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Strategies that Engage Adult Learners
June 2, 2013 Cristie McClendon
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Outcomes for the Session
Identify the characteristics of excellent faculty members; Differentiate between a fixed and growth mindset; Compare and contrast mastery learners, strategic learners and performance avoiders; Identify four stages of learning; Preview instructional strategies that engage adult learners
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Icebreakers
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Icebreakers Benefit: Requires only the ability to express oneself
Allows the learners to get to know one another before they resort to learning style and competition Humanizes the learning experience and builds trust Sets the tone for future communication in the course Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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In a Word… Purpose: Students introduce themselves to others in a new and innovative way Instructions: Think of one word that best describes you or your life right now. Write it on an index card. Find someone else whose word “resonates” with you. Pair up with them and come up with two other words that you have in common. Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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Name that Show Purpose: Learners describe their life in a unique way.
Part 1: Learners post a short response to the following scenario: If you were to write the script to a movie or TV show of your life, which two songs would you select and why? One song should reflect your life as a whole, and another should reflect your current life. Part 2: Based on your response to part 1, suggest a movie or TV show for that person. Explain. Part 3: Look over all suggested titles. Select the one that best fit your movie or TV show. Explain. Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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Effective Icebreakers
Should be fun and nonthreatening Focuses on the learners instead of content Requires learners to interact with one another or read one another’s posts (online) Requires the learner to find something they have in common with at least 10% of the class Requires learners to be creative, and express genuine emotions and openness Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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Advanced Organizer 1. Left-brained learners need to see the big picture first so they will be able to pay attention to the presentation. 2. When we present, we usually teach to our right, so we need to be sure and make a concerted effort to look to the left periodically. 3. A good way to see if your audience is paying attention and comprehending your presentation is to monitor their blink rate. 4. Interpersonal learners need time at the end of a presentation to reflect and digest the information in order to retain it. 5. Instructors often have to mismatch their own preferred learning style in order to meet the needs of their learners.
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The Best Faculty Active and accomplished researchers and scholars
Follow the current developments and research in their field Engage in reflection and metacognition within the discipline Use knowledge to build their own understanding and abilities Transmit this knowledge to students in a way they can understand Know how to build foundational knowledge and scaffold content for student understanding Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press.
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The Best Faculty Realize knowledge is constructed, not received
Realize questions and caring are important The more questions we ask, the more we can index thoughts in memory. Ask questions, but teach students to develop their own as well Students have to want to go beyond just memorizing information for the test. We have to motivate them. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty
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The Best Faculty Realize mental models change slowly
Three prerequisites for deep learning: Students must face a situation does not work; Students must care enough that it doesn’t work to grapple with the issue at hand; Students must be able to handle emotional trauma that comes with challenging long-held beliefs. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Motivation is important.
Verbal reinforcement and social approval motivate students Motivation and performance decrease when students feel someone is trying to control them. If students only study to get a good grade or to be the best in class, they do not achieve as much as they do when they actually learn. They cannot analyze, synthesize with the same level of mental skill, nor will they take on challenges. Feel smart only when they engage in activities that they can succeed in avoid struggling grappling and making mistakes’ want to appear smart Person praise (you are so smart) versus task praise (you did a great job on that paper) Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Realize people come to and move between the levels
Have a strong sense of who learners are Tailor approaches based on how students learn; incremental steps Help students believe that they can learn, build confidence and encourage Help students craft a notion as to what it means to be intelligent and educated Help students learn their strengths and contributions they can make Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Give students as much control over education as possible Offer nonjudgmental feedback on work and how then how to improve Avoid dividing students into groups based on level of achievement Encourage cooperation and collaboration versus competition Avoid grading on a curve and grade based on mastery of criterion Give students multiple opportunities to show what they know Talk about the promises of the course rather than a long list of requirements Meaningful connections to the course and student prior knowledge Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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How Would You Rate Yourself?
On a scale of 1-5 with five being the highest, how would you rate yourself on how well you could identify the stage of learning your students are in? What is your best attribute? Where might you be able to grow?
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Mindset
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Activity Fixed or growth mindset quiz
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Application Cards Purpose: New content in the form of theories, principles, or procedures is presented to students. Instructor hands out index cards and has students write down one real, world application for what they have learned What have you learned about growth and fixed mindsets?
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Video
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Think-Pair-Share How are adult learners similar to and different
from the traditional students you might have in class now? If adult learners were surveyed for this video, what might they say? How might this information change your teaching?
