Learner Centered Astronomy College Teaching Excellence Workshop 9:00am – 5:00pm.

Learner Centered Astronomy College Teaching Excellence Workshop

9:00am – 5:00pm

Learner Centered Astronomy A Teaching Excellence Workshop

Ed Prather and Gina Brissenden University of Arizona

Center for Astronomy Education

Sponsored by the NASA Navigator Public Engagement Programs and Spitzer EPO

http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov

Special Thanks To:

NASA JPL Navigator and Spitzer

NSF DUE CCLIII #0715517

NSF Geosciences Education #9907755

NSF DUE CCLI #9952232

NSF Chautauqua

Pearson Publishing, Brooks Cole Publishing

NOTE:

• You are free to take a bathroom/walk-around break any time you wish

• Please do not check email or surf the web during sessions (tempting as it is)

• If you can, please disconnect from the outside world (turn off cell phones)

Introductions

Take 10 seconds to tell us a little about yourself

As Yet Unanswered Burning Questions

Expectations

• This is an important time to share and to learn: – Engage yourself in as many discussions as possible

(among the participants and presenters, there is enormous expertise and experience around the room)

– Critically examine your own beliefs about teaching and learning and respectfully question others’ rationale

• If you didn’t learn anything new in a particular session, you may need to engage more actively!

• Defend the educational research that suggests the majority of introductory science courses are ineffective at developing rich conceptual understanding

• Explain why students today are not as motivated or as prepared as they were when we were in school

• Tell you how to improve your teaching evaluations from students

• Debate about your class content choices, your textbook choices, labs, etc…….

What we will NOT be able to cover

Eventually, Billy came to dread his father’s lectures over all other forms of punishment.

You need YOU to be a part of all this!!!!

• Attendance is strongly encouraged

• Audience participation

• Demos are sometimes life-threatening

Let’s watch an example video from our ASTRO-101 class• As you watch:

– Think about when the instructor is in the role of lecturer and when they are in the role of facilitator. – Think about when the students are in a passive mode and when they are actively involved in their learning.– Pay attention to how the class is directed to participate in different ways (vote, answer questions, make

predictions….)– As the class engages in group work notice the behavior of the students and the behavior of the instructors.

Astro 101: “Setting the Academic Bar”

Do your best to work through these questions which are used in our Learner-Centered Astro 101 course.

Do your students ever achieve this level of understanding?

WHY?

Some Quotes to Frame Our Teaching and Their

Learning

The best learners … often make the worst teachers. They are, in a very real sense, perceptually

challenged. They cannot imagine what it must be like to

struggle to learn something that comes so naturally to them.

Stephen Brookfield

Lecture has often been described as the process of taking the information contained in the teachers notes and transferring them into the students

notes without the information passing through the brains of either

Memorization is what we resort to when what we are learning makes no sense.

Anonymous

What we need to learn before doing, we learn by doing

Aristotle

Most ideas about teaching are not new, but not everyone

knows the old ideasEuclid

It's not what the teacher does that matters; rather, it is what

the students do

What you are doing is relentlessly searching for the

teachable moment

The fatal pedagogical error is to give answers to students

who do not yet have questions

Are you really teaching if no one is learning?

Our planet is not the center of our solar system.

Our solar system is not the center of our galaxy.

Our galaxy is not the center of the universe.

And we are not the center of learning in our class.

Help People.

If you can’t help them,at least try not to hurt them.

The Dalai Lama

If you want others to be happy,practice compassion.

If you want to be happy,practice compassion.

The Dalai Lama

Critical Questions • What are YOUR beliefs about teaching and learning and how do

they guide your instruction?

• How do YOU want your students to be different as a result of the experiences you design?

• What do YOU know about the research on how STUDENTS learn?

• What strategies and resources are available that are proven to actively engage students and improve their understanding?

• What evidence would YOU accept that your students have made significant gains in conceptual understanding, as well as attitudinal and skill domains?

• American Astronomical Society Chair’s Goals

• Society of College Science Teachers Goals for intro-science courses

Most Important Goals In Astronomy 101

1. Students Understand the Big Ideas: Size and Scale, Nature of Light, Spectroscopy, Cosmology

2. Students Understand How Science is Done: Nature of Science, Scientific Method, Weaknesses of Pseudoscience, Careers

3. Students Develop Positive Attitudes and Life-Long Learning Interests in Astronomy: Read Newspaper Articles, Watch TV Shows, Visit their Local Planetarium, Desire to Look Through Telescopes


Slater, Adams, Brissenden, and Duncan, What We Teach in ASTRO 101, The Physics Teacher, January 2001.

1. Nature of Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

2. Techniques in Astronomy

3. Cosmology and the Big Bang

4. Tools and Telescopes

5. The Solar System

6. Our Sun

7. Motions in the Solar System

What Syllabi Analysis Shows Are Mostly Taught inASTRO 101

Slater, Adams, Brissenden, and Duncan, What We Teach in ASTRO 101, The Physics Teacher, January 2001.

