1

Turning Class Over to the Students:

Using Engaged Pedagogy and Presentations to Promote

Student Ownership of the Course

Session I: Nuts and BoltsProf. Geoff SchneiderBucknell University

2

Workshop plan This week: outline the basic approach;

begin work on adapting it to your class Next week: refine the approach; address

specific issues for your classes Week 3: Presentations & discussion of how

to operationalize the approach

3

Some goals for this workshop Identify some areas of a course where

students can teach each other Under your guidance and supervision Using your existing course structure

Construct a mechanism and strategy for implementing this type of active learning strategy

Consider some more dramatic strategies that you might undertake to turn over more of your classroom interactions to students

4

Some key lessons Student learning can be improved via “Peer

Learning” But only if students are adequately prepared

Peer learning exercises must be carefully structured, clearly articulated, adjusted Especially if you need to cover a certain amount of

content Peer learning outcomes improve if you involve

students in discussions of pedagogy

If successful, result is a vibrant classroom, rich discussions, greater retention of key concepts

5

Interaction and Learning Greater interactivity associated with more

learning Why?

Students retain much more when they have to explain something to others Verbally or in writing

Getting students to take ownership of their education and course material is a key factor in promoting learning at a sophisticated level

6

Writing, Presenting and Learning: One model for an engaged classroom1. Read about a topic.2. Write about it/Work problems

Summary of the main points, initial attempt to analyze the ideas (connections, assessment).

Or, if studying a model, work through sample problems, evaluate usefulness of the model.

3. Presentations; Lead Discussions; listen.4. Reevaluate; think more deeply

Write again/work more advanced problems.

5. Students gradually take control of more content in the classroom.

7

Some questions concerning active learning that help structure the course1. What kinds of learning are best done within the

classroom? Since the classroom is inherently interactive, what

forms of interaction best facilitate learning? What types of learning are best done in small groups? What types of learning are best done in larger groups?

2. What are the limits to the classroom experience in terms of learning?

3. What kinds of learning are best promoted by reading and writing/problem solving exercises?

What are the limits to this form of learning?

8

Learning outside the classroom In most of my courses, more learning

(especially of facts, theories) goes on outside of the classroom than inside

Key is getting students to learn via reading and writing assignments

Classroom can become a venue for Promoting depth of understanding Discussions Debates Making connections; synthesizing; pushing the

boundaries

9

What are the dangers or pitfalls of student-led classes?

10

Unless students are “coached,” many (most?) student presentations will be poor Students need to reflect on:

What constitutes a good question/ presentation/problem/answer?

What presentations caused them to retain the most?

What kind of questions elicit deep responses? What kind of questions will the audience be able

to respond to?

As students get better at understanding the role of discussion & interaction They are able to take over more and more of

the class

11

Proper sequencing of assignments & classroom exercises Makes students progressively more

engaged in the classroom Taking more and more ownership of the course

and the material Insures that they are ready to take on a

greater role in the classroom Adequately prepared in terms of

Familiarity with the necessary material Exposure to basic principles of pedagogy

Which I have modeled and discussed

Democratizes the classroom conversation Everyone participates

12

Step 1: Modeling what you want them to do Large Group Discussion with the whole

class: Model the discussion/problem solving process Have the students reflect on the discussion

process/ analytical process The first questions I design tend to be

more factual in nature Get the students up to a certain level of

understanding of the topic Or, the problems are more basic and require

fewer connections & extrapolations

13

CAPS407, Class 2, Discussion Questions for the whole class Describe the evolution of the apartheid system.

When did apartheid provisions, such as Pass Lass, first appear? To what extent did the British, especially British mine owners, contribute to the formation of apartheid? Is it fair to say, as some do, that apartheid began in 1948 under Afrikaner rule rather than earlier?

14

Purpose of the Large Group Discussion These questions are more factual in nature

Establish key factors & issues that all of the students need to know

Let students try to establish these first Fill in the details that they seem to be missing

and highlight factors I think are important.

15

Small Group Exercise, Capstone Class 2 (after finishing large group discussion questions)

Students respond to a series of questions from me

Then students are asked to: Design a question (or problem) for the

other small groups to answer. Here the students begin the process of

initiating and leading discussion

16

Reflection on the exercise After the larger group discussion is

concluded, I have the students reflect on various issues Which questions generated the best

discussions? Why? How did the small group discussion differ from the

large group discussion? Which was more intimate? Which did you find most stimulating and enriching?

Which problems truly reflect the theoretical principles we are studying?

17

My own observations Controversial issues are much better handled in

small groups Larger class discussion serves a different

purpose: summary of key insights, transmission of information But not the best venue for all types of conversation

I move from group to group to begin making connections with students Much better than trying to reach the entire class

Early on, student questions tend to be factual in nature As the semester progresses, they get better at designing

interesting questions that will prompt good discussions

18

Simplest way to turn over a small portion of the class to students Assignment requiring some students (2-8)

to email you ahead of time regarding some portion of the class that they are willing and able to lead With ample time for you to give them feedback With ample time set aside for them to cover

the material in class

19

Step 2: Short Student Presentations I ask students to prepare 2 short

presentations, or to design and solve two problems of their own, ahead of time Email them to me by 3-4 hours before class

I select one of the two for them to present Email them with a grade and to tell them which

presentation they will give by 1 hour before class

I weave their presentations/problems in with my lesson plan for the day

20

Example from Econ235, African Economic Development Handout, p. 1: Half of students (12 of 24) asked to

prepare 2 short (2-3 minute) “presentations” & send them to me by email Strict time limit Structure: Title, Intro, Question, Answer In reality, they are discussion leaders Other students must read and write informally on the

readings Problems with this:

In class, students gave their answer before letting others weigh in

Some student read their answers This was too many students to get to and still leave time

for me to fill in gaps

21

Changes in structure Students required to structure presentations in

the form of bullet points, notes See handout p. 2 Not allowed to read from presentation text

Must allow other students to try to answer question first

Reduce number of student presentations to 8 per class (1/3 of students)

I give feedback to prompt students to think more deeply about the topic they will present (see handout, p. 3)

22

Step 3: (Temporarily) Surrendering the role of the expert To foster a good discussion, I must let

students talk freely, even when they aren’t entirely correct Correct most problems in advance

With feedback on their email presentations See p. 3 of handout

Positive reinforcement when they make a particularly good point

Let them be the expert on a very small part of the material

23

Benefits of this approach I still cover the material that I need to

cover in a sophisticated fashion Students cover the basics, and I push the

boundaries Classroom is much more engaged, with all

students participating on a regular basis See pp. 4-5 of handout for a lecture

involving short student presentations

24

How to adapt this approach to your class This approach can be used for virtually

any type of material Poetry, literature and music Abstract theoretical issues Mathematical problem solving Debates

But it must be adapted for your discipline, your style, and your comfort zone

25

Workshop bit Freewrite: Work on “Homework for Session

II” in your packet.