Teaching for Understanding: Active Learning and

Assessment

Diane Ebert-MayDepartment of Plant Biology

Michigan State University

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The trouble with our times is that the future is not

what it used to be.

-Paul Valery, The Art of Poetry

Questions for you...• What do you expect to gain from this

workshop?

• What are your major teaching challenges?

• What challenges do your students face in learning?

• How did you learn science?

• How do your students learn science?

Engage

Question 1

• Active learning strategies enable students to learn science better than passive lectures.

Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly

disagree

Question 2

• Students learn science best by “doing” science.

Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly disagree

Question 3

• How important is it to use multiple kinds of assessments to determine students’ learning?

Please respond on a scale of 0-100% in increments of 10:

Question 4

• The proportion of assessments I use in my course that demonstrate students’ critical thinking abilities is....

Please respond on a scale of 0-100% in increments of 10:

Question 5

• In my department, excellence in teaching is rewarded at a level comparable to excellence in research.

Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly

disagree

Students are the tie that binds us...

Question 1

• Active learning strategies enable students to learn science better than passive lectures.

Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly

disagree

Class Meeting

Class Meeting

Class Meeting

Question 2

• Students learn science best by “doing” science.

Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly disagree

Lila Smith 1975; in Smith el al. 2005

Teacher- to Learner-Centered Classroom

• How does scientific teaching promote this transition?

Lila Smith 1975; in Smith el al. 2005

Question 3

• How important is it to use multiple kinds of assessments to determine student learning?

Please respond on a scale of 0-100 in increments of 10:

Question 4

• The proportion of assessments I use in my course that demonstrate students’ critical thinking abilities is....

Please respond on a scale of 0-100 (%) in increments of 10:

• Connections among concepts

• Organization of concepts

• Visual representations

• Model-based reasoning

• Test models

• Solve problems

What is critical thinking?

Question 5

• In my department, excellence in teaching is rewarded at a level comparable to excellence in research.

Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly

disagree

Explore

What’s up with Termites?

•1. On a sheet of paper, draw two circles near each other on the center of the page.

•2. Release termites onto paper.•3. Keep creatures safe. I shall collect them in their original habitat.

•4. What do you observe about termite behavior?

•5. Develop a question your group could explore if you had more time.

•(15 minutes - select a timekeeper)

Learning Objective

•Develop one possible learning objective for this ‘inquiry’.

•What do you want students to know and be able to do?

•What evidence is acceptable?

Give your students a roadmap to learning….

• Benefits and costs?

Explore: Out of Thin Air

What is going on?• Brainstorm: talk to your neighbor and

diagnose the situation from both the teacher’s and learner’s perspective.

• What is the learning challenge?

• Photosynthesis as Energy

• Biomass from Soil

• Energy as Biomass

• All Green

• Plant Altruism

• Thin Air

• Respiration as ‘breathing’

Misconceptions about Photosynthesis, Respiration, and the Carbon Cycle

How and when do you identify student learning difficulties?

Pre-test (e.g., specific questions - identify misconceptions)

Engagement activity - brain teaser, discussion starter, ‘need to know’ questions

Surveys or polls (clickers?)

Others?

•

Problem in Class

•Experimental setup:•Weighed out 3 batches of radish seeds •each weighing 1.5 g.

•Experimental treatments:•1. Seeds placed on DRY paper towels in LIGHT•2. Seeds placed on WET paper towels in LIGHT•3. Seeds placed on WET paper towels in DARK

Problem (cont)

• After 1 week, all plant material was dried in an oven overnight (no water left) and plant biomass was measured in grams. •Predict the biomass of the plant material in the various treatments.

Light, no water Light, water Dark, water

Results Mass of Radish Seeds/Seedlings

1.46 g 1.63 g 1.20 g

Write an explanation about the results.

Explain the results.Write individually on carbonless

paper.

Assessment on Final Exam

Hypothetical scenario: Grandma Johnson had very sentimental feelings toward Johnson Canyon, Utah, where she and her late husband had honeymooned long ago. Her feelings toward this spot were such that upon her death she requested to be buried under a creosote bush overlooking the canyon. Trace the path of a carbon atom from Grandma Johnson’s remains to where it could become part of a coyote. NOTE: the coyote will not dig up Grandma Johnson and consume any of her remains.

Assessment on FinalDeep within a remote forest of Guatemala, the remains of a spider monkey were buried under an enormous mahogany tree. Although rare, jaguars (big cats - carnivores) were spotted in this forest by local farmers. Explain how a carbon atom in carbohydrates contained within the muscle cells of the spider monkey could become part of a cell within the stomach lining of a jaguar. Note: the jaguar does not dig up the monkey and eat the remains!

Make a clearly labeled box model of the system. Use the template on the Answer Sheet. You will not need all of the boxes. In the model, clearly label the processes (next to arrows), organisms or places, and forms (carbon pools) the carbon atom must go through to cycle within the ecosystem. Use the organisms/places and pools from the lists below.

To do so...

