My Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This week in CEP811, we explored the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and how it differs from “Scholarly Teaching”. In this exploration our task was to research and select Five Scholarly Resources that relate directly to YOUR teaching practices and interests. We were asked to visit the MSU library if possible and speak with a librarian. I happen to live close enough to campus and I was able to visit the library in person.

While I have some experience researching at the Michigan State University (MSU) library due to my background as a history major undergraduate degree at MSU, it was still valuable advice and direction to the correct ways to search. The librarian walked me through the ways to find and search for articles on her computer and later I was able to easily find many resources that related to my interests. I was shown the Educational Resources index where I could follow links to the ERIC database and more. I was also able to use the EBSCO HOST system that proved to be a very easy resource to navigate. In the future, I will continue to use these E-Resources at MSU libraries for personal and academic research.

Here is a look at my Five Resources I have selected that contribute to my Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

“An Interpretive Argument for Blended Course Design”

• This resource is perfect for developing a blended course. It lays out many objectives and tools that are necessary for success in achieving objectives in a non-traditional model of education. This resource lays out arguments in favor of a blended learning approach. A blended learning classroom provides much more flexibility than a traditional class environment. It offers many new ways to collaborate and work together with the content. The development of a blended course must have many formative checks throughout the learning process. This is important in a face-to-face model as well, but seems especially necessary in the blended setting due to students’ freedom in access and engagement in the content. Understanding how students will engage and demonstrate knowledge is essential in developing a blended class. The number of students that can be taught in a hybrid course expands dramatically and, if done properly, each student can have an individualized learning experience.

• As a student of Educational Technology and an educator interested in blended learning integration and implementation this resource is extremely rich with information, strategies, and guidelines. This resource does an excellent job of laying out the arguments in favor of blended learning and the best practices in these courses.

An Instructional Model to Support Problem-Based Historical Inquiry: The persistent issues in History Network

• This resource is focused on developing a “problem-based” strategy to teaching history. It deals with assessment and process of learning through inquiry. This resource is extremely helpful in developing an inquiry-based approach to learning history. This student-centered approach focuses on questions that do not have clear answers or clear paths to answers. This promotes research based exploration in learning. This article talks about retention over time and relevance in the learning process. Strobel and van Barneveld (2009) found that in the short-run traditional models were more successful, however in the long-run “Problem-Based Learning” proved superior in long-term retention, skill development, and satisfaction of teachers and students. The “Problem Based Historical Inquiry” (PBHI) model focuses on these principles: Authenticity, Multiple Intelligences, Collaboration, & Scaffolding Instruction.

• This resource especially speaks to me as a social studies educator. Essential questions are vital in the process of learning. This resource shows how it is the teacher’s role to guide understanding and help students discover the paths to their interpretations and answers. This resource shows research behind the pedagogy of inquiry based learning in my discipline. This technique provides students with a more authentic learning experience that will give them historical literacy skills.

“Tweeting in the Classroom”

• Students are entering the classroom with tools in their hands that have capabilities of NASA in the 1960s, yet educators fear this technology. This resource lays out the improvements in engagement and deeper knowledge through using these devices to research, collaborate, and share their knowledge. Specifically this article talks about the learning possibilities when using Twitter. As a social studies teacher, Twitter offers an exceptional way of connecting students with current events and topics in the news that directly associate with concepts discussed in class. Twitter also provides a way to tweet important reminders to students. Twitter also allows students to share their work with other students in different parts of the world. It allows for “real-time” feedback and responses to questions. Twitter also gives students a voice in the classroom and can encourage engagement in subject matter. This resource is fantastic in converting a potential distraction into embracing it as an educational tool.

• Using Twitter in MAET courses has opened my eyes to the massive possibilities and uses of the social media device. At first glance, I saw twitter as something that high school and middle school students used to share pictures, quotes, and random celebrity facts. However, using this as an educational tool myself, I have found how easy it is to connect with other educators and scholars using #hashtags and @Twitter-Handles (@Vinnie_MSU). I definitely see my seniors using twitter probably more than any other social networking tool. I will definitely be using Twitter to connect with my students next semester.