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Types of Learners
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Three Kinds of Learners
Mastery learners Respond to the challenge of mastering something Get inside the subject and try to examine its complexity Believe they can become more intelligent by learning Work to develop their thinking competence Establish individual learning goals Engage for the sake of learning Take more risks in learning, try harder tasks Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Three Kinds of Learners
Strategic Learners Focus on doing well; want high grades React to competition Avoid challenges that will harm their academic performance and record Fail to develop deep understanding View intelligence as fixed Often develop a sense of helplessness Want tasks that they find easy, make them feel smart and require little effort Don’t want to grapple with the content to change their own perceptions Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Three Kinds of Learners
Performance avoiders…. Surface learners, Don’t want to invest of themselves to probe deeper Fear failure Stick with trying to survive Memorize and reproduce what they hear Avoid competition Pursue answers to questions rather than learning the information Bulimic learners…. Stress regurgitation of facts and subsequent purging; Want narrowly defined tasks that lead to a right answer as defined by the professor or readings. Short range focus; feed-purge cycles Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Four Stages of Learning
Stage 1: Received knowers View learning as a matter of checking with the experts to get the right answers and then memorizing them Truth is external Sit and get Poised and ready to take notes Ingest information but cannot evaluate or create it for herself Banking model: professor deposits the answers into their heads Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Four Stages of Learning
Stage 2: Subjective knowers All knowledge is a matter of opinion Use feelings to make judgments An idea is right if it feels right If they get low grades, they say the professor doesn't like their opinion. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Four Stages of Learning
Stage 3: Procedural knowers Learn to play the game of the discipline, program or class Learn criteria for making judgments and use those standards in their papers. Sharp students What they learn in class doesn’t influence what they do outside of class No sustained influence on what they think, act or feel Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Four Stages of Learning
Stage 4: Separate Knowers and Connected Knowers Commitment; independent, critical and creative thinkers Value ideas and ways of thinking to which they are exposed and consciously and consistently try to use them Aware of their own thinking and correct as they go. Separate knowers detach themselves from an idea, remain objective and are skeptical and willing to argue on a topic Connected knowers look at the merits of other people’s ideas but instead of trying to shoot them down, they deliberately bias themselves in favor of that they are examining Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty
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The Best Faculty Treat their content and presentations as serious endeavors Go beyond the mechanics of teaching Think content of lectures, number of students, assigned readings They expect more, but not in terms of piling on content without a focus on learning Favor objectives that will prepare students to know how think and prepare for life Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Begin with the end in mind
What do I want my students to know, think and be able to do when they leave class? What big questions will my course help students answers? What information will they need to know in order answer the questions? What reasoning abilities do students need to have in order to answer the questions? What mental models might students bring with them that I want to challenge? How do I construct that intellectual challenge? Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Create an environment that fosters authentic, critical learning Five steps: Start with an intriguing question or problem Guide students to understand the importance of the question Engage students in higher-order intellectual activities; grapple with ideas with authentic and challenging tasks Challenge students to develop their own explanations and defend them Leave students with a question: What happens next? Get student attention with a provocative act, question or statement. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Start with the students..not the content
Start with something students know about, care about, know or think they know rather than just laying out a blueprint for the class Predict the paradigms students are going to bring to class and prepare to challenge it Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Ask students for a commitment to the class and to their learning Lay out promises and plans for the course Spell out specific obligations they see as part of a student’s decision to join the class Don’t try to command students; ask for their commitment if they plan to take the class and pursue those goals Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Engage students in disciplinary thinking
Use class time to help students think about the information the way researchers and scholars in the field do Engage in metacognition and think about processes Offer explanations analogies and questions that help students learn and solve problems on their own Create diverse learning experiences Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty Believe students want to learn and assume all students can learn Display openness and share their own challenges and successes, academically and professionally Share their passion and enthusiasm for discipline and life Treat students with decency Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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The Best Faculty All have a systematic program to assess their efforts and teaching Avoid judging students on arbitrary standards Assessment flows from objectives Don’t blame students for failures or difficulties A strong commitment to the larger academic community rather than to individual classroom success: beyond isolated wonderfulness Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Reflections
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Current Issues Reflections/Journal
Purpose: Identify a course-related topic. Students write a journal or blog on the topic and how it relates to their learning Define the requirements for the journal or blog entry Decide how often students make entries Define what an entry will look like Date of entry and source Summary (5Ws: who, what, when, where, why, how Discussion of how course concepts relate to the event Discuss how this impacts learning and practice Barkley, E. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers
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Effective Reflections
Require a synthesis of learning experience Require learner to share his or her experience Require learner to provide feedback for the instructor for future course development Allow for honest and open responses Insightful and nonthreatening format Completed over several days or weeks in the course Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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The Best Faculty Is the material worth learning?
