Postmodern Pedagogy Changing Learning Paradigms Dr. Mark Taylor
Postmodern Pedagogy Changing Learning Paradigms Dr. Mark Taylor.
Dec 25, 2015
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Postmodern Pedagogy
Changing Learning Paradigms
Dr. Mark Taylor
Imbedded AssessmentNon graded activities that evaluate
learning progress
Audience response systems
“Clickers”
“The finger”
Must be private
Negotiation
Our postmodern, consumer students want and expect to be able to negotiate
AnticipateStructureOffer appropriate opportunitiesClear rubricsFlexible outcome dates/ mastery?
State of College Teaching
Loosely organized, unfocused curriculum with undefined outcomes
Classes emphasize passive listeningLectures transmit low-level informationAssessments demand only recall of
memorized material or low-level comprehension.
(Gardiner 1998)
An emphasis on passive, content learning reduces students’ abilities to think critically.
College “Learning”
Locking students into surface learning performance goals
Input and output are knowledge based “Learn content/process based on test” “Memorization and point acquisition” Information’s utility is grade based Take it in and spit it back out Don’t recall because they never understood Gets worse over time.
John Tagg “Why Learn?”
Most college courses represent a systematic failure to create a learning environment that promotes meaningful, lasting student development.
John Tagg 2004
Despite the fact that faculty and staff overwhelming care about students and desire them to do well.
Mark Taylor 2006
Teaching to and across styles has significant impacts on knowledge acquisition
Pascarella and Terenzini, p. 623
2005
Instruction How do people teach and why? Like they were taught? Based on data on best practices?
“70% admit to lecture as primary instructional method”
“83% of students report that courses rely on lecture”
Lectures that transmit facts.
A pedagogy of
Engagement
Activity
Options
1. Information
2. Application
3. Meaning.
ShiftsOld – TeachingInstructor behavior
New – LearningStudents heads
Knowledge is transferred One direction- received “Spray and stick”
Learning is constructed Information everywhere Focus on student activity
The strong survive Competitive
Success for all Cooperative
Modern“Truth/ meaning”
Postmodern“Created reality”
Teaching constantLearning variable
Learning constant Teaching variable
Learning what? Changing how?
Knowledge/ Information-transmitted/ found -“knowing” cognitive
Application/ Skills/ Utility-Must relate to students’ experience in world -Must be practiced, rehearsed, anticipated-“Doing” behavior/ social
Value/ Meaning/ Caring-“Why care?” “What is the value of the application?”-Required to maintain content, apply or use skill-Can only be personally created -“Being” affective
Learning what? Changing how?
Knowledge/ Information-What is critical for them to know?-How can we make it available?-How can we get them to bring it to class?
Application/ Skills/ Utility-What is the use to them?-Past, present, future-Meaningful applications relate to and can be used for goal setting
Value/ Meaning/ Caring-Value/ benefit of use-Opportunities to articulate value to others.
Class time Too much time in most classes is spent on
the transmission of information Most class information can be accessed from
other sources at other times If they have real need for information in class,
they will bring it Spend class time working on application and
meaning.
If students have a real need for information in class they will bring it.
How can we get them to bring it?
Increasing content learning options Listen to lecture podcast/ watch lecture AV Read text silently/ aloud to others Listen to tape of text On-line tutorials/ lessons on disc Access web resources Study group/ tutor group Chat/ on line message board Dyads, triads, in-class activities Project group Question instructor in class, office or on-line Chanting concepts in drumming circle.
Application/ Skills/ Utility “What can I do with this information?”
“What are my possible uses of this information?
“How can this information be applied to my world?”
Information without a use is….
useless and will be discarded
What skills will this help me with or what skills do I
need to do this?
Must be non-circular
Critical thinking/ abstract problem solving in
ambiguous situations with limited information.
Application learning options Modeling/ illustrations
Activity, Practice, Ownership
“What is your previous experience with this information?”
“What have others done with it?”
“What could you do with it?
Reading for meaning/ sharing
Writing reflections (in class/ out of class)
Peer teaching
Managed small group problem solving
Case studies
Simulations/ experiments
“central theme, same or different, brainstorming, examples in world”
Jig-saw, expert groups.
Class goals
What are your goals for students?What are students’ goals?Ask them the first day for goals?List/ articulate/ offer/ sell class goals
“Which most important to you?”
“How does this change over semester?”
Value/ Meaning/ Caring Human dimension/ valuing
Ethical standards Affective social implications Helping students care and invest Builds from personalization of application
“What can this do for me?”
“Which of my goals will this help me reach?”
“What do I want to get out of this class?”