Leading Change and Innovation in Teacher Preparation: A Blueprint for developing TPACK Ready Teacher Candidates

• TPACK preparation is a constant process for me since I started the MAET program. Learning about how to implement TPACK strategies and approach my pedagogy with this mindset is something to always consider and learn about. This article lays out the necessity for the teachers of 21^st century learners to be able to rethink and repurpose tools and teaching strategies. This course and this article provide a solid understanding of the TPACK methodology and implementing this mindset in teaching practices. Integrating the best technology for the objective is essential in TPACK. This blueprint for educational design allows educational technology to stay relevant.

• This article talks about how to implement this TPACK approach in teacher preparation programs and including the design of facilitating learning. Ongoing collaboration and discussion among educational leaders and administrators is essential in this process of changing the curricular approach. I especially find this article valuable because it presents a good argument for implementing TPACK with other teachers. I am interested in becoming a leader in educational technology and a master technology integrator in my school. This article helps give validity to peers who may question the pedagogy, framework, and blueprint for planning.

Learning When Serious: Psychophysiological Evaluation of a Technology-Enhanced Learning Game.

• This article provides a report on an evaluation of a game-based Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) platform, which teaches about soft skills using project management scenario simulations. While I am not operating a business and teaching project management skills, I am a teacher that is interested in the effectiveness of teaching using tech.-games. Learning assessment using game-based training proved to be successful. This article shows the level of engagement through gaming increase significantly. It also points out that increased engagement does not necessarily mean increased learning. The article gives scientific proof of schemas due to emotional and experimental process of “playing a game”. Gaming provides a psychological pattern that increase the users recognition and retention. The practice of using games to supplement learning is something I am very interested in and understanding the science behind it will help me defend this practice. The study did mention the importance of the seriousness of the game in building knowledge. The more “real-world” and practical the game is, the more retention will happen. While simple games are good for practicing, the best way to experience long-term recognition is by providing complex and practical games. This is interesting and provides insight to gaming in the classroom and what it should be used for: whether it be for scaffolding and practice of terms or for learning deeper understanding of concepts. Depending on the game difficulty and set-up of the game will depend on how to best utilize it for student learning.

RESOURCES:

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning vs. Scholarly Teaching. (2013, August 16).YouTube. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eedxoj1CPnk&feature=youtu.be

Gleason, Jesse. December 1^st, 2013. University of Florida. “An Interpretive Argument for Blended Course Design” Retrieved From: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=3376186c-d96d-4561-be2f-505fed97d406%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=108&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eft&AN=93000164

Brush, T. , & Saye, J. (2013). “An Instructional Model to Support Problem-Based Historical Inquiry: The Persistent Issues in History Network”. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 8(1). Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1409 Published online (3-1-2014): http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=648851df-484c-4a66-af46-007f371609a3%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=108&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eft&AN=94988272

Journell, Wayne., Ayers, Cheryl A., & Walker Beeson, Melissa. (2014) “Tweeting in the Classroom”.University of North Carolina. Retrieved from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=5750b8dd-2c17-4ad0-800a-da73e538ae02%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=108&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eft&AN=95098704

Thomas, Tommy., Herring, Mary., Redmond, Pamela., Smaldino, Sharon. September 2013. “Leading Change and Innovation in Teacher Preparation: A Blueprint for developing TPACK Ready Teacher Candidates”. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning. Retrieved from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=0cf91a17-3afa-491d-8e59-655b786a6350%40sessionmgr198&vid=1&hid=108&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eft&AN=89941163

Cowley, B., Fantato, M., Jennett, C., Ruskov, M., & Ravaja, N. (2014). “Learning When Serious: Psychophysiological Evaluation of a Technology-Enhanced Learning Game”. Educational Technology & Society, 17 (1), 3–16. Retrieved From: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=3676486d-e6d5-4b99-ad86-109c242c26c0%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=108&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eft&AN=94937813

Maker Experiment #1 – Participatory and Experimental Learning

This week, in my CEP811 class, I had the challenging task of re-imagining my instruction and creating a lesson plan using my “makers kit”. In my previous blog post I gave an outline of how I would use the “MaKey MaKey” in the classroom in a high school Economics lesson plan about entrepreneurship. This week I will give you another activity/lesson (used as an extension to the previous lesson) using the MaKey MaKey and I will connect it to one of the learning theories that we have studied throughout the masters program.

