This document summarizes key findings from the book "How People Learn" about constructivist learning theory. It discusses how students learn best when they actively construct their own understanding rather than passively receiving information. Effective teaching draws out students' preexisting knowledge, provides opportunities for interaction and practice, and helps students learn how to monitor their own learning. The document advocates for student-centered techniques like peer instruction with clickers that engage students in applying and discussing course concepts.

1. slides and resources: http://tinyurl.com/CTDSp13HPL
CTD WEEKLY How People Learn 1
WORKSHOPS:
HOW PEOPLE LEARN
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu
@polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Center Hall, Room 316

2. 2 How People Learn

3. The traditional lecture is based on
the transmissionist learning model
(Image by um.dentistry on flickr CC)
3 How People Learn

4. Scientifically Outdated, a Known
Failure
We must abandon the tabula
rasa “blank slate” and “students
as empty vessels” models of
teaching and learning.
4 How People Learn

5. Let’s have a learning
experience…
5 How People Learn

6. Here is an important number
system. Please learn it.
1= 4= 7=
2= 5= 8=
3= 6= 9=
6 How People Learn

7. Test
What is this number?
7 How People Learn

8. New Number System
Here’s the structure of the “tic-tac-toe” code:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
8 How People Learn

9. Test
What is this number?
9 How People Learn

10. Constructivist theory of learning
We know How People Learn [1]. There is research
that informs us. Let’s exploit the patterns of
learning to make instruction more effective.
10 How People Learn

11. Key Finding 1
Students come to the classroom with
preconceptions about how the world works. If their
initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail
to grasp the new concepts and information that
are taught, or they may learn them for the
purposes of a test but revert to their
preconceptions outside of the classroom. Learn, p. 14)
(How People
Instructors must
draw out Instruction must
students’ pre- be student-
existing centered.
understandings.
11 How People Learn

12. Learning requires interaction [2]
12 How People Learn

13. Learning requires interaction [2]
Learning gain:
100%
0.50
% of class
time NOT
0 lecturing
pre-test post-test
13 How People Learn

14. Learning requires interaction [2]
1 2
3 4
14 How People Learn

15. Key Finding 2
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 conceptual framework, and
c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate
retrieval and application.(How People Learn, p. 16)
These are
characteristics of
expertize.
15 How People Learn

16. One more
characteristic of
expertise…
16 How People Learn

17. Key Finding 3
A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help
students learn to take control of their own learning
by defining learning goals and monitoring their
progress in achieving them.
(How People Learn, p. 18)
17 How People Learn

18. Aside: metacognition
Metacognition refers to one’s knowledge
concerning one’s own cognitive processes or
anything related to them…. For example, I am
engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am
having more trouble learning A than B.
(Flavell [3, 4], p. 232)
18 How People Learn

19. Key Finding 3
A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help
students learn to take control of their own learning
by defining learning goals and monitoring their
progress in achieving them.
(How People Learn, p. 18)
Instructors need to provide
opportunities for students to
practice being metacognitive
–
thinking about their own
thinking
19 How People Learn

20. constructivist
20
How People Learn (Image: stool II by tilaneseven on flickr CC)

21. traditional lecture student-centered instruction
21 How People Learn

22. student-centered instruction
peer instruction w clickers
worksheets
videos
interactive demonstrations
surveys of opinions
reading quizzes
discussions
22 How People Learn

23. Evolution of the Solar System
Today, we’ve been learning about the formation of
the Solar System.
Just like a geologist
studies the exposed
layers on a cliff-face,
we study landforms on
other planets and
moons to find the
chronology (sequence)
of processes. (Image: NASA)
23 How People Learn

24. Clicker question
X Are features X and
Y ridges or valleys?
A) X=ridge,
Y=valley
B) X=valley,
Y=ridge
Y
C) both are ridges
D) both are valleys
(EOSC / CWSEI, UBC)
24 How People Learn

25. Typical episode of peer
instruction
Alternating with 10-15 minute mini-lectures,
1. Instructor poses a conceptually-challenging
multiple-choice question.
2. Students think about question on their own.
3. Students vote for an answer using clickers,
colored/ABCD voting cards,...
4. The instructor reacts, based on the
distribution of votes.
25 How People Learn

26. In effective peer instruction
 students teach each other while students
they may still hold or remember learn and
their preconceptions practice
 students discuss the concepts in their to
how
own (novice) language think,
communicat
e like
 the instructor finds out what the students know
(and don’t know) and reacts experts
26 How People Learn

27. Peer Instruction and How People
Learn
27 How People Learn

28. To learn more about peer
instruction
Upcoming CTD Teaching and Learning
Workshops:
April 23 Clickers 1: Intro to Peer Instruction with
Clickers
April 30 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions
To register, look for the
Spring 2013
Teaching and Learning Workshops
at ctd.ucsd.edu
28 How People Learn

29. How People Learn
Learning is not about what
professors do.
It’s about what students do!
29 How People Learn

30. How People Learn
Learning is not about what
professors do.
It’s about what students do!
Corollary: Students will not
learn (just) by listening to the
professor explain
30 How People Learn

31. The Big Picture: Ask yourself
Who is doing the work?
You or the students?
31 How People Learn

32. References
1. 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.
2. Prather, E.E, Rudolph, A.L., Brissenden, G., & Schlingman,
W.M. (2009). A national study assessing the teaching and
learning of introductory astronomy. Part I. The effect of
interactive instruction. Am. J. Phys. 66, 64-74.
3. Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem
solving. In L. B. Resnick (Ed.), The nature of intelligence
(pp.231-236). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
4. Brame, C. (2013) Thinking about metacognition. [blog]
January, 2013, Available at:
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2013/01/thinking-about-
metacognition/ [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].
32 How People Learn

33. slides and resources: http://tinyurl.com/HowPeopleLearnCTD
CTD WEEKLY How People Learn 33
WORKSHOPS:
HOW PEOPLE LEARN
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu
@polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Center Hall, Room 316