Are the students learning what the course is supposedly teaching? Am I helping and encouraging students to learn or do they do it despite me? Have I harmed my students? …Fostered short term learning rather than stimulating additional interest? Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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Light bulb or “Aha” Moments
Purpose: Learners reflect on and record moments when something or course content suddenly becomes clear Post aha’s in a designated place in the class Mini epiphanies Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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How is my Navigation? Purpose: Students engage in formative evaluation of course Faculty member asks students to provide feedback on the course. Students offer professional and candid feedback, and instructor makes the commitment to take that into consideration and use that feedback to improve the teaching and possibly change the course. Divide class into groups of four. Teams discuss strengths and opportunities for improvement for the course, along with potential solutions. Post the summary to designated area of forum. Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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Insights-Resources-Applications
Purpose: helps students reflect on and identify what they learned in course readings and connect it to prior knowledge and experience. They also must seek out additional sources on the topic. Insights: Provide 3 insights (one sentence bullet points) that represent new understandings you now have about the reading or topic. Resource: Provide 1 additional resource that you have identified that amplifies your understanding of the reading or topic. Application: Briefly discuss how this learning relates to your current or past experiences with concrete examples. Barkley, E. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers
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Autobiographical Reflections
Self-reflection and self-awareness are important factors for students to engage in as they move through a degree program. Students write about their own history or background experiences regarding a course concept or topic. Identify a topic and parameters of the self-reflection. Do you want to limit it to prior experiences? Academic? Family? Professional? Similar courses? Barkley, E. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers
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Doctoral Self-Assessment
We give a self-assessment at the beginning of the program (first class) and then again in the fifth class to see how learners perceive they are growing as doctoral students.
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Learning Audit What do you know now that you didn’t know this time last week? What can you do now that you couldn’t do this time last week? What can you teach someone else to know or do now that you couldn’t teach them this time last week? Brookfield, Stephen. (2006). The skillful teacher: On trust, technique and responsiveness in the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
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Survival Memo Write a memo to the learners who are taking the next session of this class. Some items you will want to cover in your memo are: Outline as specifically as you can what the characteristics of a graduate of this course are. What are the things students will learn in the class that will help with their success in the doctoral program? What advice do you have for the next group of learners? Brookfield, Stephen. (2006). The skillful teacher: On trust, technique and responsiveness in the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
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Partner and Team Activities
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Effective, Authentic Activities
Is the activity original, inductive, problem-based? Learners work together and use their experiences as a starting point. Students are allowed to learn from their mistakes. Activity has value beyond the course or learning setting Builds skills that students can take beyond the life of the class Learners have a way to implement their outcomes in a meaningful way. Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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Effective Partner Activities
Should be academically oriented, focused on content Requires learners to interact, communicate and read others’ posts Requires learners to express what they agree with or like about one another’s work Requires express what they would improve upon their peer’s work Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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Physical or Online Stations
Purpose: Allow students to engage with content using visuals, artifacts and symbols to examine and exchange ideas. Identify a suitable topic and identify items (pictures, videos, documents) that can be used in an exhibit. An option is to give students the topic and have them generate the visuals. Have students generate a collage of pictures for the topic and reflect on them. Barkley, E. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers
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Say it With Pictures– Boomers and Net Generation Collage
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Think About It Purpose: This activity is designed to have students reflect on a statement and decide on its merit or truth and then to substantiate their opinion with evidence. Identify a common misconception about a topic or discipline. Record as a statement. Have students read and take a poll on who agrees or disagrees. After the poll, tell students that the statement is not a fact and have them complete a task to prove it is not true. Barkley, E. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers
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Effective Group Activities
Consist of more than questions and answers Focused on course content Require learners to interact with one another/read and reply to posts Require each team member to think critically Team must construct a synthesized response or product Team members are individually held accountable for their contributions to the project or discussion. Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning.
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Team or Dyad Debates Learning styles Multiple intelligences
Use of animals for medical testing Ideas?
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Discussion Web Adapted from Alvermann, D.E. (1991). The Discussion Web: A graphic aid for learning across the curriculum. The Reading Teacher, 45, 92–99.
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Teaching the Adult Student
AN APPROACH TO TEACHING ( 5 'R's ) Respect Research Responsiveness Relationships Reflection Siebert, A. and Karr, M. (2008, August 10). An instructor’s manual to accompany: The adult student’s guide to survival & success (6th ed.). Portland, OR: Practical Psychology Press. Retrieved November 1, 2009 from
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Teaching the Adult Student
Learn to be flexible Learn to reflect Chunk information Use active learning strategies Make it real and relevant Make it immediately applicable Include team learning projects; Support theory with real-life examples; Make class sessions interactive; and Provide frequent positive feedback. What would you add?
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Teaching the Adult Student
Attention: 90:20:8 Rule Adults can listen with understanding for 90 minutes and with retention for 20 minutes, so try and involve them every 8 minutes. Instruction should be focused and diffused. Those who do the processing do the learning. Chunk lectures and make them interactive. Siebert, A. and Karr, M. (2008, August 10). An instructor’s manual to accompany: The adult student’s guide to survival & success (6th ed.). Portland, OR: Practical Psychology Press. Retrieved from
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The Best Faculty Teaching is not just about delivering information or transmitting knowledge. Teaching is about helping and encouraging students to learn. Teaching occurs only when learning takes place. Create conditions where most students will realize their potential to learn Use failures to gain further insight Always have something new to learn Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press
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References Conrad, R. and Donaldson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press Barkley, E. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers Brookfield, Stephen. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Brookfield, Stephen. (2006). The skillful teacher: On trust, technique and responsiveness in the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
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