There are dozens of learning theories that exist in the education world today. The concept that resonates most strongly with me is experimental learning. This concept allows the scholars to be involved in their learning and take charge of the process. Our environment is constantly changing and teaching with environmental learning strategies allow learners to attain adaptive skills that are beneficial in all areas of life. There is a biological connection between a physical “hands-on” experimental learning approach that allows us to remember and recall the content learned. In John Ratey’s book “Spark”, he talks about this principle of connecting movement to a discipline helps our memory (Ratey, 2008, p. 42).

Bransford, Brown & Cocking describe experimental learning or teaching using “hands-on” projects as a successful tool to give students opportunities to experiment, create, and share the knowledge obtained in their book “How People Learn: bran, mind, experience, and school” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p.13).

This tool can increase retention and help students take control of their learning. It also makes teaching concepts a lot more enjoyable and interactive for both teacher and student. The learner and educator can come together to create the content and still meet the state standards.

“David Kolb and Roger Fry (1975: 35-6) argue that effective learning entails the possession of four different abilities: concrete experience abilities, reflective observation abilities, abstract conceptualization abilities and active experimentation abilities” (David Kolb on learning styles). Students can retain and use the content when they are actively engaging in it. The learning model they presented implies that learning is a continuous action and does not begin or end with the teacher (in a classroom). Teachers that can facilitate learning and hit  on all four abilities allow students to take charge of their learning and become better creative thinkers.

Experimental and participatory learning is such an effective way of facilitating learning. It is a very desirable approach in teaching in my discipline. In economics, many concepts need to be shown. It is a social science, so there are rules and laws that may be tested. This makes experimental learning an excellent method to use in the classroom. According to Project New Media Literacies, this approach will provide “heightened motivation and new forms of engagement through meaningful play and experimentation” and will lead to authentic and meaningful learning experiences.

 

The participatory culture allows students to create, collaborate, and share the learning that they have experienced. By combining my Entrepreneurship lesson (project) and the extension activity below, students are participating and experimenting these economic concepts and discovering the objectives independently (without a textbook or teacher-lecture). New Media Literacies described this method of teaching as a “participatory culture” in this video:

 So what are the results like when using participatory and experimental learning?

Henry Jenkins described a scenario in which he provided a participatory framework of instruction and used many methods that allowed students to experiment and collaborate with each other. In his blog post, “Shall We Play (Part II)”, he describes the results as “a rich array of imaginative ideas which showed a deep understanding of the core concepts and information running through the class. Students listened with the idea that they would be applying what they learned in this creative and playful process”. This method of learning gives students a voice and a space to learn and create. It spurs creativity and encourages collaboration.

In my task, I will use these strategies to apply them to my high school economics class. In the previous lesson, I gave students a time to create a product using the “MaKey MaKey”. Students acted as entrepreneurs and had to discuss the different factors of production they needed to produce the product. Then, they had to create a commercial in order to create a demand for their product and present it to the class.

In this extension of the activity, students will look at the “costs: fixed and variable” in order to determine output. Students will experiment with how to maximize output and how to analyze the data using “marginal analysis”. Lastly, students will work together to create a production schedule, act out the labor function in an assembly line (using their made product with the MaKey MaKey), and discover the “Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns”.

LESSON PLAN FOR ECONOMICS CLASS:

• This lesson is created as a follow up to the previous Entrepreneurship lesson, but may be used on its own to facilitate learning of these concepts.