8. Moon Phases

9. Stellar Evolution

10. Characteristics of the Milky Way

11. Naked Eye Astronomy

12. Stellar Magnitudes

13. Stellar Spectral Classification

BOTTOM LINE:

Clearly defining your goals, course objectives and learning outcomes is an

essential element for developing an effective ASTRO 101 course – So let your

students in on your secret!!


Do you really want to know what your students think?

What Students Are Expecting from Astronomy 101?

Possible Survey Questions

What made you decide to take this course?

What do you expect to learn in this course?

What made you decide to take this course? in order of frequency

• interested in astronomy• fun sounding course• recommendation by peer, advisor or orientation

leader• required general education fulfillment• required for major or minor• was available in the schedule• inflate grade point average

What do you expect to learn in this course?

starsconstellationsplanetsgalaxiesblack holessolar systemcometsasteroids

MoonSunweatheratmosphereUFOs and the unexplained

So why doesn’t lecture work?

OR

Are you really teaching if no one is learning?

The Montillation of Traxoline

It is very important that you learn about traxoline. Traxoline is a new form of zionter. It is montilled in Ceristanna. The Ceristannians gristerlate large amounts of fevon and then brachter it to quasel traxoline. Traxoline may well be one of our most lukized snezlaus in the future because of our zionter lescelidge.

(attributed to the insight of Judy Lanier)

The Montillation of Traxoline It is very important that you learn about traxoline. Traxoline is a new form of zionter. It is montilled in Ceristanna. The Ceristannians gristerlate large amounts of fevon and then brachter it to quasel traxoline. Traxoline may well be one of our most lukized snezlaus in the future because of our zionter lescelidge.

Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure to use your best handwriting.

1. What is traxoline? 2. Where is traxoline montilled? 3. How is traxoline quaselled? 4. Why is it important to know about traxoline?

from How People Learn

“Students enter your lecture hall 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 the classroom”

HOW PEOPLE LEARN, National Research Council, National Academy Press, 2000.

A Commonly Held Inaccurate Model of a Student’s Conceptual Framework

A Commonly Held Inaccurate Model of Teaching and Learning

Student (mis)-Understandingsthe beliefs and reasoning difficulties students bring to

the classroom

• Alternative Conceptions

– Robust, locally consistent, naturally acquired, historically rooted, common default position

• Reasoning Difficulties

– Misapplied details of underdeveloped conceptual models; confusion between model results and the model itself

• Stuff they can’t name (or simply name incorrectly)

What do students struggle with?

The Big Three1. Seasons2. Moon Phases3. Gravity

Modern Topics Too• Stellar Formation• Cosmology• Astrobiology

A Review of Astronomy Education Research, Astronomy Education Review, 2(2), 2003. J.M. Bailey and T.F. Slater

Two Models Of Students’ Understanding

Misconception Model Primitives Model

• When children touch something on the stove, they learn that temperature increases with decreasing distance

• When children hear a car’s horn, they learn that sound intensity increases with decreasing distance

• When children see a bright flashlight, they learn that brightness increases with decreasing distance

CLOSE MEANS MORE

FACETSOf

Knowledge(similar to Minstrell, 1989)

Phenomenological Primitives or p-prims

(similar to di Sessa, 1993)

Fundamental reasoning elements

How Do “p-prims” Influence the Teaching and Learning of Astronomy?

CLOSE MEANS MORE It’s hotter in the summer because we are closer to the Sun

INTERFERENCE I can’t see all of the Moon because the Earth is in the way

OHM’S P-PRIM All bright stars must be very hot

Current State of Affairs• Students and teachers have strongly held

‘misconceptions’ (Comins, 2001; Hufnagle, et. al, 1999; Sadler, 1998, 1992, 1989; Bailey & Slater, 2004)

• Students find introductory science courses to be boring, irrelevant, and incongruous with the stated goals of scientists (Redish, 1996; Tobias, 1986)

• ‘Active Engagement’ approaches produce significant and long-lasting learning gains compared to even the most entertaining of lectures (Hake, 1996; Francis, Adams, and Noonan, 1998)

• Learning is productive / constructive - learning requires mental effort.

• Knowledge is associative / linked to prior mental models and cognitive structures.

• The cognitive response is context dependent – what and how you learn depends on the educational setting.

• Most people require some social interactions in order to learn deeply and effectively.

Key results from research into education and cognition

• The introductory course for non-science majors could be significantly improved

• Although the lecture approach is largely insufficient, there are instructional strategies available to accompany lecture that intellectually engage students

• Large enrollment courses can use learner-centered instructional strategies

• Awareness of and exposure to active learning techniques will motivate faculty to try them

Our Assumptions

Active Learning

• Active learning is when students take active responsibility for participating in and monitoring of their own learning by engaging in critical reasoning about the ideas presented in the class.

Ways to Screw Up Your Lecture

1. Insufficient "Wait-Time" 2. The Rapid-Reward 3. The Programmed Answer 4. Non-Specific Feedback Questions5. Teacher's Ego-Stroking & Classroom

Climate 6. Fixation at a Low-Level of Questioning

What Can I do Besides Lecture to Engage Students in their Learning?

