Academy of Teaching and Learning - SPRING 2016 SYLLABUS A cohort workshop series designed to engage you in the process of creating significant learning experiences for your students Created and facilitated by: Adam Barragato & the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning $&5- t 1BSL -JCSBSZ
Course Overview
The Academy of Teaching and Learning (ATL) is an intensive, six-session, cohort workshop series that will engage you and your colleagues in five research proven areas of teaching and learning that help create significant learning experiences for your students. These five areas include building rapport, understanding your learners, engaging learners in active learning strategies, assessing student learning outcomes, and strategically creating and aligning learning goals with appropriate assessments and learning activities. Fink (2003) believed significant learning takes place when students learn valuable skills (such as critical thinking and real world problem solving) that can be applied years after a course has ended. Drawing on Fink’s philosophy, Adam Barragato, fixed-term faculty member at Central Michigan University, will facilitate learning by modeling each of the five research
proven strategies in hopes of creating a significant learning experience for you and your colleagues. Each strategy is like a pillar. When all five pillars are aligned and executed properly, they support significant learning experiences. Before entering each session, please engage in the weekly session resources via Blackboard. They will prepare you for the conversations, activities, and assignments in each session. At the end of the series you will apply what you learned by creating a portfolio of 10 deliverables designed to help you facilitate significant learning in one or all of your courses. Remember, instructors come in all different shapes and sizes and when it comes to learning, one size does not fit all. Therefore, you are encouraged to think about the needs of your courses as well as your teaching perspective as you engage in this series. This series is designed to help you interpret the five principles and apply them as you see fit.
Course Objectives At the end of this course you will be able to strategically organize your course(s) in a way that engages students in significant learning experiences (5) by interpreting and sharing your teaching perspective (1), inviting your learners to share their unique learning perspectives, and (2) creating and executing active learning techniques (3) and assessments that inform student learning throughout the semester (4).
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Generate learning goals that not only summarize the big ideas you want students to learn but also link to appropriate teaching and learning activities and assessments.
Strategically create and/or modify a plan of frequent assessments (both formative and summative) that inform what students are learning throughout the semester.
Develop and execute active learning activities/resources (taking into account your teaching perspective and the perspectives of your students) that engage students in the big ideas of your course content.
Create learning partnerships with your students through the development and implementation of exercises that help learners understand and express their unique learning perspective (or how they approach your material and why) to you and the rest of the class.
Interpret and express your unique teaching perspective (or how you approach teaching and why) in order to build rapport with your students.
Requirements for & Results of Successful Completion PREPARATION Before each workshop session you will be asked to complete multiple readings from Blackboard as well excerpts from three books that will be furnished for you during our first meeting. The books are considered resources for you to keep as you continue your journey toward understanding teaching and learning at a deep level. You will also be asked to reflect on the guided questions via journal entries (also in Blackboard). Please complete the journal entries by midnight on the Wednesday before a coinciding workshop session. This will give Adam time to look over the journals and make adjustments to the session activities based on your understanding/interpretation of the material. You are also encouraged to print out the articles as you will be provided with a binder during the first session to organize all of the resources from each weekly session.
+ PARTICIPATION You are asked to attend all of the workshop sessions in order to successfully complete the cohort series. However, if you are unable to make it to a session, Adam will work with you on making up the information. Given the small window of time in each session and limited number of sessions, it will be helpful if you show up prepared and ready to dive into the discussions at the beginning of each session and have already thought about how you might begin developing the deliverables due at the end of the series.
+ COMPLETED DELIVERABLES There are 10 deliverables, or assignments, that should be completed before our last session on April 29th. You will create two deliverables per objective as each objective coincides with a different session. The basic requirements for each deliverable can be found on pages seven and eight (more information about them will be provided in each of the weekly sessions). The deliverables are designed to help you begin the process of creating significant learning experiences for your students in each of your courses. Having the deliverables completed for the final session gives you the opportunity to present with your cohort and students (if you choose to invite some of your students) what you have learned and created as a result of completing this workshop series.
= SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION Upon successfully completing this cohort series workshop program through CETL, you will receive $600 in professional development funds and a certificate of achievement that can be used in your professional portfolio (for tenure, promotion, and reappointment).
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Session Setup UNDERSTANDING: In the first hour, we will discuss initial reactions to the readings you engaged in before the session. You will have opportunities to ask for clarification and discuss your initial interpretations with your peers about the big ideas we read about. The goal in this portion of the session is to co-construct meaning about the major ideas from the readings in order to prepare for the next part of the session.
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APPLYING: In the second hour, we will engage further into the major concepts and brainstorm ways to apply these concepts in our specific courses in order to facilitate significant learning experiences. In some of the sessions, skilled faculty and students will help us in the process of brainstorming through breakout sessions, presentations, and other engaging activities designed to “prime the pump” (or give us ideas) so we do not have to start from scratch. CREATING: In the final hour, we will work together to begin implementing the ideas that we discussed in the application section. The goal in this hour is to start creating prototypes for our deliverables while the ideas are still fresh in our minds. Both the experts and students who helped facilitate learning in the previous hour will offer feedback and suggestions as you begin to bring your ideas to life.
Session Expectations Relying on a flipped classroom approach to learning, you are encouraged to engage in multiple readings before class and answer guided questions in a journal via Blackboard. All readings will be available ahead of time in Blackboard under the “Weekly Session Materials” folder. Adam will ask guided questions that will help prepare you for the discussion, application, and implementation of the big ideas from your readings. NOTE: Adam will be the only person reading your journal entries. The three-hour session will go by quickly, therefore it will be helpful if you show up on time and prepared to begin sharing your perspectives on the readings. By engaging in the readings and journaling before each session, we will be able to dig deeper into the content by clarifying misunderstandings, brainstorming ways to implement this information, and still have workshop time to create deliverables 4
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can be implemented in our course(s). At the end of each session, we will have an hour to begin implementing the big ideas in your course(s). If you do not have a laptop, CETL will provide one for you during the workshop hour. It might be helpful to keep a running list of ideas for your deliverables throughout the week. Also, you are encouraged to work with your cohort members outside of the workshop sessions in order to continually share ideas and get feedback. One final note: I do not expect you to agree with all of the readings provided. However, I hope the readings will challenge your preconceived notions about teaching and learning in a way that inspires you to reflect on why you teach the way you do and how you can apply the information shared in accordance with your teaching perspective and philosophy. At the end of the series, you can decide what you want to implement from this program.
Session Overviews & Schedule Session 1 - Building Rapport Through Transparency - Friday, February 5th In this session, we will be introduced to Fink’s (2003) Integrated Course Design model as a way of previewing the big ideas we will learn about in this series. We will also examine what it means to build rapport through transparency and why as instructors we should be transparent with our students about our perspective on teaching and learning. In order to prepare for this session, we will read a consolidated version of Fink’s Integrated Course Design, multiple articles about building rapport, and complete two different teaching inventories (available on blackboard). When we meet for the first time we will discuss the overarching goal and expectations of the series, who we are individually and as a cohort based on the results of our inventories, and how we can use these inventories to build rapport with our students.
Session 2 - Understanding your Learners - Friday, February 19th In this session, we will be introduced to the “Learning Partnerships Model,” which was designed by Baxter Magolda (2004) to help students develop self-authorship, the process of how students learn to think on their own and make decisions without authority figures or formula following. The Learning Partnerships Model (LPM) will highlight the importance of understanding the unique perspectives our learners bring to our courses and how that affects their understanding of the content. When we meet, we will clarify our understanding of the model and the major ideas behind it, how we can use the model to better understand our learners in efficient but strategic ways, and use an understanding of our students to guide the process of creating and executing learning activities and assessments for our courses.
