Learning Styles

It’s no secret that people learn in different ways. The key to success in teaching is realizing that people learn differently and finding ways to incorporate different learning styles into our classes. Recently, we held a workshop titled Pragmatic Practices for Teaching Assistants, Learning Styles that addressed how to assess learning styles and how to make our students aware of and responsible for their own learning styles.

In a paper titled Student Learning Styles and Their Implications for Teaching, authors Susan Montgomery and Linda Groat discuss the importance of recognizing learning styles and offered several different ways to assess these styles. Among the learning style models that they covered are the Myers-Briggs Model and the Kolb/McCarthy Learning Cycle. The authors also provide useful tips to engage students with different types of learning styles in your classes. These tips include using both group and independent work, requiring in-class presentations and providing less direction to students.

To read the rest of the article please click here.

How do you engage students in your classes that have different learning styles?

Workshop Extension: Science of Learning (Diane Halpern DVSS Keynote & 25 Principles)

A group of several BGSU instructors, from tenured professors to a graduate teaching assistant, attended the “Science of Learning” discussion session last Friday. The discussion centered on Diane Halpern’s keynote from earlier this spring at the 2nd Annual BGSU Teaching and Learning Fair. She began her keynote with the quizzical, yet rhetorical question:

If I taught something and no one learned it, what happened?
(In other words, can I say that I really TAUGHT it?)

Some of the key points the group discussed during the session were the nature the science of learning and importance of faculty knowing about the implications for their courses and the students they teach. Halpern encourages faculty to think about the big ideas of their course (Ten years after your course, what do you want students to remember or be able to do?); be clear about learning outcomes, and encourage/foster a learning environment that allows for practice at retrieval of knowledge and establishes challenging learning opportunities that addresses and transforms their mental models.

Furthermore, it’s important for students (and faculty) to realize that learning is “effortful,” yet rewarding – often most difficult initially, then easier with more efforts and practice… like most things in life. The diverse group of participants provided and discussed examples from foreign languages, musical performance, and the sciences.

Later, participants reviewed Halpern’s list of 25 principles (full list with citations available here or as MS Word file) and selected individual principles that are essential for student success, such as:
• Perceptual motor grounding
• Testing effect
• Spacing effect
• Stories and Example Cases
• Discovery Learning

One concern brought up in Halpern’s address as well as in this discussion session that is an important question for all teachers – (paraphrased) “So, if these methods lead to better, durable learning, don’t these take up more time in the class? What goes and how do we choose?” A great question for all instructors, department chairs, and deans as well!

Halpern suggests focusing your planning on students’ lives today and in the future – What are or will be their needs? What skills and knowledge will best prepare them for a world that doesn’t exist yet? These questions will continue to be explored and certainly more will be generated as additional findings emerge from the "learning sciences" discipline, as well as from the cognitive and neurological sciences.

For the BGSU community, to view this keynote, visit the DVSS (digital video streaming server), log in, and search for "Halpern" -- the video is approximately 70 minutes.

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For those who attended this session or just want to leave a thought), click on the Comments link below this post to share your thoughts on the keynote, this discussion session, or any related issues.

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Teachers On Teaching: Professional Practice and Authentic Assessment

The November “Teachers on Teaching” session is on professional practice and authentic assessment. Facilitated by Drs. Vincent Kantorski and Sandra Stegman from the College of Musical Arts, this session aims to provide instructors with practical assessments centered on authentic, professional skills and tasks. For more information, we asked Vincent and Sandra a few questions about their upcoming session:

Q: What exactly is “professional practice”?
A: Professional practices are tasks, activities, reasoning, etc. that are reflective of how real-world practitioners work within their field. Teachers can then assess those authentic activities to determine how well prepared students would be to do similar activities as novice professionals.

For example, in Dr. Stegman’s Choral Methods course, students analyze a piece of music that they then introduce and rehearse in class. The rehearsal is video-taped for self-assessment in addition to the verbal and written feedback that she provides. Students prepare vocal warm-up cards that they use in actual practice with their field site students. Feedback is offered from their cooperating teacher.

