Scale up

SCALE-UP Student-Centered Active

LearningEnvironment for

Undergraduate Programs

PKAL WorkshopMountain View College

Christine Salmon, PhDThe University of Texas at Dallas

What is SCALE-UP?

Student-centered

Active Learning

Environment

•Focus shifts from instructor to students•Students work collaboratively with each other•Students see selves as sources of knowledge•Active problem solvers, contributors •Curriculum focuses on problem-solving•Problems are contextual

•No separate lecture/lab•Studio classrooms•Collaborative space•Public presentations

Components

Instructional modules/curriculum

Teams - collaboration

Classroom design

Instruction – Typical Class

Advance organizer

Individual / group quiz

Tangible / Ponderable

Lecture

Homework

•Schedule of class session•Reading assignment

•Over reading / previous material•Online or paper or IF-AT forms

•10-15 minute activities•Share results•Why is important

•Restricted•Gives the “big picture”

•Individual / group•Accountability

Instructional Modules

Tangibles

Ponderables

Labs

Projects, etc

•Hands-on activities – short experiments•Generally requires observation and data collection•Use predict-observe-explain method

•Minds-on activities•Interesting questions to consider

•Longer, more open-ended experiments•Problem-solving

•Collaborative projects•Essays or investigations of topics, questions that arise

Context Rich Problems

Challenging

Structured

Relevant

Thinking

•Challenging enough that a single student cannot do it alone•Requires collaboration

•Structured so that groups can make decisions about how to proceed•More than one way to do it

•Relate to real life•Engages students

•Cannot be solved with a “trick” or simple formula•Require critical thinking skills

Context Rich Problems

Short story in which students are characters

Plausible motivation for “you” to calculate, solve a problem

Often no visuals are provided

Think like a physicist, chemist, statistician, historian, etc.

Examples: http://groups.physics.umn.edu/physed/Research/CRP/crexample.html

Context Rich Problems

Example:

You and a friend are doing the laundry when you unload the dryer and the discussion comes around to static electricity. Your friend wants to get some idea of the amount of charge that causes static cling….

Context Rich Problems

Example:

You've been hired as a technical consultant to the Minneapolis police department to design a radar detector-proof device that measures the speed of vehicles. (i.e. one that does not rely on sending out a radar signal that the car can detect.)…..

Context Rich Problems

Example:

As an economic consultant, you have been asked by your local mayor and the City Council to provide your perspective on the impact of the new Wal-Mart SuperCenter slated to open in your town next year …..

Context Rich Problems

Example:

You've been hired as a technical consultant to the Minneapolis police department to design a radar detector-proof device that measures the speed of vehicles. (i.e. one that does not rely on sending out a radar signal that the car can detect.)…..

Team Management

Team Formation

3-4 members

Top, middle and bottom thirds

Star at each table

Shuffle membership 3-4 times/semester

Team Management

Team Roles (rotating) – ponderables

Manager

Recorder

Skeptic

Summarizer

•Directs sequence of events in problem•Manages time•Ensures everyone participates

•Writes steps on board•Checks for understanding•Makes sure everyone agrees

•Makes sure all possible strategies are explored•Suggests alternative strategies or solutions•Provides reasoning, explanation of steps •Summarizes solution, team’s discussion•Maintains team energy throughout the solving

Team Management

Team Roles (rotating) – tangibles

Manager

Recorder

Skeptic

Summarizer

•Outlines experiment procedure•Manages times•Keeps team on task

•Monitors and records experiment data•Verifies all members understand experiment results•Submits lab reports•Ensures data interpretation is correct•Suggests alternate methods or interpretations•Ensures all facets of questions, results are explored•Summarizes experiment’s plan and results•Maintains team energy throughout the solving

Team Management

Team Contracts

Incentive for participation

Can fire members

Exam incentive

If each team member makes above 80% on exam, they each receive an extra 5 points.

Classroom Design

“Restaurant style” – collaboration

Technology-rich

Display space

See http://scaleup.ncsu.edu/FAQs.html

Resources

SCALE-UP website - (for access to detailed materials, email Bob Beichner [email protected]) - http://scaleup.ncsu.edu/

SCALE-UP at PKAL websitehttp://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/scaleup/index.html

IF-AT forms - http://www.epsteineducation.com/home/about/default.aspx

Resources

Context Rich Problems http://kipper.crk.umn.edu/~demuth/pp/context_rich.html

Context Rich Problems http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/context_rich/index.html

Thank you

Contact me at [email protected]

PowerPoint available at http://www.slideshare.net/csalmon/