Objectives:

Students will experiment to discover economic concepts of the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns, Marginal Analysis, and production methods – assembly line – that go into suppliers/business’ decision making. Students will experiment with MaKey MaKey kits to focus on marginal analysis: How many workers should we hire to maximize production?

HSCE(s):

• 4.1.2 Marginal Benefit and Cost – Use examples and case studies to explain and evaluate the impact of marginal benefit and marginal cost of an activity on choices and decisions
• 1.2.3 Investment, Productivity and Growth – Analyze the role investments in physical (e.g., technology) and human capital (e.g., education) play in increasing productivity and how these influence the market

Materials Needed:

• Laptop cart (classroom set of computers)
• 6 MaKey MaKey kits
• Items from the thrift shop (From previous entrepreneurship project lesson plan)
• Play-dough, bananas, aluminum foil, forks/spoons, etc. (conductive material)

o   OR if you did NOT do the previous entrepreneurship lesson you could try something interactive such as:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQuVCB6WzOo – Human Piano
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ6uv-FhyTY   – Human Drums

Time Needed: 1 class period

Procedure:

Bellringer: As students enter the classroom ask the: How do you know how many workers to hire? Does more workers always mean more output? (Students should write their answers in their notebooks before the class activity starts.)

1. Students are in Inventors groups (5 students per group)
2. Each student must have a role in production/Conducting the charge
3. Students experiment to decide how many workers would be the best to maximize output.
4. Students start graphing:

• In the beginning we have our fixed costs (before we hire any workers).

• i.     With 0 (zero) workers we get 0 (zero) output
• ii.     Add one worker (labor)– Record data of output
• iii.     Add another worker (labor) – record data of additional output
• iv.     Add another worker (labor) – record data etc.
• v.     Continue until all group members are laborers

• At this time, the addition of the 4^th and 5^th worker should be decreasing Marginal Returns and possibly NEGATIVE Marginal Returns (If not – continue adding workers with the entire class to show this principle)
  • If not doing the “Extension/Entrepreneurship project”, provide the HUMAN DRUMS simulation. Students must complete a simple beat in 1 minute (as many times as possible)
  • You might even try this activity with something like “Banana Bongos” or “Banana Space bar” and have each student have to add their hands on the banana.

MAIN IDEA: Eventually adding workers will decrease output because there is limited space and “Workers will be in the way of each other”.

5. Students work with group to discover what the ideal number of workers would be to maximize output.
6. Draw Graph and reflect on how we could hire more workers and keep the marginal benefits

• Only way is to add more resources (more bananas, wires, connections, ect.)

5. Discuss findings and share results with class (include graph and chart)

ASSESSMENT/Debrief

• Students should discover the three stages of production: Increasing Marginal Returns, Diminishing Marginal Returns, and Negative Marginal Returns.
• Students should make a chart, graph and reflection on their experiment. In the chart it should look something like this: (The X-Axis will be # of workers, the Y-axis would be output/efficiency)

 

REFERENCES:

• Ratey, John J. (2008) Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. (page 42) Little, Brown & Company. New York.
  • John Ratey, MD. is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and has studied neuroscience, learning, and physical activity in his practice.

• Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school: Expanded edition (pp. 1-78). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from:  http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368

• Tangient LLC. (Project New Media Literacies).Participatory Learning And You (P.L.A.Y.), (2014) “The 5 Characteristics of Participatory Learning (CPLs)” [Web Resource] Retrieved from:  http://playnml.wikispaces.com/PLAY!+Framework

• Jenkins, Henry. Shall We Play (Part II). (2011). Confessions of an Aca-Fan- the official web-blog of Henry Jenkins. University of Southern California [Web Resource] Retrieved from: http://henryjenkins.org/2011/05/shall_we_play_part_two.html#sthash.bZvCXFt1.dpuf

• Kolb, David A. & Fry, Roger. ‘Toward an applied theory of experiential learning;, in C. Cooper (ed.) Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley  [Web Resource] Retrieved from: http://infed.org/mobi/david-a-kolb-on-experiential-learning/