In another example, Dr. Kantorski has students in a music education class write a letter to a newspaper editor urging readers to vote against a hypothetical levy that, if passed, would result in drastic cuts to the school district’s music program. Students are required to provide rationales, based upon research and the benefits they derived as music students in the school district, for each point of their argument.

Q: Why is PP&AA helpful/important for faculty and/or their students?
A: Professional practice and authentic assessment provide relevancy to course information, assignments, etc. They connect students to the real world of work and life outside the classroom. They can be helpful and important to students because they actually practice, rather than simply discuss or read about, activities they will be expected to do as professionals. This process can be especially valuable to students because they receive their teachers’ feedback and suggestions for improvement and self-evaluation.

Q: Is PP&AA something instructors can implement right away or is there a fairly steep learning curve?
A: It can be introduced in small doses immediately; however, ideas for how to do so are not always quick to arise. That is the benefit of sharing methods and strategies with colleagues from same and different disciplines, as will be the case at the November 12 session.

This discussion session, “Let’s Get Real: Authentic Practice and Assessment,” will be held on Wednesday, November 12 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in 201 University Hall. For the full description or to register, visit http://www.bgsu.edu/ctl/page57568.html or call 372-6898.

Reflections: TA Workshop #1

CTL would first like to say thank you for the participants who did come to the workshop. Your input, time and effort are more than appreciated. We're really looking forward to our next discussion and are planning on seeing all of you again.

Here are some of the reflections that we took from our discussion:
* Most of you appreciated that there is some kind of forum where you can talk about being a TA here at BGSU. And, you were all more than willing to share some of your experiences and insight that you have had here.

* Many of you would like to be able to hear more from other TAs. You would like to hear what other TAs are doing in their classes, how they deal with certain situations, integrating certain tools and methodologies into your classes, and some of you expressed that you would like to see about making your classes more interactive and lively.

* Some of you appreciated it when instructors are open to getting feedback from students, so some of you discussed how you do the same in your classes. In other words, you appreciate an instructor's willingness to improve and adjust, and many of you are willing to make the same effort.

* Finally, many of like any further input you can get about teaching from any reliable source.

We are adjusting our next workshop to address and capitalize on these promising topics. We are actually thinking about having you all share different unique practices that you implement in your classes, which could only help one another, as TAs. Our next two workshops are October 14th @ 1:30p-2:30p and October 15th @ 10:30a-11:30a. These workshops will be the same format and topics. We just have added another day and time in case more TAs come and having some flexibility to work with your schedules.

Please do not hesitate to register for the Teaching Assistants are Links workshop series by e-mailing or calling us. If these next two workshops go as well as the first one, we will have a wonderful time.

What are some suggestions for TAs? What are some topics we could discuss in our next workshop? We would love to hear from current or former teaching assistants!

Motivating "These Kids Today" (Discussion/Workshop Extension)

On Tuesday, Dr. Jodi Haney presented a discussion session at the CTL entitled Motivating "These Kids Today" and challenged participants to consider their role in creating an environment that will encourage and foster students' motivation to learn. The bottom line she stressed was that:

"faculty CANNOT motivate students, as motivation is a personal construct and can only come from within… we can only set the scene and create a motivating environment for learning."

Student Motivation is defined as a “student's willingness, need, desire and compulsion to participate in, and be successful in, the learning process" (Bomia et al., 1997, p. 1). This includes extrinsic motivation, where a student engages in learning "purely for the sake of attaining a reward or for avoiding some punishment and intrinsic motivation, when a student is motivated from within, actively engaging in learning out of curiosity, interest, or enjoyment, or in order to achieve their own intellectual and personal goals (Dev, 1997).

One analogy presented was:

To Catch a Cat…
A. Pull the cat out from under the couch
Vs.
B. Entice the cat by dangling a string
(p.s. - our students are the cats!)