Place or Organism [not listed in a specific order]

Carbon Pools [form]

AtmosphereJaguar (carnivore)Mahogany tree (producer)Bacteria (decomposer)Spider Monkey (herbivore)Tapir (similar to a pig) (herbivore)

CO2 gasCarbohydrate

ProcessPool

Place

Pool

Place

Pool

Place

Process

Reminder: format for a box model:

Circles identify key portions of box model. Orange circles identify difficult portions for students.

•

How People LearnBransford et al 1999,

2004

Explain

Frustrated Student

Reflecting on this case, consider the following:

1. What questions and issues does this case raise?2. As an instructor, what would you do in this situation? 3. What are the learning objectives for each class? 4. What are the students’ expections for course?5. How do the active, in-class problems in groups motivate students to learn, or not?6. Have you faced a similar challenge? If so, what did you learn from it?

Within groups: think-pair-share

Cooperative Learning

Eric Mazur - Harvard (Dept of Physics) - Peer Instruction

Karl Smith - University of Minnesota (Civil Engineering Dept) Cooperative/ Collaborative Learning

Regrouping

What are ways of putting students into cooperative

groups?

Individual accountability and group responsibility with common goal.....

Frustrated Student

Reflecting on this case, consider the following:

1. What questions and issues does this case raise?2. As an instructor, what would you do in this situation? 3. What are the learning objectives for each class? 4. What are the students’ expections for course?5. How do the active, in-class problems in groups motivate students to learn, or not?6. Have you faced a similar challenge? If so, what did you learn from it?

Within groups: think-pair-share

What is assessment? Data collection with the purpose of

answering questions about…students’ understanding

students’ attitudes

students’ skills

instructional design and implementation

curricular reform (at multiple grain sizes)• Informing BOTH instructors and

students about learning.

Learning Outcome

• Statement that indicates level of expectation of performance.

• What evidence will indicate whether students have achieved the learning objective?

• (actions, behaviors that can be assessed)

•

What level of learning do we ask of our students?

Bloom (1956) Cognitive Domain of Educational Objectives

6 categories - KnowledgeComprehensionApplicationAnalysisSynthesisEvaluation

•

Characterize the Level of Expectation

• Return to the ‘better’ bubble learning objective....

• ...assign a Bloom level to each.

Jigsaw

Count off -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

All 1s work on same paper ....2s, 3s, 4s, 5s

Later: Return to new groups and share what you found in each of the papers.

Report out

Paper Assignments

Group 1: Climate change....

Group 2: Novel assessments...

Group 3: Unraveling complexity...

Group 4: Unleashing problem solvers...

Group 5: Active homework...

Jigsaw

•Tomorrow, return to your home group....and discuss. You should be able to answer the following:

•1. What are the student learning goals?

•2. What is the Bloom-level of each goal?

•3. Describe the type of assessment used in the unit.

•4. Do the assessments align with the goals?

•5. What are the active learning strategies?

Reflections on Today

Muddiest Point: 1. What are your questions?2. What still seems “clear as mud?”3. What do you wish we were doing?

Angelo and Cross (1993)

Your Questions

• Visit class in Biological Sciences?

• Group work - high and low students?

• Students’ responses to innovation?

• Cover vs. Uncover - plus time?

• Student evaluations?

• Academic integrity?

Your Wishes

• Location-specific methods for Kuwait U.

• Decreasing teaching loads to improve quality teaching?

• Comprehension and communication

• How to assess student understanding of lecture?

• More physics examples!

Your Muddiest Points

• Nothing is muddy

• Interactive logistics

Engage• Use Bloom’s taxonomy to

categorize the first 5 questions you brought from an assessment from your course.

• Each question = one postit.

• Level 1 - blue• Level 2 - yellow• Level 3 - pink• Level 4 - green• Level 5 - purple

Department of Plant Biology

% T

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Course Level*N items

Jigsaw Homework

•Tomorrow, return to your home group....and discuss. You should be able to answer the following:

•1. What are the student learning goals?

•2. What is the Bloom-level of each goal?

•3. Describe the type of assessment used in the unit.

•4. Do the assessments align with the goals?

•5. What are the active learning strategies?

Groups 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s

•Group roles:

•Time keeper

•Reporter

•Recorder

•Encourager/facilitator

Groups 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s

• Consider one learning challenge of Kuwait University Students and adapt the Pathways to Scientific Teaching ideas to one unit of instruction.

• Summaries the ideas on large flip chart paper.

• Reporter - gives synopsis to large group.

Individual Activity

•Select two types of assessments that you brought from your course.

1.Compare two types of assessments.

2.Chose one assessment and develop a learning objective for it.

How do you go about developing a unit for your course?

How would you start?What would you do?