Session 3 - Actively Engaging Students in Valuable Class Time - Friday, March 4th Now that we have a better understanding of our teaching perspective and the importance of taking into account the perspectives of our learners, we will begin to think strategically about how to engage learners in course content via active learning techniques. We will explore Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning in order to better understand the importance of using active learning strategies in the classroom. However, in order to engage students in active learning, we will also have to explore the idea of “flipping” the classroom by immersing learners in some or all content before entering the classroom. Finally, we will explore and evaluate various active learning strategies. When we meet, we will clarify understanding of both the flipped classroom and Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning. In the second part of the workshop, we will engage with faculty members who are currently using active learning techniques in their classroom. Each faculty member will provide one example of an active learning activity they use in their class and offer tips from their experiences engaging students inside and outside of the classroom. 5
Session Overviews cont. Session 4 - Assessing Student Learning - Friday, March 18th In this session we explore the daunting and sometimes misunderstood task of creating assessments. We will examine the differences between formative and summative assessments as well as Webb’s Depth of Knowledge and Bloom’s Taxonomy in order to construct assessments (assignments, tests, quizzes, and projects) that are student friendly and instructor approved. Although midterm papers and scantron exams are very common forms of assessment, we will explore the value of creating assessments that ask students to think deeply about the course content and provide their unique perspective about what they learned. We will also examine how to informally gauge whether or not students “got it” (or understood the big ideas) before administering large exams and projects. Finally we will discuss the value of using rubrics.
Session 5 - Creating and Aligning Learning Goals - Friday, April 1st In our final workshop session, we will use all of the lessons learned in the previous four sessions to align the perspectives of our students with our personal teaching perspective in order to create learning goals that are linked up to correlating assessments and learning activities. We will examine Wiggins & McTighe’s (2011) Understanding by Design (UbD) process in order to uncover the “big ideas” in one of our courses so we can begin writing learning goals that can be measured throughout the year. This process will also take into account situational factors including the course objectives in your Master Course Syllabus. We will work together in teams to help each other create learning goals that link to our current and future assessments as well as learning activities.
Session 6 - Celebrate and Share (Capstone Celebration) - Friday, April 29th In our last formal session together, we will present our portfolios to our cohort members as well as students (should we choose to invite them). We will also reflect on all that we have learned as faculty members in our small learning community and discuss how to move forward as we wind down for the summer and prepare for the next semester. The last session is also an opportunity to get feedback from our cohort members and students regarding our portfolios. If time permits and we have enough volunteers, we can test out some of our assessments and/ or active learning activities. However, please be advised that in this session all portfolio items should be completed and prepared in a digital format to share with our cohort members.
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Deliverables NOTE: The following 10 assignments should be completed by the final session (Friday, April 29th). You are
encouraged to create a digital portfolio (we will discuss ways to make your portfolio digital including Google Drive or Live Binders) that you can share with your colleagues and your students. This will showcase how you are incorporating the five principles that support significant learning experiences for your students.
Session 1 - Building Rapport Through Transparency 1. OBSERVE WHO YOU ARE: Create a resource (video, document, prezi, or ppt, for example) that engages students
in understanding your teaching perspective and/or the nature of the content. Make it relevant, unique, and helpful for your students to better understand your teaching perspective, who you are, and why you teach the way you do.
2. OBSERVE WHO THEY ARE: You will be asked to observe one faculty member who presents in
session three. In a short document, reflect on the faculty member’s teaching perspective, how it relates to your teaching perspective, what you learned from watching this instructor, and what strategies you can take and change for your class. The goal is not to compare yourself to this instructor, but instead learn from his/her techniques and think about ways in which you can incorporate some of his/her ideas without compromising your teaching perspective. Feel free to get a copy of the syllabus, and/or any other teaching materials that can help you reflect on the nature of the instructor’s teaching.
Session 2 - Understanding your Learners 1. HOW ARE YOU DOING?: Reflect on how well you are currently taking into account each of
the the three core principles of the Learning Partnerships Model. Also, reflect on ways you could begin making minor adjustments in both your communication with students, examples used to explain concepts, and assignments (keeping the three core principles in mind).