STRATEGIES -- Ideas that WORK!! (GENERAL)

• Capitalize on students' existing needs
• Make students active participants in learning
• Ask students to analyze what makes their classes more or less "motivating.”
• Instructor's enthusiasm
• Relevance of the material
• Organization of the course
• Appropriate difficulty level of the material
• Active involvement of students
• Variety
• Rapport between teacher and students
• Use of appropriate, concrete, and understandable examples

Incorporating Faculty Behaviors:

• Hold high but realistic expectations for your learners
• Help learners set achievable goals for themselves
• Tell learners what they need to do to succeed in your course
• Strengthen learners’ sense of power (behavioral choices)
• Avoid creating intense competition among learners
• Be enthusiastic about your course
• Take time to GET TO KNOW learners, talk to them, and express enjoyment in your interactions
• Vary your teaching methods

Motivating Students to Do the Reading (some examples):

• Assign the reading at least two sessions before it will be discussed
• Assign study questions
• If your class is small, have learners turn in brief notes on the day's reading that they can use during exam (Jodi’s “C option”)
• Ask learners to write a one-word journal or one- sentence journal summarizing the reading
• Ask non-threatening questions about the reading (fishbowl)

In summary... Create an environment that provides learners with a SENSE OF:
* POWER - I have control over my learning.
* CONNECTEDNESS - I am a valued member of a learning community.
* MODELS - I can do this because my peers can do it.
* UNIQUENESS - I am an original learner.
(Stevenson, 1992; modified by Haney, 2007)

Dr. Haney encourages all of us (including herself) to focus on incorporating just one or two of these strategies during a semester, reflect on the change throughout, and continue to analyze and build upon them in the future.

What are strategies you use to create an environment where students are motivated to learn? Any other thoughts or comments on this issue?

New TA Workshop Series

Starting this fall the Center will be hosting a new Teaching Assistants workshop series. The series will be discussions for incoming, current and former Teaching Assistants. There are all sorts of components entailed in being a Teaching Assistant and instructing a room full of college students, and the Center would like to work with TA's to discuss the many aspects. We will be talking about everything from taking attendance, to assessments, to writing syllabi. Resources and other suggestions will be offered to aid in every part of being a TA.

The Center is aiming to start this series of workshops in late August, with the next workshop to come around mid-October, and a final workshop towards the end of fall semester. The exact times and dates for the workshops will be forthcoming. Please see the Center's website for further details in the near future.

What are Your Classroom Goals? (Workshop Extension)

Developed by Thomas Angelo & K. Patricia Cross, the Teaching Goals Inventory (TGI) allows faculty to examine the needs, outcomes, and goals of their course(s) in a quantifiable fashion. The results of your highest ranking goals can then be used to determine the most appropriate formative assessment strategies for your students or as a framework for crafting a course syllabus. Classroom Assessment Techniques includes a paper version of the inventory, but the University of Iowa's Center for Teaching created an online version of the TGI for faster analysis and application.

Here is a sample readout from the TGI:
The cluster areas correspond to goals from the inventory, which can be measured throughout a course using various formative assessments from Classroom Assessment Techniques by Angelo and Cross (1993). With about 50 CATs to choose from, the TGI is a quick way to sort them into a manageable quantity to explore. Additionally, the TGI can be used by individual faculty, departments, or even students to uncover their vision and/or motivation for learning.

The Center's next workshop on using the TGI (Identifying Your Teaching Goals Using the TGI) is Wednesday, August 6, 10:15am-11:00am, immediately followed by the Formative Assessment Using CATs workshop from 11-12. For more information or to register for one or both, click here!

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After taking the TGI, share your results (or main cluster/goal area). Was this tool beneficial?

Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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Looking for Questions & Answers: Conversation Week 2008

As a follow up from the Questions and Learning: The Dynamic Duo workshop, here is an activity for your students to participate in or create your own list of the Top 10 Questions related to your discipline:

Top 10 Questions from Conversation Week.org (March 24-28, 2008)

For more information on using questioning strategies in the classroom, visit:

Facilitating Discussion: A Brief Guide
by Katherine K. Gottschalk, Director of Freshman Writing Seminars,
John S. Knight Writing Program, Cornell University

Fostering Effective Classroom Discussions
Jennifer Barton, Paul Heilker, and David Rutkowski, English Department, Virginia Tech

Question-Only Session
Stacey Osborn, BGSU

The “Pop Quiz” on Questioning
by Donna Sawyer

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What are some critical questions for learning? Are there any "bad questions"?
Click on the COMMENTS link below to leave your thoughts!