Instructional Design

Learning ObjectiveIdentify desired results

Learning OutcomeDetermine acceptable evidence

AssessmentsData collected & Feedback given

Instructional Design & ActivitiesPlanned learning experiences and instruction

Backward Design

Adapted from Wiggins and McTighe 1998, 2005

Backward Design

Hierarchy

has

Structure

has

Concept Maps

Visual DiagramsOr Models

are represent

Knowledge or Understanding

Concepts

display

connectedwith

Linking Words

Used for

Assessment Organization

Reflection &Learning

promotes

Context

is constructedwith

NewInformation

PriorKnowledge

1. Select a concept that is critical for your students to understand.

2. Identify 4 or 5 subconcepts that are important to understanding that concept

e.g., DNA - Gene- Chromosome - Protein

For a course you teach .....

3. Add linking lines to make connections between two concepts4. Add linking words that describe the relationship between two concepts

www.ctools.msu.edu

Student’s Concept Map

Rubrics

Learning Objective

Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of evolution and natural selection by developing and testing models and solving problems.

•Changes in a population occur through a gradual change in individual members of a population.

•New traits in species are developed in response to need.

•All members of a population are genetically equivalent, variation and fitness are not considered.

•Traits acquired during an individual’s lifetime will be inherited by offspring.

Misconceptions: Natural Selection

Pre-test: extended response. Explain the changes that occurred in the tree and animal. Use your current understanding of evolution by natural selection.

(AAAS 1999)

How do we develop rubrics?

Describe the objective for the activity, problem, task...Develop criteria and performance standards for the assessmentDifferentiate levels of responses based on clearly described criteriaRate (assign value) the categories

Student Responses

Misconceptions Correct

Change in the individual Change in the population

Need to Change/ Must Change/ Choice

Change due to genes

All members of a population are equally fit

Individuals within a population have varying

fitness levels

Traits acquired during a lifetime are passed on

Genetic traits help the individual to survive and

reproduce

Level of Achievement General Approach ComprehensionExemplary(5 pts)

• Addresses thequestion.• States a relevant,justifiable answer.• Presents arguments ina logical order.• Uses acceptable styleand grammar (noerrors).

• Demonstrates an accurate andcomplete understanding of thequestion.• Backs conclusions with dataand warrants.• Uses 2 or more ideas,examples and/or arguments thatsupport the answer.

Adequate(3 pts)

• Does not address thequestion explicitly,although does sotangentially.• States a relevant andjustifiable answer.• Presents arguments ina logical order.• Uses acceptable styleand grammar (oneerror).

• Demonstrates accurate but onlyadequate understanding ofquestion because does not backconclusions with warrants anddata.• Uses only one idea to supportthe answer.• Less thorough than above.

Needs Improvement(1 pt)

• Does not address thequestion.• States no relevantanswers• indicatesmisconceptions.• Is not clearly orlogically organized.• Fails to use acceptablestyle and grammar (twoor more errors).

• Does not demonstrate accurateunderstanding of the question.• Does not provide evidence tosupport their answer to thequestion.

No Answer (0 pts)

Scoring Rubric for Quizzes and Homework

Ebert-May http://www.flaguide.org/cat/rubrics/rubrics1.php

Advantages of Scoring Rubrics

Improve the reliability of scoring written assignments and oral presentationsConvey goals and performance expectations of students in an unambiguous wayConvey “grading standards” or “point values” and relate them to performance goalsEngage students in critical evaluation of their own performance Save time but spend it well

•http://www.msu.edu/course/isb/202/ebertmay/homepage/homework.html#hw9

Avida-ED

How am I going to grade all this stuff??

Assessment GradientHigh

Ease of

Assessment

Low

Multiple Choice, T/F

Diagrams, Concept maps, Quantitative

response

Short answer

Essay, Research papers/ reports

Oral Interview

Low

Potential for

Assessment of Learning

High

Theoretical Framework• Ausubel 1968; meaningful learning• Novak 1998; visual representations• King and Kitchner 1994; reflective judgment• National Research Council 1999; theoretical frameworks for assessment

• Subsample= You don’t need to grade everything!!

• Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo & Cross 1993); Muddiest Point, Minute papers etc..

• Pyramid Exams- Individual 75% + Group 25%

• Diagnostic Questions & Clickers

• Rubrics

Assessment and Feedback Approaches

Action PlanWhat resources from this workshop will be most helpful to you in teaching?

Reflect on your lectures. What topics are challenging to teach?

List two colleagues who would help you brainstorm active learning techniques to address these challenges.

What type of feedback would you value from a colleague?

Handelsman, Miller & Pfund 2007

Action Plan...continued

Our challenge to you, try one of the strategies that you and your colleague identify, next time you teach.

Open Mic

•“...we note that successful people are the ones who take advantage of those around them to ultimately benefit students.”

•Ebert-May D, Weber R, Hodder J, Batzli J (2006)

Finally...

Team at MSU•Rett Weber - Plant Biology (postdoctoral researcher)•Deb Linton - Plant Biology (C. Michigan University)•Duncan Sibley - Geology•Doug Luckie - Physiology•Scott Harrison - Microbiology (graduate student)•Tammy Long - Plant Biology•Heejun Lim - Chemistry Education •Rob Pennock - Philosophy•Charles Ofria - Engineering•Rich Lenski - Microbiolgy•Janet Batzli - Plant Biology [U of Wisconsin]

•