Week 6 - reflections

Week 6 started with interactive issues for large classes. One of the first articles, especially about rubrics and its introduction to large classes and still manageable assessment work and tight timetable, I came across an eye-opening comment:

The rubric becomes a kind of contract between the teacher and the learners, so that learners know that if they do the things associated with "excellent" in the rubric, they will get an "excellent" mark. Students are more motivated, and assessment is easier. Students must get the rubrics when they begin the task.

I realised that I had completely misunderstood the function of rubrics, as I was taught in my teacher education and used to it for assessment after the students had handed in their work. Actually students should be introduced to this guideline before project start due to motivation and common agreement between teacher and learner! This point forces me to change some of my teaching techniques. 

Furthermore were the articles informative about various technological tools and facilities for responding in big/crowded classes and many useful links for teaching. I just want to point out, what impressed me the most:

- clickers (personal response system)

            immediate response, motivation for shy  students, check whether info    

            has been understood, improves response manageability of big classes

-blackboard (free online class management system)

https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creation-BBLEARN/pages/learn.html

                  I registered at a collaboration, which I think, does fit very well for my

            classes for after-lesson-study, extra material, homework,  

            collaboration,....

https://brigittefalkner.coursesites.com/

            especially the immediate test, score & result system that motivates 

            and engages learners faster,  also clear info what was misunderstood

            and students would immediately try again to succeed. = more

            frequent assessment

I liked the idea of priming (sending emails before the discussion to find out about good points or where to start the discusseion and also referring to students' good points during the discussion, which was made ahead via email, which motivates students for discussing and lecturing in front of class.

Discussion board:

I do agree with what was mentioned in the article about discussion boards, that most of learning happens in a student-centered class. Many tools, especially interactive tools enhance interaction and student-centered learning among students, which is the most enriching learning szenario. Personally I think the the time-management is the most difficult challenge of providing students with information  + technology + discussio topics + assessment in a timely manner.

           

           

How to teach large classes

We can generate some interest by bringing demonstrations to class to gain the audience' attention by creating smaller interactive groups. Powerpoint presentations + introducing well prepared questions, prereading ahead homework and the classroom setting with small group discussions, problem based learning and experimental learning would keep many students busy and manageable

Due to the fact, that I don't have internet, beamer or interactive whiteboard in class, I would not demonstrate a powerpoint, I would rather focus on reading & summarizing with articles, magazines, journals, Internet,.... A topic given that covers the momentous course issue would have to be summarized by group members and take turns choosing and summarizing

reading & summarizing

choosing and summarizing an article from the media (newspapers, newsmagazines, science magazines, journals, or the Internet) dealing with a topic covered by the course. 

Group members take turns choosing and summarizing the weekly article on behalf of their group. Personally I think this learning process is beneficial to students in many ways: 

- It encourages literacy about current events in the field among everyone present, including the instructor; 

- improves student reading and analytical and comprehension skills by requiring students to summarize two-to-three page articles in about half a page; 

- improves students' confidence in their oral and written communication skills while also enhancing those skills;

- helps keep students engaged;

Collection of useful links worth exploring:

Concerning PowerPoint in class:

(referring to Stanford Professor Liberates Large Lectures:

Economics Professor Timothy Bresnahan gave his first teaching tip at the start of his talk, "Large Classes: "This is my first trick for you," "You want your students to be active; you've got to be a little passive."

Bresnahan said one way he practices passivity in his statistics class is to simply "shut up" after giving students a fun problem 

Further I would like to add an interesting thought by "Enhancing big lecture classes"  By Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw

- collaboration among many strategies is the most effective one

Powerpoints should be:

(personal check-list)

-short - clear - simple - not overloaded with information

-watch the time

-I would not use ppt in traditional class due to NO beamer, but I love using it in live online classes embedded in video conferencing solutions such as

- blackboardcollaboration.com (former Elluminate)

- digitalsamba.com

- google pages

- vyew.com

-spreed.com

Reading: interactive lessons in large classes

brilliant resources for teaching ideas

http://www.thiagi.com/interactive-lectures.html

     

In my opinion, summarizing main points of presentation and discussing it is the most productive and effective way for students.

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/typesoftechniqu.html

Interactive lecture techniques such as role play seems to be a typically traditional classroom activity but in the virtual world of the more advanced web tool "Second Life" role play becomes even more an effective way of teaching to a bigger audience. From pair work to a big group - reading, speaking, video, audio - everything is possible!

Brilliant video - a must watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQra4baNwP8&noredirect=1

What did I learn overall?

I am used to working with power point and was happy to get the chance to create 2 ppts with lots of different interactive tools (links, videos, writing, whiteboard, listening, gap fill, listing activity, links for reading,....) then I asked volunteer students to act as guinea pigs and find out, where I would have to improve my ppt lessons. 

Due to the fact that I neither have an intereactive whiteboard, simple whiteboard, beamer nor internet connection in class, I had to demonstrate this in an online class with video conferencing technology. I used Digital Samba (1 teacher, 2 students)

The result was rather disappointing. I had to realize that I had prepared 
"too long lessons = too many slides"
"too many different tools and pictures"
"too much information on one slide"
"not flexible enough - too stiff"

As conclusion, I have to set rules for myself to not forget to 
keep the power point  lesson 
                                   clear & simple & short!

Looking at too many slides for more than 1 hour without any physical interaction is much too long, even they are adult learners, too many different tools and pictures and too many complex activities rather stress the student than help to understand and learn. Too much information on one slide lowers concentration phase and the structure, e.g. follow up of slides, should be considered a bit more flexible. In case of lack of time, it would be better to skip one or two slides, which are not essential, so that students have time to work towards an end, which should avoid a sudden stop in the middle of a slide.

Now I feel for a new start to redo my 2 powerpoints, but this time I just keep focused on one - clear & simple & short!