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Examining & Discussing Copyright

Here is a sampling of things overheard during the "Challenges Regarding Copyright and Use" Discussion held in the Pallister Conference room of Jerome Library on October 2:

• Copyright is a balancing test between protecting rights of creators and the promotion of knowledge
  
  
• Copyright law is based on varying interpretations depending on jurisdiction, legal precidents, and intent
  
  
• Common Misuses
  - scanning an article into a PDF format (obtain permission and/or check copyright permissions first)
  - putting a full PDF copy of an article on your Blackboard site (post a link instead, if from our libraries research database)
  
  
• Questions discussed included:
  - use of digital videos
  - transferring from video to DVD (or other format conversions)
  - creating a digital archive or copy of ancient works from another country
  - use of PDFs
  
  
• Keys to remember:
  - link to an article when possible, rather than providing it
  - article in e-reserves - use only once per semester; after that, permission should be obtained
  - course packs - you or printer must obtain permission
  - exercise your citizen rights by contacting legislators regarding proposed/needed changes for educational purposes
  - you must make a reasonable attempt to seek permission
  - make sure YOUR works are available for future use (refer to Author's Rights Addendum from SPARC)
  
  
• Additional Links:
  - Checklist for Fair Use - A general overview of what can be considered Fair Use; developed by Kenneth Crews, Indiana University
  - Office of General Counsel on Copyright at Catholic University of America (News, checklists, and Q&A with a lawyer)

The next University Libraries Discussion session will be Publishing in Transition on Monday, November 5, from 11:30-1:00.

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What other questions or comments do you have regarding copyright?...Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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Service-Learning Faculty Focus Discussion Series

These discussion based programs feature faculty talking about their service-learning courses and experiences working with all aspects of service-learning and civic engagement. For more information, visit the Office of Service Learning website.

(NOTE: All presentations take place at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology @ 201 University Hall)

September:
Thursday, 9/6/07, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm
Experiential, Transformational Learning Trips: Or two old (wise) guys take students on trips to places they might never go to on their own
Gordon Rickets, Director of Arts Village and School of Art,
Bill Thompson, Instructor, Continuing & Extended Education

These two presenters hold extensive knowledge and experience of incorporating experiential learning with undergraduate courses in both the arts and social work fields. [more...]

October:
Wednesday, 10/17/07, 9:45 am-10:45 am
Report on the 2007 National Gathering of Service-Learning: The CSUMB Workshop Experience
Khani Begum, Associate Professor, English Department,
Kate Collins, Instructor, Theatre & Film Department & Chapman Learning Community

Returning from the recent Service-Learning Conference in Monterey Bay, California, these presenters will share their experiences and discuss their developing ideas regarding connecting service-learning with curriculum design and pedagogy development for the engaged college course. [more...]

Friday, 10/26/07, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Service-Learning for the Introductory Experience: Field Experience in EDHD 201
Sansanee Ohlson, Instructor, Teaching & Learning

Every year, nearly 900 students engage in community based learning as part of their EDHD 201 Introduction to Education Class. This team taught course is designed to not only help students decide whether or not to pursue the teaching profession, but also to help impact a community agency during the discovery process. [more...]

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What kinds of service learning activities or experiences do you include in your course(s)? Click on the COMMENTS link below to share your thoughts or ask more questions.

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Learning and Teaching in Second Life

The Center would like to thank Anthony Fontana and the wide range of faculty and staff who attended our first Second Life workshop. The workshop focused on the teaching and learning possibilities in the online virtual world called Second Life. The enthusiasm and questions generated will provide momentum as the University continues to explore the possibilities of Second Life as a environment for learning.

Over 20 interested BGSU community members attended yesterday's discussion, sharing both possibilities and concerns associated with using a virtual environment in the classroom. The Center is offering "open lab" times today from 10-12pm and 2-4pm; additionally we encourage anyone to make an appointment for a one-on-one Second Life consultation. The Center is currently planning additional SL workshops, discussions and "open lab" times for the summer and fall semesters.


In case you missed yesterday's event, here are some of the highlights:

• The artistic and community aspects of Second Life were briefly discussed.
  
• Existing educational endeavors in Second Life were explored.
  
• Issues with research in Second Life were considered and discussed at length.
  
• The BGSU "island" in Second Life was revealed, and the possibilities surrounding its use by the BGSU community of educators and students was explored.

