Motivating Students Beyond the Classroom: - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Motivating Students Beyond the Classroom:Science/Medicine/Mathematics

Dr. Scott Revers

PGA IAPP 2012

University of WarwickSlide2

Learning Outcomes:By the end of this session you should be able to:1) Identify

and

evaluate

methods for motivating students beyond the classroom

2) Consider appropriate

strategies to encourage this within your own specific teaching situationsSlide3

Brain storming Activity:Key questions:Why is learning outside the classroom important?

How might this be achieved?

Consider in this regard:

What helped you learn?Slide4

Motivating StudentsStudents who actively prepare outside of the classroom before coming to class are generally more motivated, better informed, and more confident in producing good work…

They are also more likely to be more directed in relation to their concerns (whether towards the production of research, employment, etc.)

Nevertheless

, many students arrive in class under-prepared

.Slide5

Why is learning outside the classroom important?Understanding the broader context

in which problems are to be assessed and understood.

Development of

critical

and

creative

faculties

(These

are crucial in developing research

skills)

Development of abilities to express knowledge at different levels of engagement.

The latter ability is crucial in future

social

and

employment

related

situations.Slide6

Assessing Motivation in the lab. Slide7

Qu.What are the problems for students in laboratory exercises?Slide8

Problems include:1) The ‘cookbook approach’

by some students

What are the problems with this?

…the difference between following directions and understanding why a particular sequence of steps produces the

desired result?

They operate as

technicians

driven by directions rather than by

concept-driven enquiry

or understanding.Slide9

Why does this happen?Students are given too much information in a short time just before the exercise.Students are not required to do anything in preparation for lab. work. Slide10

What to aim for:(i) to motivate students to acquire the necessary basic knowledge before the laboratory exercises;

(ii) to shift the time burden from post-laboratory to

pre-laboratory

work;

(iii) to improve student performance at the final exam;

All of these should be achieved with no extra time burden for students and teaching assistants.Slide11

How to Improve Motivation:Getting the students to think about the experiment prior to entering into class.How might this be done?Slide12

Motivation: Carrot or stick?Slide13

Improving Motivation: SuggestionsSetting questions in advanceGetting students to work in small groups together on problems outside of class

…then selecting at random student groups to write the answers to these problems on the board in front of the class.

This kind of approach has been applied to chemistry classes and mathematics classes. Slide14

Motivation: Reward StrategiesAlso where possible:creating reward strategies

By awarding points to students for successful completion of tasks that go towards their overall mark or

for asking relevant and valuable questions in class

.Slide15

Things to also attend to…Helping students to think about why they are doing what they are doing – its relevance

.

Understanding the bigger picture!

In other words consider the importance of

context dependent memory

for students

Use of Questions

:

Why an experiment works? What if it were applied in the same way to different criteria? How might a concept or problem be otherwise understood or applied?Slide16

Things to also attend to…The relationship of the lectures to the demonstrations or support classes Be clear on thematic

coherence

and

consistency

!

Thematic coherence is key to helping students grasp the conceptual background and relevance of the

practicals

.

Contact with the course leader/lecturer is important here…Slide17

‘Where there is a will…’These strategies often may require discussion with course leader but remember:

Courses are

not

simply fixed and often encourage teaching innovation;

Enthusiasm and success in pursuing new approaches can provide a positive reference with regard to your own CV! Slide18

Tips: What’s happening elsewhere?Also look at courses run in the same area as your own at

other

institutions.

See what other people are doing and critically assess how this might work in your own situation…Slide19

Tips: What’s happening elsewhere?For example:

“Laboratory throws away cookbooks in pursuit of discovery”

“At Vanderbilt’s alternative introductory biology laboratory students are asked to design experiments as well as to conduct them.”

This

is indicative of an

increasing feature of research-led teaching…

http://blogs.vanderbilt.edu/research/2011/05/laboratory-throws-away-cookbooks-in-pursuit-of-discovery/Slide20

A Study: What happens when some of these ideas are implemented?Slide21

Let’s Consider a Study on Implementation of Strategies for Increasing Learning Outside Classroom…(see Appendix)

The

Study

*:

Pre-laboratory exercises were prepared and handed to students a week prior to the relevant exercise.

The students were asked to return answers 3 days later.

Students were free to seek assistance where required of tutors, fellow students in answering questions.

The answers were graded and returned to students at the beginning of the relevant laboratory class

.

*

Barnes, R. and Thornton, B. (1998)

Preparing for Laboratory Work

. In Black, B. and Stanley, N. (

Eds

),

Teaching and Learning in Changing Times,

28-3.Slide22

Study Example:Model answers were made available to students after they had handed in their answers.The answers were discussed in the pre-laboratory lecture.

Any prevailing misconceptions from students answers would also be addressed.Slide23

Survey Results of the study showed:1) It helped them understand relevance of what they were working on in lab.

2) Have

better understanding pre-lab. demonstration

3) They felt

more confident in the lab.

4) Made

writing the lab report easier.

5) It

also highlighted that it resulted for students in a more positive attitude towards lab. work.Slide24

What does this highlight?That preparation outside of the classroom is key to:1) Enhancing student understanding

2) It

provides a

contextual horizon

that serves as platform for potentiating their critical awareness

3) It

also increases their enthusiasm towards their work Slide25

Remember:The balance between increased workloads and supplying tools to help students is a fine one.However, studies have shown that where students understand the

benefits

of introducing tasks for them to work on outside the classroom they respond well!Slide26

Final Thoughts1) Make sure of coherence of your classes with the lecturer – be in touch with the course leader

.

2) Ask students questions that stimulate them to understand the bigger picture, the

contextual horizon

of a problem.

3) Provide questions to

prep them

for the next class.

4) Stimulate them into

working in groups

outside of class where possible.

5) Where possible provide

rewards

for their preparation outside of class

6) Also in this regard be aware of the value of

peer pressure

as a motivation.Slide27

ConclusionCreating an active and engaged learner outside of the classroom produces a more reflective, more engaged and enthusiastic learner inside the classroom!For consideration:

What

other practical examples can we think of to promote student engagement?Slide28

Appendix: Useful Web ReferencesBarnes, R. and Thornton, B. (1998

)

Preparing for Laboratory

Work

. In

Black, B. and Stanley, N. (

Eds

),

Teaching and Learning in Changing Times,

28-

3.

Pogacnik

, L. and

Cigic

, B. (2006

)

How To Motivate Students To Study before

They

Enter the Lab

.

,

Journal

of Chemical

Education

,

83, 1094–1098

.

O’Brien, G., and Melanie Cameron, M.

, (2008)

Pre

-laboratory

Activities

to

Enhance

the

Laboratory

L

earning

E

xperience

,

Uniserve

Science

.

McKelvy

,

G.

M

., (2000)

Preparing

for the Chemistry Laboratory:

An Internet Presentation and Assessment

Tool

,

University Chemistry Education,

4, (2).Slide29

Appendix: Research-led teachingChang, H., (2005) Turning

an

Undergraduate

C

lass

into a

Professional

R

esearch

C

ommunity

, Teaching in Higher

Education, Vol

. 10, No. 3,

387

/

394.

E

xamples

of research-led teaching depts. see:

King’s College, London,

Biohealth research

teaching

.

Russell International Excellence

Group,

Summary

of Research-led Learning