Innovative approaches to teaching in a large lecture classroom Rachel Teasdale, California State University, Chico 120-150 non-science majors GE Intro.

Innovative approaches to teaching in a large lecture classroomRachel Teasdale, California State University, Chico

120-150 non-science majors GE Intro to Physical Geology “lecture” section (with labs taught by TA)Large(ish) lecture hall

VEPP:Tuesday 8:30 - 9:00 AM

http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2009/07/large_lecture-hall.jpg

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Can we do interactive activities with a big group? How?Turn them into a bunch of small groups

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Front Bench

Questions to/from me questions for pods to address & report back

Pod Activities – My Teaching Goals• Goal: One interactive activity each class periodReality: Pretty much, but not all are clever:

Daily: Questions embedded in lecture for students to answer individually and with pod members = ConcepTest

Example:

Where is the best place to build your dream home? a) b)

WHY???

Give the name of the river structures at locations a, b, c

a

b

c

Pod Activities – My Teaching Goals• Goal: One interactive activity each class period

“Think – Pair – Share” format

Response Systems (clickers)• some people love them• not me.

- Expensive and no uniformity at Chico State - Time consuming logistically (daily)- Lost/forgotten clickers, etc. etc. etc.

Pod Activities- My Teaching Goals• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Response/feedback from students each class

Pod Activities- My Teaching Goals• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Response/feedback from students each class

My Response System- Foot stomping for multiple choice

• audible for formative evaluation• nearly anonymous response • kinetic activity• students record responses (MC) on ¼ page scrap paper provided

• participation recorded = participation grade• responses sometimes graded = participation grade

Response Systems (clickers)• some people love them• not me.

- Expensive and no uniformity at Chico State - Time consuming logistically (daily)- Lost/forgotten clickers

Reality: Map of 1) Northern California

Pod Activities- My Teaching Goals• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Response/feedback from students each class• Goal: Incorporate local geology (place based learning)

Day 1:Locate Chico, hometown,Important geologic features

Add on (?) Writing assignment about Geologic feature near hometown

For large classes:-staggered due dates-rubric for grading

Reality: Map of 1) Northern California & 2) Western North America

Pod Activities- My Teaching Goals• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Written response/feedback from students each class• Goal: Incorporate local geology (place based learning)

Coast LinesAccretionary TerrainsStructural Geology (Basin & Range, SAF)

(After answering MC question):

IN YOUR PODS, Find location of Sacramento River on map of Northern California. Where are headwaters, where does it drain to?


Reality: Map of 1) Northern California

How does Sacramento River play into politics of northern California?

ab

c

e.g. Following lecture of global air circulation & currents, show maps of continents for students to predict long term weather trends & make connections to ecoregions


After answering MC question,

What circulation systems affect Northern California? How?


Reality: Map of 1) Northern California and 2) Western North America

Pod Activities• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Written response/feedback from students each class• Goal: Incorporate local geology (place based learning)• Goal: Use of data and scientific collaboration and• Goal: Convey how science works

Example: Tectonics Jigsaw Activity- Dale Sawyer(on SERC)

My take on the activity: Each pod assumes the role of a specialist - seismic data - volcanology- topography/bathymetry - geochronologyDiscuss trends of data

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Pod Activities• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Written response/feedback from students each class• Goal: Incorporate local geology (place based learning)• Goal: Use of data and scientific collaboration and• Goal: Convey how science worksExample: Tectonics Jigsaw Activity- Dale Sawyer(on SERC)

Class reconfigures to one specialist per group, discusses data trends, how it can be explained (e.g., via plate tectonics)

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My take on the activity: Each pod assumes the role of a specialist - seismic data - volcanology- topography/bathymetry - geochronologyDiscuss trends of data


With pods, each pod assumes the role of a specialist in: - tilt - GPS data - seismic data - gravity -

WebcamPods discuss their dataReconfigures to one specialist per group

discuss data trends, what it collectively means, form interpretation2007 Father’s Day event data interpretations can be compared with reality

