communicating for
LEARNERS
SPRIN G No. 1
The Center for Teaching, Learning, & Technology Spring Semester 2008
Save the Date, March 14, 2008 Come to the Second Annual BGSU Teaching and Learning Fair! The BGSU community will gather in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom on March 14 to celebrate and discuss student success through best teaching and learning practices. The Fair Presentations will begin at 9:00 a.m. and are centered on our BGSU Learning Outcomes, critical and constructive thinking, skillful communication, and engagement. Presenters are being registered through a number of BGSU recruitment chairs (specific information can be found on the Center’s website, bgsu.edu/ctlt). Later in the morning, Dr. Shirley Baugher will welcome community members and introduce our esteemed keynote speaker, Dr. Diane Halpern, professor of psychology at Claremont McKenna College in California and the pastpresident (2005) of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Halpern’s address, “Applying the Science of Learning in the Classroom and Beyond,” centers on empirically-validated principles about the way people learn and guidelines for applying the principles in college classrooms in ways that enhance long-term retention and transfer. According to Halpern, “our students are more diverse in terms of their backgrounds and reasons for attending college and in what they need to know to succeed as educated citizens in a technological society. We need new pedagogies that address their needs and prepare them to become life-long learners. The stakes are high: our ability to compete and cooperate in the global economy depends on our ability to help students become better learners and thinkers.” In her address Halpern will “examine best practices for durable learning across time, place, and domains of knowledge and review the principles of learning that were generated by the Association for Psychological Science Taskforce on Life-Long Learning at Home and at Work,” and she will specifically provide examples of new technologies that are being used to enhance learning. Don’t miss Dr. Halpern’s keynote address in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom at 10:45 a.m. In the afternoon there is a second time slot for Fair Presentations from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Like the morning, Fair goers will interact with presenters who are displaying and discussing
• course planning and activities that promote critical and constructive thinking • advising activities that extend teaching and learning • learner activities that promote communication and presentation using multiple media, such as logical, mathematical, visual, spatial, or musical • learner activities that occur outside of the classroom and encourage students to engage others in action while participating and leading • living-learning residential communities with creative environments that enhance academic success and provide richly rewarding extracurricular activities • course design and experiences that afford learners opportunities to participate in an organized service activity
In addition to the Fair Presentations in the ballroom, breakout discussions are set for 9:30-10:30 a.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m., and 3:00-4:00 p.m. in Rooms 314, 315, and 316. Three topics will be offered in these repeating sessions: BGSU Teachers on Teaching, Future Learning Settings, and BGSU Learners on Learning. The Center’s Advisory Board is hosting BGSU Teachers on Teaching, interactive sessions with invited BGSU faculty members who have been recognized for their excellence in teaching and their innovative, classroom methods. Teachers will discuss their learner-centered, teaching approaches with time for interactive question and answer segments. For Future Learning Settings, the University’s Office of the CIO leads discussions that solicit faculty and learner input about learning strategies and technologies. BGSU community members who currently offer instructional support for classroom and online teaching and learning facilitate discussion about future teaching with technologies. “It’s what works for me” or BGSU Learners on Learning are open discussions with graduate and undergraduate students about their BGSU learning experiences. USG and GSS present these interactive sessions for students and faculty to discuss perspectives on learner-centered activities.
Friday, March 14, 2008…
is a day to celebrate BGSU teaching and learning at the Fair; mark your calendars!
visionary
STATUS
Lee S. Shulman is the eighth president of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Prior to assuming his role at Carnegie, Shulman was the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University and Professor of Educational Psychology and Medical Education at Michigan State University, where he was also the founding Co-Director of the Institute for Research on Teaching (IRT). He is an educational psychologist who has made notable contributions to the study of teacher education, assessment of teaching, and discipline-specific education for the fields of medicine, science, and mathematics.
