The College Classroom (Wi15) Session 1: How People Learn

The College Classroom
Session1: How People Learn
Peter Newbury
pnewbury@ucsd.edu
@polarisdotca
January 6 and 8, 2015
Unless otherwise noted, content is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
Non Commercial 3.0 License.

Who are we?
Emily Goodman
Ph.D. candidate in Art History,
Theory, and Criticism
College Classroom Wi14
SGTS Summer 2014
Peter Newbury
Ph.D. Applied Math (Astronomy)
Math, Astronomy instructor
Carl Wieman Science Education
Initiative at UBC, Vancouver
Assoc. Director, CTD
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu2

Who are you?
wordle.net

Who are you?
Turn to your neighbor
Introduce yourself
Briefly tell your neighbor about the class you remember
most from your undergraduate experience.
Why that class?
Was it something the instructor did?
What was it?

Why are we here?
What do you think students are doing in a typical
university class?
A) listening
B) absorbing
C) learning
D) note-taking
E) distracted

The traditional lecture is based on the
transmissionist model of learning
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu6 image by um.dentistry on flickr CC

Important new number system
Learn it.
1 = 4 = 7 =
2 = 5 = 8 =
3 = 6 = 9 =

Test
What is this number?

Scientifically outdated, a known failure
We must abandon the tabula rasa (blank
slate) and “students as empty vessels”
models of teaching and learning.

New Number System = tic-tac-toe code
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Test
What number is this?

Constructivist Theory of Learning
New learning is based on knowledge
you already have.
You store things in long term memory
through a set of connections that are
made with your existing memories.
(Images by Rebecca-Lee on flickr CC)
Creating memories (learning) involves having
neurons fire and link up in networks or
patterns. (fMRI is allowing us to observe
learning as it happens.)
learning is done
by individuals

13 How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

How People Learn
 3 Key Findings
 3 Implications forTeaching
 3 Designs for Classroom Environment

15 How (you can help) People Learn

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. (How People Learn, p 14.)

Implications for Teaching 1
Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting
understandings that their students bring with them.
(How People Learn, p 19.)

1 = 4 = 7 =
2 = 5 = 8 =
3 = 6 = 9 =
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
unsupported, unfamiliar content built on pre-existing
knowledge
(tic-tac-toe board)
Transmissionist Constructivist

Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting
understandings that their students bring with them.
Schools and classrooms must be learner centered.
(How People Learn, p. 23)
Classroom Environments 1

Learning requires interaction [3]

% of class time
NOT lecturing
Learning gain:
pre-test
0
100%
post-test
0.50

52 classes of sizes 25 to 100+ students, at 2-
and 4-yr colleges and research universities
across US. Every student wrote an astronomy
test (twice). Points shows a class’ learning gain.

1 2
3 4

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.)

Why Your Students Don’t Understand You
Expert brains differ from novice brains because
 novices lack rich, networked connections, cannot make
inferences, cannot reliably retrieve information
 notices have preconceptions that distract, confuse,
hinder
 novices lack automization (“muscle memory”) resulting
in cognitive overload

Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth,
providing many examples in which the same concept is at
work and providing a firm foundation of factual
knowledge.
To provide a knowledge-centered environment, attention
must be given to what is taught (information, subject
matter), why it is taught (understanding), and what
competence or mastery looks like.

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.)

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 learningA than B.
([4], [5])
cognitionmeta

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.)

The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated
into the curriculum in a variety of subject areas.
Formative assessments — ongoing assessments designed to
make students’ thinking visible to both teachers and
students — are essential.

Supporting metacognition
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 s/he can continue
C) so the instructor can check if the students understand
D) so the students can check if they’re ready to continue
E) not sure but it’s something instructors should do
“What questions do you have for me?”
…and give them enough time
to ask a useful question

33 How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

What is going to happen in this class
Weekly meetings in Center Hall, Room 316:
 1hr 20 min mixture of theory and practice
 interact in small groups
 Tue 11a–12:20p,Tue 2–3:20p, orThu 12:30–1:50p
 If you need to attend a conference, job interview or
something of that nature, attend another weekly
session and let us know.
To prepare:
 read assigned research paper, chapter, article, etc.
 do an activity (post on the class blog, leave comments
on others’ posts, observe a class, etc.)

Traditional classroom
 first exposure to material is in class, content is
transmitted from instructor to student
 learning occurs later when student struggles alone to
complete homework, essay, project
learn easy stuff
together
learn hard
stuff alone
transfer assimilate

Flipped classroom
 student learns easy content at home: definitions, basic
skills, simple examples. Frees up class time for...
 students are prepared to tackle challenging concepts in
class, with immediate feedback from peers, instructor
learn hard
stuff together
learn easy stuff
alone
transfer assimilate

collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
All course information,
presentations, links to
readings, discussions, etc.
will be on the class blog.
Each of you will have a username and password so you can
post to the blog. (You don’t need to login to access the
course materials or leave comments, though.)
(Image by kitsu on flickr CC)

Course blog is public so
 I can only provide links to copyrighted articles, not the
articles (PDF) themselves
 you may need to be on-campus so you can use UCSD
credentials to access subscriptions
 you may be able to connect from home with the UCSD web
proxy server (search Blink for “web proxy”)
 Your posts and comments will be visible to the public.
Be aware of what and how you write: your posts
become part of your digital footprint.
 If you include pictures in your posts, they must not be
protected by copyright (use Creative Commons pix?)

How you will be assessed
The College Classroom is not an official UC San Diego
course.You will not receive an grade on your transcript.
To receive a completion certificate (and for SGTSs, to be
qualified to teach in the Summer), you must
 attend all sessions
 thoughtfully complete all assigned work.
 contribute during class in a professional, collegial
manner.

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Course-level learning outcomes
By the end of The College Classroom, you’ll be able to
 explain why certain instructional activities are successful and why
others are not
 identify and support student-centered learning environments
 recognize and build upon the diversity of your students
 be reflective and scholarly about your teaching
 know how to succeed as a professional educator in higher
education
 participate in the teaching and learning community, in-person and
online

Topic-level learning outcomes
Many topic-level learning outcomes in
1. modern theory of Constructivist learning
 by the end of the course, you’ll be able to have an elevator
conversation describing the importance of metacognition in
learning.
 and more…

2. best practices for the college classroom
 by the end of the course, you’ll be able to write a peer
instruction (clicker) question and explain to a colleague the
rationale behind the question and choices and describe how
it can be incorporated into the lesson.
 and more…
Throughout the classes, I’ll be
trying to model best practices so
try to watch how I teach as well
as what I teach.

3. how to be a successful, professional educator
 by the end of the course, you’ll be able to collaborate with
others using Google docs.
 and more…

Week 2:
Supporting expert-like thinking
Watch for communication with a description of tasks to complete
before next class.

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 NationalAcademies Press.
2. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
3. 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. 77, 4, 320-330.
4. Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem solving. In L. B.
Resnick (Ed.),The nature of intelligence (pp.231-236). Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum.
5. Brame, C. (2013).Thinking about metacognition. [blog] January, 2013,
Available at: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2013/01/thinking-about-
metacognition/ [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

The College Classroom (Wi15) Session 1: How People Learn

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