“What are the ethical standards of my profession?”
What should they be?”
Your passion is necessary but not sufficient
Value learning options
“Why is this important to me?”
Meaning is personally constructed
Have students articulate their construction
to others
Explain, debate, convince
Knowledge Skills Values
“Stuff you know” “What you can do with it?”
“Does it matter?’
Facts, data, concepts, theories, formulas
Applications, utility
Meaning, Beliefs
usefulness
Cognitive Social, behavioral (or cognitive)
Affective
Transmitted,
Found
Discovered, practiced
Personally created
Values/ ethics
Knowledge
Values Skills
Ideas intoPractice
Practice into ethical behavior
Ability to evaluateinformation
Lasting change requires knowledge, skills and values
Acting in uncertain conditions requires knowledge, skills and values
Elements of FormationKnowledge Skills Values
Habits of the head Habits of the hands Habits of the heart
Being told/ discovering Doing Interaction/ modeling
Data/ theory Specific skills Ethics/Purpose
------- Professional Judgment in Conditions of Uncertainty -------
Ideas into practice Practice into “moral” behavior
Learning requires engagement
Learning begins with engagement and ends when engagement is broken
Articulate expectation of
Attention/ engagement
Participation/ Activity
Preparation/ Accountability What do these look like? Live, on-line, asynchronous?
Academic Challenge“When faculty members expect
students to perform at high levels and support their efforts to meet their high standards, students generally strive to rise to the occasion” (p. 178).
Kuh, George D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.H., & Associates. (2005) Student Success in College, Creating Conditions That Matter.
Behavioral Expectations
Normative behaviors “context” Attendance Preparation Attention Civility Accountability Transparency Risk taking Interdependence.
Teacher’s role Identifies external/ criterion goals
Helps students own /personalize
goals
Offers many learning options
Facilitates variety of learning methods
Acts as resource
Assesses against external criteria.
Tinto, Vincent. (1993) Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition.
“Even among those who persist, wide-ranging contact with faculty, especially outside the class, is associated with heightened intellectual and social development” (pp. 68-69).
Large classesConsider an audience response systemAttendanceBringing content to classEngagementAssess on-going understandingFacilitate activity/ peer sharingAssessments/ evaluations
Increasing student input into class activities and outcomes increases student responsibility and ownership.
“the most effective
teaching and learning
require opportunities
for active student
involvement and
participation”
Pascarella and Terenzini,
2005, page 646
Increasing activity in learning
Brain science Improves learning outcomes Increases higher level learning Increases student ownership of material Improves retention/ satisfactionOffers citizenship/ character
development opportunitiesGet them to say it to get them to own it.
Increasing activity in learningDeveloping skills and finding meaning
Routine context/ novel content Reading for meaning/ sharing Writing reflections (in/ out) Peer teaching Managed small group problem solving Case studies Simulations/ experiments “central theme, same or different, brainstorming,
examples in world Jig-saw, expert groups.
Increasing activity in learningRoutine context/ novel content Read- content for meaning Think/ write- “theme, application, example, etc.” Pair- with partner Share- “same or different” Square- two pairs, “same or different” Group- model understanding, consensus building
The brain connection
Students develop neural pathways by repeated practice
It is not what the instructor does, it is is what happens inside the student’s head that matters
Requires activity.
The meaning connection
1. Start with what student knows
Their experience in the world
What matters to them/ an important question
Goals- learning, career, personal, etc
2. Teach- find information/ utility to them
3. Help student see how their world can be different as a result of the utility of information
Activity in learning increases opportunities for developing academic and social integration.
Increasing activity/ disclosure in learning increases opportunities for observing and developing citizenship and character.
Activity and citizenshipHow does “lecture” improve
citizenship?
Activity requiresAccountability
Class, instructor and selfTransparency/ exposure
Values are made apparent
Process/ contentActing according to expectations.
Tinto, Vincent. (1993) Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition.
“Even among those who persist, wide-ranging contact with faculty, especially outside the class, is associated with heightened intellectual and social development” (pp. 68-69).
Self and peer reviewThe grading event should not be the
first time work is evaluated!They come to understand the rubrics
by using themNo surprisesMastery important?Then they are not done until they have
mastery.
Grading/ testing “You pay the bill you are sent” You must “teach the test” Must relate to known rubrics Self, peer evaluations Testing is part of learning, not the end Mastery
“Early non-fatal reality testing” Short, power writing…
“Higher” education
“Thinking” is an acquired taste
Content through application
Get active
Connect
Mastery/ student change
Why does it matter?
Questions/ Comments?Resources?
Dr. Mark Taylor
www.taylorprograms.org
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