Shulman’s research and numerous writings have dealt with the study of teaching and teacher education; the growth of knowledge among those learning to teach; the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); and the quality of teaching in higher education. In his work at the Carnegie Foundation, he has emphasized the importance of “teaching as community property” and the central role of “scholarship of teaching” in supporting needed changes in higher education culture. It is for all these reasons that Lee S. Shulman has earned the title of visionary. To view video highlights of Lee S. Shulman on Active Learning: www.oir.uiuc.edu/Did/SOTL/Shulman.htm
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The Hot Five 2
Formative Assessment: Bridging the Gap Between Instruction and Learning Learning is fairly easy—find out what students don’t know, then teach it to them. Sounds simple, right? But how does one go about uncovering what students know and don’t know? In addition to traditional assessments such as tests or papers, formative assessment strategies can bridge instruction to deeper levels of understanding. What is Formative Assessment? Formative assessment is considered “assessment for learning” rather than “assessment of learning.” At its best, ongoing, formative assessment identifies whether or not students are meeting course objectives, developing strong understandings and applications of new knowledge, or harboring misconceptions, which are often left undiscovered until the next exam, paper, or class discussion. Graded exams, quizzes, papers, and presentations offer a one-time snapshot of what has been learned; whereas, ongoing formative assessment helps students and teachers to continually monitor the progress of learning. In other words, it is a diagnostic tool that allows students to uncover and reveal their level of learning about a new concept or their learning progress throughout the semester. Therefore, it is important that formative assessment is continual—used once or twice a week, depending on how often the class meets—in order to uncover what is known or not known at multiple points throughout the semester rather than only after a quiz or exam. Often ungraded, this low-threat, high-yield feedback tool is valuable for students and teachers. If done publicly but anonymously, such as with the use of clickers (student response systems), students also see where they stand among classmates, allowing for additional learning opportunities. Although technology can accelerate the feedback-adjustment cycle, low-tech or paper-pencil methods are more commonly used.
The Center presents its top five list of our hottest online resources.
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Gutenberg
U Gallery
Zam Zar
Fact Check
Bubbl
gutenberg.org
ugallery.com
zamzar.com
factcheck.org
bubbl.us
Access to over 20,000 free ebooks
Gallery of student artwork for viewing or purchase
Free file conversions – images, documents, videos
Annenberg political fact checking
Free online webbing/ graphic organizer for brainstorming
Formative assessment is planned and intentional (aligned with learner outcomes); frequent, but brief (incorporated into each class or weekly); usually ungraded and therefore, often anonymous (non-judgmental); and, most importantly, the feedback is acted upon by teachers and/or students, as needed. Experience + Reflection = Learning This familiar “formula” for learning has been echoed by numerous educational scholars from Socrates to Dewey, and more recently, Lee Shulman and L. Dee Fink, with good reason—it works. But the piece most often left out in hurried classrooms is the reflection factor. Students need to reflect on class content and, more importantly, they need to reflect on their learning. The formative assessment process allows learners to reflect on their experiences, develop metacognitive strategies to make sense of their learning processes, and work together with teachers and possibly other students to improve their learning. In a world where “learning how to learn” is an essential life skill, the use of formative assessment strategies becomes a means for developing reflective practice in teachers and students alike. Examples of Formative Assessment Strategies In Classroom Assessment Techniques (1993), Thomas Angelo and Patricia Cross describe many formative assessment strategies. The most cited examples (and context) include: • Minute Paper (all) • Background Knowledge Probe (all) • Empty Outlines (all) • Muddiest Point (all) • Pro-Con Grid (decisions/controversial issues) • Invented Dialogues (historical figures or events) • Student-Generated Test Questions (all)
This spring, the Center invites you to attend workshops on formative assessment-related topics, including Formative Assessment Strategies, Questions & Learning: The Dynamic Duo, and An Introduction to Classroom Blogs and Wikis. For more information, contact the Center at www.bgsu.edu/ctlt or 372-6898.