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Example: Monday Morning Meeting Activity by Mike Poland, USGS

Other ideas: Mauna Loa CO2 measurements from

2003-2009, plot date vs. CO2 for segments of data on pre-printed overheads that collectively stack to make full data set

Pod Activities• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Written response/feedback from students each class• Goal: Incorporate local geology (place based learning)• Goal: Use of data and scientific collaboration and• Goal: Convey how science works• Goal: Use of quantitative data

Example: Climate change indicatorsEach pod assumes the role of a specialist in: - ice core data - coastline indicators - CO2 concentrations - tree ring data - glacier lengths

Think Pair Share


Example: Climate change indicatorsEach pod assumes the role of a specialist in: - ice core data - coastline indicators - CO2 concentrations - tree ring data - glacier lengths

Los Angeles 482 ft

San Francisco 60 ft

Sacramento 52 ft

Chico 256 ft

Seattle 0 – 100 ft

Death Valley (Bad Water)

-279 ft

After calculating that with100% glacial melt = 79.78 m (= 261.7 ft) SL rise10% glacial melt = 7.9 m (= 25.9 ft)

Pod Activities• Goal: One interactive activity each class period• Goal: Written response/feedback from students each class• Goal: Incorporate local geology (place based learning)• Goal: Use of data and scientific collaboration and• Goal: Convey how science works• Goal: Use of quantitative data

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Modified Gallery Walk:

Activity: e.g. ID cleavage on minerals:Calcite, Halite, Quartz, Pyroxene, Amphibole

Gallery Walk for small groups:

Students look at minerals, provide answers, put answers in envelope, pass envelope to next group, last group compiles all answers

Other Activities I don’t personally use

Geologic Timescale (or other linear feature- earth’s layers, solar system distances etc) around the classroom, students identify locations of significant events/locations

Isotope Decay & Half-Lives- each student flips a coin, head’s sit down (daughters) each time to see parent decay

Formal Assessment- exams and in class/hw assignments

Exams: Same format as class activities multiple choice questions + short answer questionsboth practiced during class, individually & with pod

1st day of exam is MC + short answerworth ¾ or 2/3 of exam scoretaken as individuals

2nd day of exam is option, in pods MC onlyworth ¼ or 1/3 of exam score

Results 2nd day of exam scores = avg score increases by ~7 points

Max scores go up 1-2 points, or go down as much as 4 points!

Formal Assessment- exams and in class/hw assignments

Exams: Same format as class activities

Other Exam Formats- 2nd day entire exam in pods (MC + short answer)essaystake homescratch off

Other Assessment Techniques:• Pod presentations: pod members turn in outline with individual

responsibilities for grading

• Term notebook evaluation with all activities & reflections from

whole semester or specified time period

• Written assignments (staggered due dates?)

• Exam reviews they prepare (with exam questions that may

appear on exam)

Assessment Tools (from: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/assess/types.html )

Concept Maps - http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/assessment/conceptmaps.htmlA diagramming technique visual representations of linkages/connections between a major concept and other knowledge students have learned

http://serc.carleton.edu/images/NAGTWorkshops/assess/earth_as_a_syst.jpg

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/assess/types.html

Concept Map: Earth as a System

http://serc.carleton.edu/images/NAGTWorkshops/assess/earth_as_a_syst.jpg

Assessment Tools (from: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/assess/types.html )

Concept Maps - http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/assessment/conceptmaps.html

A diagramming technique visual representations of linkages/connections between a major concept and other knowledge students have learned

Example:• Concept Map of characterizing activity of volcanoes- group work-

pods generate a concept map as a preliminary activity• Individuals use concept map as exam review, collected day of exam.

Volcanoes

typesTectonic

environments

Social impactsMonitoring

Gas

GPS

Gravity

Deformation

Other ideas from you!

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Innovative approaches to teaching in a large lecture classroom Rachel Teasdale, California State University, Chico 120-150 non-science majors GE Intro.

Documents

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class period goal

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interactive activities

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ecoregions pod activities