The College Classroom

Winter 2014

Week 6: Cooperative Learning and

Peer Instruction

Cooperative Learning Strategies 2

PBL – problem-based learning

POGIL – process-oriented guided inquiry learning

PLTL – peer-led team learning

PI – peer instruction

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Cooperative Learning Strategies 3

PBL – problem-based learning

POGIL – process-oriented guided inquiry learning

PLTL – peer-led team learning

PI – peer instruction

Why are we talking about these today?

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2010–2011 Higher Education Research

Initiative (HERI) Faculty Survey [1] 4

published October 23, 2012

based on responses from 23,824 full-time faculty at

417 four-year colleges and universities

“faculty member” = any employee of an accredited

4-year college or university who spend at least some

of his or her time teaching undergraduates

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What do you see? 5

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What do you see? 6

Identify the most interesting item in Table 1. Record

your thoughts on the whiteboard and be prepared to

share your group’s opinion.

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Meta Moment:

Efficient Group Activities

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• Why group activities?

• Before this class: Keeps people awake

• Now: Everyone constructs their own understanding;

Just because words come out of my mouth doesn’t

mean learning occurred

• But “it takes up time”

• Optimization:

2 things

1 to each 1/2 of class

What do you see? 8

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What do you see? 9

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What do you see? 10

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HERI: Cooperative Learning 11

[C]ooperative learning is a teaching practice that has

the most well-defined literature base, and research

consistently has revealed positive effects of cooperative

learning on student achievement across experimental and

quasi-experimental studies on college students.

([1], p. 8)

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HERI: Cooperative Learning 12

It is important to note, however, that we see the starkest

gender gaps across fields in faculty’s use of cooperative

learning. The majority of women in all other fields

(71.8%) use cooperative learning techniques in all or

most of their courses, and it is encouraging that 60.3%

of women teaching in STEM use cooperative learning in

the classroom, a figure that exceeds both men in STEM

(40.7%) and men in all other fields (52.6%).

([1], p. 8)

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recognizes that knowledge

is constructed in the mind

of the learner by the

learner

([1], p.262)

implies that this “building”

process is aided through

cooperative social interactions

([1], p. 262)

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constructivism social constructivism

not just constructivism but social constructivism

Key ideas

Which of the following do you think contributes

most to the student benefits attributed to PI use?

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A. Developing their own understanding

B. Changed view of responsibility/expectations in class

C. Pre-class preparation/reading

D. Feedback on their understanding

E. Positive experience of success in learning

Exact process “recommended” for PI

depends on goals for use…

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• General Goals: Engage students in the kind of

thinking done by experts, that help them develop

expertise

• ?? STEM Disciplines ??

• Analysis, often with a right answer

• ?? Arts, Humanities and Social Science ??

• Argumentation skills, multiple answers can be

defended

After examples, you will create a question for

a class in your discipline.

An Example from History:

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Why is a clicker required for this class?

1. To save trees and increase efficiency

and feedback.

2. To increase discussion and help you

develop analysis and argumentation

skills (hopefully helping you on your

papers!)

How this class will work

Before Class 1st Thing in Class:

Reading Quiz

A)

B)

C)

A)

B)

C)

Lecture

Discussion

Question

1

2

3

Discuss What we

Thought

Share Thinking

Tie to Reading

How this class will work

Before Class 1st Thing in Class:

Reading Quiz

A)

B)

C)

A)

B)

C)

Lecture

Discussion

Question

1

2

3

Discuss What we

Thought

Share Thinking

Tie to Reading

You must get these

correct to get your

“quiz points”

You must vote

to get your

“participation points”

(often multiple answers can

be defended)

Increase efficiency and feedback

Reading quizzes give you the excuse to “stay up” with

the reading*

this incentive allowed me to keep on top of my course

workload and to maintain a positive study habit

As it mattered for our final grade we studied and

did the readings every week instead of hoarding up

the studying till before the midterms and final exams.

*UCSD First Year Students

Increase discussion

EVERYONE will get a chance to be involved (not just the

2-3 usual people)

The green colored clicker questions forced

me to interact with my peers and

hence helped in forming

good study groups as well as friends.

Even though I never physically spoke during class lecture

as a whole, I felt as if my voice was heard during the

opinion clicker questions. In this class I feel included…

in other classes I feel excluded.

Develop analysis and argumentation skills

I learn not only from professors' teaching, but also other

students' ideas as they express themselves about

green clicker questions.

I believe the use of clickers really help us learn.

The "green” questions also facilitate some

thought provoking perspectives on the material,

and they've helped me formulate my own questions

and analyses outside of class.

Finally

In this lecture we were asked to

engage in a discussion about the past

where as in other lectures I have had

dates thrown at me and

I was expected to memorize them

without really understanding how they

played into the big picture.

I always wanted to come to class because

lectures made me look at the past in a

different way than I had before.

Sample History Question:

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According to Augustine, which do you

think was the most significant event in

his conversion to Christianity?

