Participant-Centered Learning and The Case Method

Minder Chen

• Web site: http://hbsp.harvard.edu/multimedia/pcl/pcl_1/start.html

• http://www.hbs.edu/teachingandlearningcenter/

• http://gsb.hbs.edu/pcl/resources.html

• R.R. Donnelley & Sons: The Digital Division http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~criley/Donnelley_case.pdf

• Video for teaching this case.– http://www.hbs.edu/teachingandlearningcenter/in-practice/

sampleclass.html

– http://www.hbs.edu/teachingandlearningcenter/case-method/insidehbscasemethod.html

• Analyzing A Case Study http://www.awpagesociety.com/images/uploads/Analyzing_A_Case_Study.pdf

• The Art of Discussion Leading: A Class with Chris Christensen. Harvard University Book Center, Jossey-Bass. (1995)

• Teaching and the Case Method, 3rd Ed., by Louis B. Barnes, C. Roland Christensen, Abby Hansen, 1994. 

• Davis, B.G., Tools for Teaching, Jossey-Bass; San Francisco, second edition, 2009.

• http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/

Preparing to Teach

• Picking the right case

• Planning skills

• Content: Less is more

• Differences between lecture and case teaching plans

• Know your students

• Helping students prepare

Teaching Techniques (I)

• Questioning, Listening, and Responding– Questioning, listening, and responding

– Three important characteristics of questions

– Listening at four levels

– Echoing

– Teaching students to listen to one another

• Transitions– Signaling a transition

– Using summaries to transition

Teaching Techniques (II)

• Timing– Managing classroom time

– Making real-time timing adjustments

– Timing can be overwhelming

• Classroom Activities– The power of role-play

– Using a vote to engage the class

• Other– Creating the right climate

– Misconceptions about closure

– Using the blackboard in class

Final Thoughts and Reflections

• Advice for new case teachers

• Learning as you teach

• Judging success

Participant-Centered Thinking

• The case for participant-centered learning

• Two-way learning

• Content or process?

• The three ways that people learn

• Learning at the extremes

• What makes a great class?

• Advice for first-time teachers

• Qualities of effective teachers

• Four things that great teachers do

Preparing to Teach and Learn• Workload and collaboration• Extracting knowledge from data• Learning collectively• Balancing student preparation• Two sides to teacher preparation• Less is more• The learning contract• Implicit/explicit contract• Don’t forget the B players• How do people experience you?• Study student profiles• Teaching plan evolution• Preparing to teach others' cases• Teaching cases over two classes • How cases form a course

Adopting and Supporting Participant-Centered Learning

• Challenges to introducing participant-centered learning

• The teacher transition to participant-centered learning

• Balancing research and teaching

• Support with teaching groups

• Peer support and review

• Stewardship

• Aspirations for change

Creating a Climate for Learning • Getting to class early

• Teacher style makes a difference

• Am I in or am I out?

• Do students want teachers as friends?

• Handling participation anxiety

• Helping students succeed

• Celebrate participation

• Support and motivate

• Starting with a question

• Importance of questions

• Influencing behavior

• Ambiguous behavior

• Vary your mediums

Teaching Techniques

• Transitions

• Segue

• Differing interpersonal styles

• Flow and rigidity

• Reins of control

• Agenda on board

• Role-plays help students remember

• The minority view

• Blackboard use

• The quiet moments

• Handling experts

• Leading questions

• Call patterns

Evaluation

• Meeting class objectives

• Monitoring student engagement

• Seating implications

• Evaluating class participation

• Negative/positive grading

• Harvard Business School Grading

• Handout danger

• Summarizing content at the end of class

Timing and Feedback

• Feedback from students A

• Feedback from students B: Getting feedback early– Quit doing

– Keep doing

– Start doing

• Applause

• Timing with examples from the Donnelley case

• Adjusting timing during the Andersen vs. Andersen case

• Teaching plan review

• The Dressen case teaching plan

Challenges When Introducing Participant-Centered Learning

Challenges Content “Architecture”

• Cultural issues • Student

behavior • Class discussion

discipline • Building a

collegial spirit • Need for

acceptance and accreditation from the outside

• Will participant-centered learning work for teaching theory as well as for skills?

• What mix of teaching resources, cases, and material?

• Knowing what content is relevant for the future

• Classrooms, buildings

• Copying equipment

• Resources for self-study: library, technology

• Do you invest in bricks and mortar?

Faculty Research InstitutionalTeaching

Issues

• Training orientation

• Recruitment qualifications

• Skills • Mix of full-time

professors and part-time teachers

• Teacher compensation

• Teacher evaluation

• Breadth of teacher vision and experience

• Emphasis on research or teaching

• Time • Use case

studies to build knowledge

• Organizational structure

• Emphasis on “lecture”

• Class size and dynamics

• Managing change in institution

• Policies and faculty evaluation

• Coordination costs: professors’ time

• Latitude for faculty to select teaching method/materials

• Dealing with diverse student capabilities

• Creating a cooperative classroom culture

• How to evaluate students?

• Time management in class

Challenges When Introducing Participant-Centered Learning

Students Case Development

• Skills development • Maturity, experience • Admission process for

better students

• Cooperation of companies

• Time to do it • Team building • Critical mass • Changing the culture