GOOD PRACTICES in TEACHING S'A'M' Said King Fahd Univ' of Petroleum

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GOOD PRACTICES in TEACHING S.A.M. Said King
Fahd Univ. of Petroleum Minerals
October 2008
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Outline

• Introduction
• BLOOM'S TAXONOMY
• Factors Influence Students Learning
• Students Approaches to Learning
• Good Teaching / Features of Effective Teaching
• Concluding Remarks

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Introduction

• One of the greatest sins in teaching is to be
  boring (Baughman, 1979, p. 28).
• I'm sure every one of us can name a teacher
  that's made a difference in our lives. They were
  the ones that seemed to understand us the best-or
  who challenged us the most (Stanford, 2000).
• I never teach my pupils I only attempt to
  provide the conditions in which they can learn -
  Albert Einstein

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Students Learning

• Having a knowledge of basic learning principles
  is important.
• Bloom found that over 95 of the test questions
  students encounter require students to think only
  at the lowest possible level...the recall of
  information.
• Bloom identified six levels within the cognitive
  domain.

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BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

• Knowledge arrange, define, duplicate, label,
  list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate,
  recall, repeat, reproduce state.
• Comprehension classify, describe, discuss,
  explain, express, identify, indicate, locate,
  recognize, report, restate, review, select,
  translate,.
• Application apply, choose, demonstrate,
  dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret,
  operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use,
  write.

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BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

• Analysis analyze, appraise, calculate,
  categorize, compare, contrast, criticize,
  differentiate, discriminate, distinguish,
  examine, experiment, question, test.
• Synthesis arrange, assemble, collect, compose,
  construct, create, design, develop, formulate,
  manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up,
  write.
• Evaluation appraise, argue, assess, attach,
  choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict,
  rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.

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Factors Influence Students Learning

• The North American Approach
• The seven principles of good practice in
  undergraduate education.
• 2. The UK Australian Approach
• Examines how students approach learning and how
  teachers approach teaching

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Principle 1

• Encourages Student-Faculty Contact
• Make it a point to talk with your students on a
  personal level.
• Learn about their educational and career plans.

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Principle 2

• Encourages Cooperation Among Students
• Team effort than a solo race.
• Good learning, like good work is collaborative
  and social, not competitive and isolated.
• Working with others often increases involvement
  in learning.
• Sharing ones ideas and responding to others
  reactions improves thinking and deepens
  understanding.
• Beginning with the first class have
  students participate in activities that encourage
  them to get to know each other.

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Principle 3

• Encourages Active Learning
• Students do not learn much just sitting in
  classes listening to teachers and memorizing
  pre-packaged assignments.
• They must talk about what they are learning,
  write about it, relate it to past experiences and
  apply it to their daily lives.
• They must make what they learn a part of
  themselves.
• Ask your students to present their work in
  class

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Principle 4

• Gives Prompt Feedback
• Knowing what you know and dont know focuses
  learning.
• In getting started, students need help in
  assessing existing knowledge and competence.
• In classes students need frequent opportunity to
  perform and get suggestions for improvement.
• They need a chance to reflect on what they have
  learned, what they still need to know and how to
  assess themselves.
• Return assignments and tests within a week.

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Principle 5

• Emphasizes Time on Task
• Time plus energy equals learning.
• There is no substitute for time on task.
• Learning to use time well is critical for
  students and professionals.
• Students need help in learning effective time
  management.
• Allocating realistic amounts of time means
  effective learning for students and effective
  teaching for faculty.
• Expect your students to complete
  assignments promptly

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Principle 6

• Communicates High Expectations
• Expect more and you will get it.
• High expectations are important for everyone
  for the poorly prepared, for those unwilling to
  exert themselves, and for the bright and
  motivated.
• Expecting students to perform well becomes a
  self-fulfilling prophesy when teachers and
  institutions hold high expectations of themselves
  and make extra efforts.
• Encourage students to excel at the work they do

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Principle 7

• Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
• There are many roads to learning.
• People come with different talents and styles of
  learning.
• Brilliant students in the classroom may be not be
  good in the lab.
• Students rich in hands-on experience may not do
  so well in theory.
• Students need opportunity to show their talents
  in ways that work for them.
• Encourage students to speak up when they
  do not understand

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The UK Australian Approach

• This approach examines
• How students approach learning and
• How teachers approach teaching

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Students Approaches to Learning

• Surface Approach intend to reproduce material
• Deep Approach intend to understand, integrate
  material
• BUT most students are capable of either
  it seems to depend a lot on
• Perceived assessment demands
• Perceived features of the learning environment

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Teachers Approaches to Teaching

• Teacher-focused approach focus is on
  transmission
• Student-centred approach focus is on students
  developing their own understanding of concepts

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Interaction of both Approaches

• Students taught with a teacher-focused approach
  are more likely to take a surface approach to
  learning.
• Students taught with a more student-centred
  approach tend to take a more deep approach to
  learning.
• A teacher focussed approach is practiced
  more

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Student-Centred Approach

• Involves more student-faculty contact
• Involves use of active learning strategies
• Involves appropriate assessment methods
• Involves clear expectations
• Involves regular formative feedback
• Involves more reasonable workload
• Involves more independence and choice by the
  students
• Involves a focus on students developing their own
  understanding of concepts
• It is the teachers intentions and conception of
  learning that is critical in the concept of
  student-centred teaching

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Teaching that Enhances Learning

• The most efficient ways in Learning are
• Motivate the students
• Stimulate their curiosity
• Project-oriented learning
• Problem based learning
• Student-centered learning

and the learning will follow by itself.
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Features of Effective Teaching

• Effective Teaching is
• - Evidence-Based
• - Conceptually underpinned
• - Focus on student learning outcomes,
  especially
• Thinking skills and deep learning
• Lifelong learning (learning to learn)

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Factors that detract from deep learning

• Heavy workloads
• - reasonable workloads is a key, even if it
  means reducing content coverage
• Exclusive use of lecturing
• - cut down on lecture time and extend
  individual study time and time for designated
  projects
• Assessment methods used

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Concluding Remarks

• Teaching in Higher Education is shifting the
  emphasis away from what is taught to what
  students learn, understand, or discover.
• Teachers who think at higher levels produce
  students who are higher achieving.
• Brilliant teaching reflects scholarship, personal
  integrity and the ability to communicate with the
  students.

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Concluding Remarks

• The Seven Principles of Good Practice based on
  research on good teaching and learning in
  colleges and universities do enhance learning if
  implemented.
• Effective teaching must result in deep learning
  and lifelong learning.
• Fostering an environment of continuous academic
  development is a must for enhancing student
  learning.

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• Thank you