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Did you know
The Ohio Digital Commons for Education (ODCE) Conference, “The Convergence of Learning, Libraries, and Technology,” is March 2–4, 2008 in Columbus. Pre-conference workshops are held Sunday, March 2, while the keynote and concurrent sessions are March 3-4. Eric D. Fingerhut, Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, will present the keynote address on Monday, March 3, from 10am–11am. For more information or to register: www.oln.org/conferences/ODCE2008/
scheduled
workshops
Discussions Publishing in Transition Tuesday, January 29, 11:30 am–1:00pm in the Jerome Library Pallister Conference Room The Community Partnership & CAPA City Thursday, February 14, 1:00–2:00pm Toledo GROWs Tuesday, March 18, 1:00–2:00pm WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. Tuesday, March 25, 1:00–2:00pm
Workshops Formative Assessment Strategies Thursday, February 28, 2:30pm–4:00pm Monday, March 31, 1:00pm–2:30pm Questions & Learning: The Dynamic Duo Thursday, February 21, 2:30pm–3:45pm
Tools Workshops Snap is “The Buzz” Held in Room 222, Education Building Part 1, Thursday, March 13, 8:30–11:30am Part 2, Thursday, March 20, 8:30–10:30am An Introduction to Classroom Blogs & Wikis Friday, January 25, 11:30am–12:15pm Tuesday, February 19, 11:30am–12:15pm Friday, April 4, 11:30am–12:15pm Advanced Blogging Tuesday, February 5, 2:00pm–3:30pm Wednesday, April 16, 12:00pm–1:30pm Advanced Wikis Thursday, February 7, 2:00pm–3:30pm Friday, April 18, 12:00pm–1:30pm Visual Knowledge: Organizing and Communication Learning Wednesday, January 30, 11:00am–12:30pm Thursday, April 10, 1:30pm–3:00pm
scheduled
workshops
Film to Finish Wednesday, February 6, 9:30am–11:00am Monday, February 25, 3:00pm–4:30pm Wednesday, March 19, 9:30am–11:00am Monday, April 14, 3:00pm–4:30pm Windows Movie Maker Wednesday, January 30, 9:00am–10:00am Tuesday, February 26, 2:00pm–3:00pm Monday, April 7, 3:00pm–4:00pm PDFs in the Classroom Monday, February 4, 3:00pm–4:00pm Wednesday, February 27, 9:00am–10:00am Monday, March 17, 3:00pm–4:00pm Wednesday, April 9, 9:00am–10:00am Friday, April 25, 10:00am–11:00am Audio Files with Audacity Friday, February 1, 3:00pm–4:00pm Wednesday, February 20, 1:00pm–2:00pm Friday, March 21, 3:00pm–4:00pm Wednesday, April 2, 1:00pm–2:00pm Friday, April 18, 3:00pm–4:00pm Extending the Classroom Experience with Podcasting Friday, February 15, 10:00am–11:00am Wednesday, March 12, 1:00pm–2:00pm Monday, March 31, 11:00am–12:00pm Wednesday, April 16, 2:00pm–3:00pm Document Security Monday, January 28, 3:00pm–4:00pm Wednesday, February 13, 9:00am–10:00am Monday, March 10, 3:00pm–4:00pm Wednesday, April 2, 9:00am–10:00am Monday, April 21, 3:00pm–4:00pm Managing your Email and an Introduction to Exchange Tuesday, March 18, 10:00am–11:00am Thursday, April 17, 1:00pm–2:00pm RefWorks Held in Jerome Library, Room 142 Friday, February 1, 2:00pm-3:15pm Friday, February 22, 3:45pm-5:00pm Friday, March 14, 10:00am-11:15am
Learn about Second Life and Visit the BGSU “Island” Wednesday, January 30, 1:00pm–2:00pm Friday, February 8, 3:00pm–4:00pm Thursday, February 21, 1:00pm–2:00pm Tuesday, March 11, 9:30am–10:30am Wednesday, March 26, 1:00pm–2:00pm Thursday, April 3, 1:00pm–2:00pm Wednesday, April 16, 9:00am–10:00am Second Life Open Lab Tuesday, February 5, 8:30am–9:30am Wednesday, February 13, 12:30pm–2:00pm Friday, February 29, 9:00am–11:00pm Friday, February 29, 1:00pm–3:00pm Introduction to Web 2.0: Applications That Run in Your Internet Browser Monday, February 4, 1:00pm–2:00pm Monday, March 10, 11:00am–12:00pm Tuesday, April 8, 3:00pm–4:00pm Wednesday, April 23, 9:30am–10:30am Advanced Web 2.0: Online Office Alternatives Thursday, January 31, 1:00pm–2:00pm Tuesday, February 12, 3:00pm–4:00pm Thursday, March 20, 10:00am–11:00am Tuesday, April 22, 1:00pm–2:00pm Advanced Web 2.0: Tools and Multimedia Tuesday, January 29, 9:00am–10:00am Monday, February 18, 3:00pm–4:00pm Tuesday, March 25, 3:00pm–4:00pm Tuesday, April 15, 3:00pm–4:00pm Advanced Web 2.0: Social Networking Tuesday, February 12, 10:00am–11:00am Wednesday, March 12, 9:00am–10:00am Thursday, April 10, 10:00am–11:00am Thursday, April 24, 3:00pm–4:00pm
For more information about the Center: www.bgsu.edu/ctlt ctlt@bgsu.edu 419.372.6898