinating

– authentic tasks that arouse curiosity and become

intrinsically interesting, critical because students

learn to think critically, to reason from evidence, to

examine the quality of their reasoning using a variety

of intellectual standards, to make improvements while

thinking, and to ask probing and insightful questions

about the thinking of other people. 7

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.[2]


try

fail receive

feedback

Peer instruction

Pause to let students think, provide a question for

them to think about, and provide prompts so

they have the conversations you want them

to have.


Supporting expert-like thinking:

Introductory Biology class The molecules making up the dry mass of wood in

a tree come from

A) sunlight

B) the air

C) the seed

D) the soil


(Question: Bill Wood)

(Image: Autumn? No Doubt! by blavandmaster on flickr CC)

In effective peer instruction

students teach each other while

they may still hold or remember

their novice preconceptions

students discuss the concepts

in their (novice) language

each student finds out what s/he does(n’t) know

the instructor finds out what the students

(don’t) know and reacts, building on their initial

understanding and preconceptions.


students learn

and practice

how to think,

communicate

like experts

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


Effective peer instruction requires

1. identifying key concepts, misconceptions

2. creating multiple-choice questions that

require deeper thinking and learning

3. facilitating episodes of peer instruction that

spark and support expert-like discussion

4. leading a class-wide discussion to clarify

the concept, resolve the misconception

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

today

next

week


What makes a good question?

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?

(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). Use the scorecard to record your opinions.


Peer instruction helps you teach


BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning





BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning

Do they care about this?

Are they ready for the next topic?

What DO they care about, anyway?

What do they already know?

t h e l e a r n i n g c y c l e Did they notice key idea X?

Where are they in the activity?



BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning

Are they getting it?

Do I need to intervene?

t h e l e a r n i n g c y c l e How did I do?

Did they get it?



BEFORE DURING AFTER

setting up

instruction

developing

knowledge

assessing

learning

Can I move to the next topic?

Did that activity work?

Resources

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

2. 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.

3. Colvin, G. (2006, October 19). What it takes to be great. Fortune, 88- 96. Available at money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm

4. Peer instruction resources from the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at the Univ. of British Columbia : http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/clickers.htm

5. Videos by the Science Education Initiative at the Univ. of Colorado (Boulder) provide excellent background for using clickers: http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/SEI_video.html

6. Peer Instruction network blog.peerinstruction.net