Workshop times include:

* Open Lab, Friday, May 25th, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
* Open Lab, Friday, May 25th, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

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For those who attended the seminar, what are the most promising educational uses for Second Life? What concerns or suggestions do you have regarding Second Life? Do you have any helpful tips or experiences to share with other people that have just started exploring the "Wild West" a.k.a. Second Life?
Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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New Models of Publishing (Workshop Extension)

On March 15th, the Center and the University Libraries collaborated to offer part two of the Information Transformation Discussion Series, New Models of Publishing.

Here are some of the discussion items from this session:

We get tenure based on what we disseminate as a scholar – the number of times your work has been cited is a critical measure; should reviewers of tenure include how often a website is cited? A blog? Since there is no standard format for online writing/publishing (APA, etc.), does that make it less accurate or important?

In some ways, scholars are terrified about what they put on the web or to open access.

This is a whole new way to look at or reconceptualize how we are considered as academics in the field.

We teach graduate students about APA during their first course/class, but don’t mention anything about online publishing options.

“Digital Scholarship” – moves beyond PDF files to also include multimedia such as audio, video, and flash animations (using Adobe Acrobat Professional).

What about peer-reviewed podcasts & YouTube video submissions – still need text; need to train peer reviewers as well.

We’re still in the habit of teaching writing in schools, but not multimedia skills to represent concepts and knowledge – why not? Oral histories or ethnographies are a great example of reasons to use mulitmedia – capture with video/audio: singing, dancing, emotion, intonation, etc.

Is there something wrong with scholarly activities and creations being fun? (video, audio, multimedia, etc.)

This emphasizes the importance of media/information/digital literacy for students (and faculty) – who will teach this?

Web Resources:

Brief Overview of Open Access

Detailed Overview of Open Access

SPARC - Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition
For more information on:
• Author Rights; including the Author's Addendum to submit with your publication agreements
• Journal Pricing
• Open Access
• Open Data
• Public Access to Research
• Repositories

Create Change.org who asks, "Shouldn't the way we share research be as advanced as the Internet?"
• This website will help you understand the changing landscape and how it affects you and your research. It also offers practical ways to look out for your own interests as a researcher.
• A scholarly revolution is underway. It enables you to get a greater return from your research. All you have to do is share it.

DOAJ – Directory of Open Access Journals

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The third and final discussion, New Models of Owning Ideas will be held on Tuesday, April 17th from 12-1:15 in the Pallister Room at Jerome Library. Here is the description:

New models of publishing provide choices for authors. What are the advantages and disadvantages of new models of owning ideas? Does the author keep the copyright, retain some rights through Creative Commons, give the copyright to the publisher? Join this discussion to learn about these options and think about what is the best choice for you.

To register, contact the Center at 372-6898, ctlt@bgsu.edu, or use the online form.

Pros and Cons of Podcasting in Education

Podcasting has taken the world by storm and has emerged in the academic world as a powerful teaching tool. While some have taken the new technology and implemented it into their classroom, the majority of faculty have not yet utilized this new tool. Here at the Center we offer podcasting workshops focused on teaching and learning and also provide consultation on how to start your own podcast. However, with every new technological tool, a debate seems to develop on its effectiveness and how to utilize the tool properly. Below is a link from Nomadic Media providing both the positives and negatives of this newly adopted technology.

Click Here for Pros and Cons of Podcasting

Additional resources on podcasting can be found at the CTLT Podcasting Resource Page and in this article, "Teaching with Technology."

Share your opinion and experiences by leaving a comment below:
How have you subscribed to a podcast? If so, which one and why? Haved you created a podcast before? Do you believe it can be used effectively as a teaching tool?

Workshop Extension: Effective Writing Assignments

On November 2, 2006, Barb Toth from the BGSU Writing Center facilitated a workshop on "Constructing Effective Writing Assignments."

• What types of writing assignments do you use for your courses to solicit student understanding?

• What kind(s) of assessment strategies to you employ - rubrics, checklists, peer evaluations, etc.?

Visit the Writing Center's website for many online resources, including student and instructor resources. Some samples resources and handouts include: MLA, APA, and other stlye guides, consultant tips, plagiarism prevention, resume tips, and much, much more.