• Ask students questions (not all questions are equal). Use demonstrations (interactive lecture demos)

• Surprise quizzes (graded/ungraded)

• In-class writing (with/without discussion)- muddiest point- summary of today's main points- 5-minute free writing

• Think-Pair-Share (Peer Instruction-ConcepTests)

• Small Group Interactions (closed/open; in/out of class)

• Student Debates (individual/group)

• Whole Class Discussions

• Jigsawing









• Jigsawing

Check out this amazing Demo using an amazing animation……









• Jigsawing









• Jigsawing

Some Examples of Writing Prompts

• Illustrate the meaning of "standard candle" using one example taken from everyday life and one example from astronomy.

• What about the enterprise of science makes it different than business?

• If we establish communication with an intelligent, extraterrestrial civilization, who should speak for Earth and what should he/she/they say?

• What were the most important ideas we learned about today?

• What do you need to do to get high grades in this course and what will you do differently before the next exam?









• Jigsawing

Are your questions intellectually challenging or just facts?

declarative knowledge

comprehension

application

analysis

synthesis

evaluation

An Assessment Primer for Introductory Astronomy. Astronomy Education Review, 1(1), 1-24, 2002. G. Brissenden, T.F. Slater, and R. Matheiu.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Are these suitable questions to promote student engagement?

1. What is the largest planet in the solar system?2. How long will the Sun live?3. Which would appear brighter a star with an

apparent magnitude of 0.03 or a star with an apparent magnitude of 0.3?

4. Which will appear blue a B spectral class main sequence star or an M spectral class main sequence star?

Are these suitable questions to promote student engagement?

1. Does a planet’s radius depend on how far it is from the Sun? Give an example to support your answer.

2. How long do stars live?3. Which factors influence a star’s apparent

brightness?4. Which will appear blue a B spectral class main

sequence star or a M spectral class main sequence star?

Thought provoking yes, but in their current state, would they work for Think-Pair-Share teaching?

1. Does a planet’s radius depend on how far it is from the Sun? Give an example to support your answer.

2. How long do stars live?3. Which factors influence a star’s apparent

brightness?4. Which will appear blue a B spectral class main

sequence star or a M spectral class main sequence star?

Class Response System – Low Tech

Class Response System – Low Tech

A

C

B

D

Personal Responder Devices• What are responders?

– IR or Radio wireless voting device

– Sometimes referred to as Classroom Communication Systems (CCS), “clickers”, etc.

Based on the locations of the constellations described below, what would be the sign of a person born on this day? - Taurus is high in the southern sky at sunset - Aquarius is on the eastern horizon at sunrise. - Scorpius is on the western horizon at noon. - Leo is high in the southern sky at midnight.

A) TaurusB) AquariusC) ScorpiusD) Leo

Think - Pair - Share?

Temperature (K)

Luminosity (solar units)

20,000 10,000 5,000

A

D10,000

100

10

1

.1

.01

.001

.0001

1,000

C B

E

Which of the following is the correct ranking for the size of the objects A-E, from largest to smallest.

A) E=A>C=B>D

B) D=B>C>A=E

C) D>B=C>A>E

D) E>A>C=B>D

E) None of the above

Think - Pair - Share?

Given the location marked on the star's radial velocity curve, at what location in the planet's orbit would you expect the planet to be?

2

1

3

4

+20

-20

Earth

Rad

ial V

eloc

ity

Orbit of planet

Orbit of star

Given that a seed grows into a massive tree, where does most of the mass of the tree come from?

1. From water

2. From dirt and soil

3. From the air

4. Its already in the seed.

Create a suitable questions to use for think-pair-share?

• Work with a small group• Make sure your question is multiple choice• Select a member of your group who will model

“think – pair – share” using your question

On the topic of:Gina will give your topic to you on a

slip of paper...






• Small Group Interactions



• Jigsawing


Learner Centered Astronomy A Teaching Excellence Workshop

Gina Brissenden and Ed Prather (in spirit) University of Arizona

Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research (CAPER) Team

Sponsored by the NASA Navigator Public Engagement Program

http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov

Critical Questions • What are your beliefs about teaching and learning that guide

your instruction?

• How do YOU want your students to be different as a result of the experiences you design?

• What do we know about how STUDENTS learn?

• What are some strategies and resources to actively engage students in learning?

• What evidence would you accept that students made significant gains in conceptual, attitudinal, and skill domains?


• The introductory course for non- science majors could be significantly improved

• The lecture approach is insufficient and there are strategies available to accompany lecture

• Large enrollment courses can use learner-centered instructional strategies

• Awareness of and exposure to active learning techniques will motivate faculty to try them

Our Assumptions

Active Learning

• Active learning is when students take active responsibility for participating in and monitoring of their own learning by engaging in critical reasoning about the ideas presented in the class.









• Jigsawing






• Small Group Interactions



• Jigsawing

Learner Centered Astronomy College Teaching Excellence Workshop 9:00am – 5:00pm.

Documents

spitzer nsf

teaching evaluations

learnercentered astro

nasa jpl navigator

astronomy educationsponsored

nsf geosciences education

class content choices

spitzer epohttp