Sink or Swim

Prof. Andreas Prinz

IntroductionModels of higher educationEffective studentsStudy strategiesHow to teach habits?Summary

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Introduction• It seems that our students do not use their time in the best way. Often, they do not have good study techniques to start with, and also not when they finish.

• How can we make sure that the students learn efficiently?

• Use of group work? Godfrey• Have high(er) expectations?• Use better scaffolding?

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3 models of higher education• Content-centered (Sink or Swim): provide the

material well structured and well prepared; student is responsible for learning.

• Teacher-centered (Schooling): provide the

material matching to the students needs; teacher is responsible for teaching (& learning).

• Student-centered (6th generation): enable the

student to make good choices; joint responsibility.

What is a good student?• Controls own learning• Is interested and motivated.• Is always in efficient development zone• Is prepared for the next step

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Zones of developmentPanic zone Too hard. We feel that these activities are too hard

and we try to avoid them.

Flow zone Difficult, but possible.

These activities are most rewarding. They are scary and exciting at the same time.

Comfort zone

Things we know.

These are the things we are most likely to do, we feel at ease.

Boring zone

Too easy. We feel that these activities are too simple and we try to avoid them.

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Good study strategies• Responsibility: Take over responsibility for own learning• Motivation: Attitude is crucial. Want to acquire new knowledge and skills, and

have faith to be able to do it. Setting goals.• Acquire information: Find and learn the main facts and concepts in the subject

in a way that suits own learning style. Read also related material.• Searching meaning: Convert facts and information to something with personal

meaning in order to achieve understanding and to trigger memory.• Exhibiting what you know: Reify knowledge by teaching to a "study buddy" or

creating a narrative, a lecture, an essay, a PowerPoint presentation etc.• Reflecting on how you have learned: What techniques and ideas worked best?

How to improve the learning processes? Control own learning• Efficiency: time management, making and following plans, deadlines• Activity: Get engaged. Find meaning in the work. Be proactive. Simply work.• (Source: Bjørke, Øysæd: Online Study Strategy Course, UiA)• (Source: Cottrell, S. (2008) The study skills handbook, Palgrave) • (Source: Rose, C. & Nicholl, MJ (1997) Accelerated learning for the 21st century, DTP)

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Blooms taxonomy: Cognitive domain• Knowledge is the ability to recall information. • Comprehension is the understanding of the information and the

ability to state it in one’s own words.• Application is the ability to apply the information one has

learned in new situations.• Analysis is the ability to divide the information into different

parts and understand the different concepts of the information.• Synthesis is the ability to build new concepts or meaning out of

existing information.• Evaluation is the ability to validate the ideas and material and

judge it.

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Blooms taxonomy: Affective domain• Receiving Phenomena is the ability to listen to and be aware of

people. • Responding to Phenomena is the ability to actively involve,

attend and react to a phenomenon.• Valuing is the worth or value a persona attaches to a

phenomenon, object or behavior.• Organization is the ability to compare, relate, and synthesize

values.• Internalizing values is the ability to adjust the behavior to

different situations having their own characteristics.

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Blooms taxonomy: Psychomotor domain• Perception is the ability to become aware of objects, qualities

or relations by way of the sense organs.• Set is the ability to be ready for an action or an experience.• Guided response is the ability to imitate or use trial and error

together with an instructor.• Mechanism indicates a skill that has become habitual.• Complex overt response is the ability to use complex motor

acts and a high degree of skill usage.

• Adaptation is the ability to adapt or modify the skill to fit specific situations.

• Origination = ability to develop new psychomotor movements to solve specific problems or to react to new situations.

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How to teach habits?• Know how to teach knowledge.• Maybe need to teach skills: exercise• Teach habits: repetition/training• Need to teach experience

• Mastery learning: repeat until OK

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Separating content and method• Hattie «visible learning»: direct training in study technique is efficient

• Two parallel tracks: content & method• Content is taught with a method, here a transition to more responsible student is planned

• Method is taught using content as example. Followup is specific based on current level of achievement. (mastery learning)

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Summary• Recommended: two parallel tracks• Review the models

• 6th generation: fine, but only after the habits are established

• Teacher centered: use this for the study habits track

• Content centered: for content track, but now the students swim because of their second track.Prepared by Andreas Prinz 12

What is good teaching (Hattie)?• Reciprocal teaching (.74), Peer tutoring (.57)• Problem solving teaching (.71), Worked examples (.57)• Direct training in metacognitive skills (.69), direct training of

effective study techniques (.59), effective study intervals and rest periods (.71)

• Direct instruction (.59)• Mastery learning (.96) (cannot continue until you have

mastered the topic) – not as good for good students (.58)• Computer-cooperative pair learning (.96)• Piagetian programs (1.28) = (Activation: relevant repetition,

Concrete: experiment, Invent: discussion, Apply: novel problem)