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A. Corporal punishments as a school-boy

B. Student years of follies (studies and promiscuity)

C. Stealing the pears from the neighbor’s tree

D. Death of his classmate/friend

According to Augustine, which do you

think was the most significant event in

his conversion to Christianity?

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A. Corporal punishments as a school-boy

B. Student years of follies (studies and promiscuity)

C. Stealing the pears from the neighbor’s tree

D. Death of his classmate/friend

Each of these can be discussed from the various readings.

They bring up the critical points of Augustine’s personal

life that previously the professor lectured on.

Which best describes your opinion

about Rousseau’s proposal for the most

legitimate form of government?

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A. Necessary

B. Appealing

C. Nice, but unrealistic

D. Risky

E. Frightening/Offensive

Which best describes your opinion

about Rousseau’s proposal for the most

legitimate form of government?

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A. Necessary

B. Appealing

C. Nice, but unrealistic

D. Risky

E. Frightening/Offensive

Everyone should have form and defend an opinion.

Students don’t just take this class to memorize facts,

but to develop as critical/thinking citizens.

STEM – a slightly different motivation

and process

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How does this class work?

This class is designed a bit differently from what you might normally be used to

“Lecture” will be focused around YOU

What YOU understand

A “clicker” is required for this class

It’s not optional, using it will be 10% of your grade

Clickers are used to help both YOU and ME figure out what you understand and what you might need some help with

So, lecture will be different

Ever thought about why we have “lecture”?

Why do we have lecture?

Why do we have lecture?

Why do we have lecture?

GREAT Innovations:

The printing press, The web

You don’t have the trust the monk!

Read it and analyze for YOURSELF!

If I rephrase it for you, what purpose does that serve?

Traditional class structures often look like:

You get very little opportunity for “expert” feedback

First Exposure

Lecture Textbook

Read Hard Stuff

Homework

See if You Know Hard Stuff

Exam

Show Knowledge Mastery

Peer Instruction-Based Design

Greater opportunity for expert feedback!

Research on how people learn:

Everyone constructs their own understanding

I can’t dump understanding into your brain

To learn YOU must actively work with a problem and construct your own understanding of it

Homework Lecture Lab Exam

Show Knowledge Mastery

First Exposure: With resources and

Feedback

Learn Hard Stuff: With teacher and

discussion

Practice Knowledge

Mastery

Q

U

I

Z

1

2

3

How to “run” a Peer Instruction Question

“What did you talk about in your group?”

“Why is X wrong?”

Individual Vote Group Vote Discussion

Class-Wide

Discussion Instructor Modeling/Wrap-up

If a semi-truck crashes with a Fiat is the

force of the truck on the Fiat…

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A. Greater than that of the Fiat on the truck

B. Less than that of the Fiat on the truck

C. Equal to that of the Fiat on the truck

If a semi-truck crashes with a Fiat is the

force of the truck on the Fiat…

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A. Greater than that of the Fiat on the truck

B. Less than that of the Fiat on the truck

C. Equal to that of the Fiat on the truck

No calculations. Practice using “physics terminology”.

Confront misconception. Good “lead in” to create

interest in mini-lecture on Newton’s 3rd Law.

What does this code do?

A. Makes the eskimo girl say Hello, then jump up and

down

B. Makes the eskimo girl say Hello WHILE jumping up

and down

C. Makes the eskimo girl say Hello

D. None of the above

What does this code do?

A. Makes the eskimo girl say Hello, then jump up and

down

B. Makes the eskimo girl say Hello WHILE jumping up

and down

C. Makes the eskimo girl say Hello

D. None of the above

Computers don’t do what ‘makes sense’, they

do exactly what you tell them to.

The “top” tile is the one that controls behavior.

Your first PI question:

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1. Pick a goal (argumentation, analysis).

2. Does your question have ONE correct answer?

3. What is important for people to discuss?

1. Use this to select MCQ options

4. Review:

1. Is your question a question?

2. Does it use as few words as possible?

3. Does it “encourage” discussion?

Improving the classroom climate:

They’re not dumb, they’re different.

Next Week: 42

References

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1. Hurtado, S., Eagan, M. K., Pryor, J. H., Whang, H., & Tran, S. (2012). Undergraduate teaching faculty: The 2010–2011 HERI Faculty Survey. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. www.heri.ucla.edu

2. Eberlein, T. Kampmeier, J., Minderhout, V. Moog, R.S., Platt, T., Varma-Nelson, P., & White, H.B. (2008). Pedagogies of Engagement in Science: A Comparison of PBL, POGIL, and PLTL. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 36, 4, 262–273.

3. Crouch, C.H., & Mazur, E. (2001) Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics, 69, 9, 970–977.

4. #etmooc Massive Open Online Course on Educational Technology & Media etmooc.org

5. Hanson, D.M. (2006). Instructor’s Guide to Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning. Lisle, IL: Pacific Crest. http://www.pogil.org/resources/implementation/instructors-guide

6. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

7. Mazur, E. (2009). Farewell, Lecture? Science, 323, 5910, 50-51.