2. WHO ARE YOU?: Create a resource (survey, activity, or assignment, for example) that asks
students to reflect on what they know about themselves, the nature of learning, and the content in your classroom. Building on the Learning Partnerships Model, I would like you to engage students in their own unique perspective. It might be helpful to think about what you need to know about the student before engaging them in your course content. Also, think about how students can share this information with their classmates in order to help build a classroom culture.
Session 3 - Actively Engaging Students in Valuable Class Time 1. RENEW & REUSE: Find a topic or concept that you consider to be very important for students to take-
away upon completion of your course. Begin thinking about ways that you can engage students in this topic or concept by making it relevant to them before they come to class via a flipped resource. You do NOT need to create your own flipped resource if you do not want to (that’s the reuse it portion). Instead, you can find a resource that you believe would engage students (an article, Ted Talk, or chapter from a book for example). Finally come up with a list of questions you want students to answer upon engaging in the resource provided. Think of this as one of your first flipped resources that can allow more class time for an active learning strategy that would allow students to dig deeper into this topic. 7
Deliverables (cont.) 2. RENOVATE: Find a lesson that you believe offers many opportunities to engage students in one or more
active learning strategies. Redesign the lesson plan incorporating at least one or more active learning strategies via an activity you create. If it makes more sense, you could design the active learning activity to reflect the big ideas learned from the “Renew and Reuse” resource above. Feel free to rewrite the lesson plan in whatever format you would prefer. It would be helpful if you thought about the learning goal this activity correlates with (we’ll discuss this in session five). Also, please provide in-depth directions that explain how you are going to execute this active learning activity (including materials needed and step-by-step instructions for example) so other cohort members can implement a variation of this activity if needed.
Session 4 - Assessing Today’s Learners 1. SUMMATIVE: Create an assignment that hones in on Webb’s Depth of Knowledge and Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Try to think of an assignment that would encourage students to use higher order thinking, focusing on the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. Using the descriptive words for the level chosen, write out the directions in a way that helps students understand not only the objectives of the assignment but also the expectations and rationale. Allow the student to choose from multiple different formats to complete the assignment. Think about ways for students to use technological tools (i.e. allowing the assignment to come in different forms like a blog or prezi for example). Finally, please create a rubric (feel free to use Blackboard for this) that helps students understand the expectations for the assignment.
2. FORMATIVE: Think of an important concept or topic that has been historically challenging for students
on major assessments such as tests or projects. Create a formative, low-to-no-risk assessment that helps students find their gaps in understanding of the topic or concept in question and provide an opportunity for them to fix it. Feel free to modify one of the Classroom Assessment Techniques (C.A.T.s_ that were discussed in session four. However, please put your own spin on the C.A.T. in question.
Session 5 - Creating and Aligning Learning Goals 1. NEW LEARNING GOALS: Using the worksheets from Wiggins & McTighe’s UbD process, reformat your course
objectives into learning goals taking into account the “big ideas” that you want your students to take-away from one specific course. Feel free to showcase the “before” and “after” so we can see how the objectives have changed and become more student friendly. Feel free to use the descriptive words from Bloom’s Taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge as you think about the different levels of understanding you expect from your students.
2. NEW ALIGNMENT: Upon completion of the learning goals, create a concept map that links your new learn-
ing goals to the current and future learning activities and assessments (both formative and summative) for the course in question. Also, assess which learning goals need more learning activities and/or assessments. Feel free to leave open spots for future assessments and learning activities.
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References Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2004). Self-authorship as the common goal of 21st century education. In M. Baxter Magolda & P. M. King (Eds.), Learning partnerships: Theory and models of practice to educate for self-authorship (pp. 1-35). Sterling, VA: Stylus. Fink, D. L. (2005). Integrated course design. Idea paper, 42. Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2011). The understanding by design guide to creating high-quality units. ASCD.
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