HOW PEOPLE LEARN

Peter Newbury Center for Teaching Development,University of California, San Diego

pnewbury@ucsd.edu @polarisdotca

YOU CAN HELP

ctd.ucsd.edu/2012/10/how-people-learn-the-biology-edition

Who Am I?

Peter Newbury PhD Univ. of British Columbia

Vancouver, Canada

Research Interests How people learn astronomy, physics, mathematics How to teach (instructors how to teach) students to

use graphs: “Please graph the graph on the graph.”

Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative Establishing and maintaining an online

personal learning network (PLN) @polarisdotca

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Theories of Learning

Many lectures based in transmissionist learning model.

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Scientifically Outdated, Culturally a Known Failure

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How People Learn [1]

People actively construct their own knowledge

Individual Based in pre-existing understanding

Biologically, learning changes the brain Proteins form, neurons fire Technology allowing us to observe learning

as it happens (fMRIs)

[1] How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School Expanded Edition. Ed. Bransford

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How People Learn [1]

[1] How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School Expanded Edition. Ed. Bransford

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Learning is not about whatprofessors do.

It’s about what students do!

How People Learn [1]

[1] How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School Expanded Edition. Ed. Bransford

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Learning is not about whatprofessors do.

It’s about what students do!

Corollary: Students will not learn (just) by listening to the

professor explain

Let’s have a learning experience…

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New Coding System

Please memorize this code:

1 = 4 = 7 =

2 = 5 = 8 =

3 = 6 = 9 =

0 =

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Test

What is this number?

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New Coding System

Here’s the structure of the code:

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

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Test

What is this number?

Constructivism14

All new learning is based in pre-existing knowledge that you hold.

You store things in long term memory through a set of connections that are made with previous existing memories.

Another Example of Constructivism:

Think about the house you grew up in. How many windows does it have? Enter the number using your clicker:

to turn on or refresh

to select 0 – 9

to move to next digit in number

to submit answer

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SEND

Constructivism16

“Creating memories” (aka learning) involves having neurons fire (and neurons link up in networks or patterns)

Learning Requires Your Effort

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Higher-level learning = brain development

It’s like muscle development!

Strenuous, repeated effort ->New Muscle Cells

Strenuous, repeated effort ->New Neurons, Links!

Development of new neurons in response to difficult learning taskT. Shors, Sci. Amer. Mar 09

Key Findings about how people learn

Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for the purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside of the classroom.

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How People Learn – Chapter 1, p 14.

1.

Preconceptions in biology(Think, Pair, Share)

What pre-existing concepts might you be able to use to teach a biology concept?

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Resources on Biology Educationhttp://lifescied.org

Search abstract on Preconception Misconception

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How do you think undergraduate students feel about learning biology?

1. To learn biology, I only need to memorize facts and definitions

A B C D EStrongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

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How do you think undergraduate students feel about learning biology?

1. To learn biology, I only need to memorize facts and definitions

2. Knowledge in biology consists of many disconnected topics.

A B C D EStrongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

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How do you think undergraduate students feel about learning biology?

1. To learn biology, I only need to memorize facts and definitions

2. Knowledge in biology consists of many disconnected topics.

3. When I am answering a biology question, I find it difficult to put what I know into my own words.

A B C D EStrongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

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2) Key Findings

To develop competence in an area of inquiry, students must: have a deep foundation of factual

knowledge, understand facts and ideas in the

context of a conceptual framework, and

organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application.

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How People Learn – Chapter 1, p 16.

2.

2) Key Findings

A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.

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How People Learn – Chapter 1, p 18.

3.

Please break into groups of 3...26

Each set of cards has 3 Key Findings 3 Implications for Teaching 3 Designing Classroom Environments

TASK: For each Key Finding, match one Implication for Teaching and one Designing Classroom Environment.

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Implications for Instructorsand Teaching Assistants

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Traditional (lecture) class29

students get very little opportunity for “expert” feedback

First Exposure

Lecture Textbook

Read Hard Stuff

Homework

See if You Know Hard Stuff

Exam

Show KnowledgeMastery

Everyone constructs their own understanding:

I can’t dump understanding into your brain.

To learn, YOU must actively work with a problemand construct your own understanding of it.

Greater opportunity for expert feedback

Constructivist classHomework Lecture Lab Exam

Show KnowledgeMastery

First Exposure:With resources and

Feedback

Learn Hard Stuff:With teacher and

discussion

Practice Knowledge

Mastery

QUIZ

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When you are the instructor of record…

Peer Instruction (aka “clickers”) One of most-studied active learning

techniques for improving learning Works IN the (large) lecture hall Focuses students on their role and

responsibility as the learner

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Typical Peer Instruction Episode

1. Instructor poses a conceptually-challengingmultiple-choice question.

2. Students think about question on their own.

3. Students vote for an answer using clickers, coloured cards, ABCD voting cards,...

4. The instructor reacts, based on the distribution of votes.

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In effective peer instruction

students teach each other immediately,while they may still hold or remembertheir novice misconceptions

students discuss the concepts in theirown language

the instructor finds out what the students know (and don’t know) and reacts

students learn and practice how to think, communicate like experts

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Effective peer instruction requires1. identifying key concepts,

misconceptions2. creating multiple-choice questions

that require deeper thinking and learning

3. facilitating peer instruction episodes that spark student discussion

4. resolving the misconceptions

beforeclass

duringclass

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Clicker Question

The molecules making up the dry mass of wood that forms during the growth of a tree largely come from a) sunlight.b) the air.c) the seed.d) the soil.

Question credit: Bill Wood

Veritasium (Derek Muller)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KZb2_vcNTg

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Clicker Question

Suppose that in the tree below new data were uncovered indicating that taxon E is sister to a group consisting of taxa D and F. Draw the new phylogeny.

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Some other phylogeny

a) b)

c)

Which one is the closest match to your phylogeny?

d)

Quiz

Selection is the stimulus/pressure (internal or external) that affects life and/or the ability to reproduce.True or False?

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1. Some plants don’t experience selection.

2. Insects often experience a different type of selection as larvae than as adults.

3. Birds can experience different directions of selection in different years.

4. Selection in mammals always operates more strongly on survival than on reproduction.

T F

T F

T F

T F

Sync with Key Findings 2?

Does that lesson demand deep foundation of knowledge, a conceptual framework, organization of knowledge?

Did instructor teach in depth, multiple examples of concept, provide firm foundation?

Is attention given to what is taught, why it’s taught and what mastery looks like?

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Clicker question: Selection

How many of the following statements are true?Plants: Some plants don’t experience selection.

Insects: Insects often experience a different type of

selection as larvae than as adults.

Birds: Birds can experience different directions of

selection in different years.

Mammals: Selection in mammals always operates more strongly on survival than on reproduction.

A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D)3 E)4

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Active Learning Techniques forDiscussion Sections

Think, Pair Share or peer instruction with clickers

One-Minute papers: What is most confusing right now?

Problem Solving in Groups Provide scaffold/structure Ask what steps would you take to solve

problem(versus actually solving them)

Critique or “fix” sample work/problem overhead slides, document cameras,

board? The duck...

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Discussion Sections

Learning is not about what TAs explain.It’s about what students understand!

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Discussion Sections

Learning is not about what TAs explain.It’s about what students understand!

Corollary 1: Students will not understand (just) by watching the TA solve problems.

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Discussion Sections

Learning is not about what TAs explain.It’s about what students understand!

Corollary 1: Students will not understand (just) by watching the TA solve problems.

Corollary 2: BE LESS HELPFUL.

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But really ask yourself…

Who is doing the work?You or the students?

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Questions?

And feedback…

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