Avoiding Expensive Mistakes: Moving toward learner- centered teaching Nancy S. Shapiro April 9, 2007 University System of Maryland

Why the students we have are not the students we want  Over 25% of freshmen in 4 year college do not return for sophomore year  Over 40% of freshmen in 2 year colleges do not return for sophomore year  60% of high school students say they cheat on tests  90% of high school students say they copied someone’s homework  Most spend less than 4 hours a week on homework.  John Tagg, The Learning Paradigm College, pp

What do we know about learning?  New science of learning Learning with understanding Pre-existing knowledge Active learning  Deep learning vs. surface learning Deep learning is active/surface learning is inert Deep learning is holistic/surface learning is atomistic Deep learning integrates/surface learning externalizes National Academies, How People Learn, p John Tagg, Learning Paradigm College, p. 81.

Implications for teaching and institutional priorities “Deep Learning”  Emphasizes intrinsic goals  High levels of cognitive activity, highest rewards for high cost activities, deep approaches, complex cognition  High ration of feedback to evaluation  Long time horizons; decisions bear consequences in the long run  Strong support community  Institutional behavior consistent, aligned with learning mission. “Surface Learning”  Emphasizes extrinsic goals  Low level of cognitive activity; high rewards for low cost activities; surface approaches, retention  Low ration of feedback to evaluation  Short time horizon: decisions bear consequences in the short run  Weak support community  Institutional behavior aligned with “instruction” mission or misaligned. John Tagg, Learning Paradigm College, p. 101.

Creating conditions for student success in college: DEEP Project  Lay out a path to success—students need to know what to expect (orientation, communication, intro to college courses)  Frontload resources to smooth transition (mentors, tutors, peer groups)  If activities are important, consider requiring certain learning activities (study abroad, service learning, student-faculty research)  Create reward structures congruent with mission and priorities.

Lessons Learned from DEEP continued  Improve performance through frequent feedback  Experiment with engaging pedagogies and active learning  Use electronic technologies to enhance active learning  Create company of peers outside the class through study groups and learning communities  George Kuh, Student Success in College, pp

Principles of Course Redesign  Define the problem to be solved  Analyze, deconstruct and document the resources currently used to teach the course  Redesign the whole course  Encourage active learning  Provide students with individualized assistance  Build in ongoing formative assessment  Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor students National Academic Course Transformation Project,

Why move toward learner-centered teaching?  All learning involves transfer from previous experiences.  Ability to transfer what they have learned to new situations provides an important index of adaptive flexible learning.  Active learning promotes understanding and understanding is more likely to promote transfer than memorizing information.  Transfer of learning is an active process.  Major goal of schooling is to prepare students for flexible adaptation to new problems in new settings.

For Further Reference  Kuh, G. et al. (2005). Student Success in College. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.  National Academies. (2000) How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: Author.  Shulman, L. S. (2004). Teaching as Community Property. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.  Tagg, J. (2003). The Learning Paradigm College. Bolton: Ankar Publishing Co.  Twigg, C.A. (2005). Increasing Success for Underserved Students: Redesigning Introductory Courses. Saratoga Springs: National Center for Academic Transformation.