Reflections on Teaching "Reflections on Learning"

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Reflections on TeachingReflections on Learning

Punya Mishra, Matthew J. Koehler, *Tae S. Shin, Megan C. Fedor, Andrea P. Francis, Mike DeSchryver, & Anne E. Heintz

Michigan State UniversityEducational Psychology and Educational Technology

*shintae@msu.edumsu.edu/~shintae

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Overview

•Course Description•Course Objectives•Innovative Aspects•Students’ Learning•Research Findings•Instructors’ Learning

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TE 150: Reflections on Learning•An introductory Educational Psychology

course offered fully online at Michigan State University▫Course Management System: Moodle

•Faculty instructors & teaching assistants•Focuses on:

▫Processes and Contexts of Learning▫Major Learning Theories: Behaviorism, Cognitive,

Social-Cognitive, Motivational, Developmental Perspectives

▫Connections between Learning Theories and Learning Contexts

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Course Overview

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Course Web Site

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Assignments

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Participation• Postings

▫ Grading Criteria The post uses the

vocabulary of the unit.• Discussions

▫ Grading Criteria Talk about two or more

topics Address or cite a specific part of two or more classmates’ post

Introduce new ideas or questions for discussion about the topic

Use a resource beyond those provided in the course, cites it

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Quizzes/Polls• Quizzes

▫ 5 items▫ 2 tries

• Polls▫ “What do you think?”▫ Results

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Book Review• Part I

▫ Summary

• Part II▫ Application

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Interview• Individual Work

▫ Interview

• Group Work▫ Small Groups▫ Collaborative Writing

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Course Objectives

1. To ensure all of the learning principles presented would connect with the students in a sound and meaningful way

2. To move away from a course that privileged learning as what happens with teachers in classrooms towards a course about learning and development in a variety of contexts

3. To construct an engaging and memorable learning experience for students

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Course Objective 1

• To ensure all of the learning principles presented would connect with the students in a sound and meaningful way

• The Movie Montage

▫ Interpretations of the educational elements in the movie clips

▫ Module 1 & Module 8

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Course Objective 2

• To move away from a course that privileged learning as what happens with teachers in classrooms towards a course about learning and development in a variety of contexts

• The Magic Trick

▫ Whack on a side of the head

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Course Objective 3

• To construct an engaging and memorable learning experience for students

• The Schema Theory Experiments

▫ The Wrestling Match▫ The Prison Escape

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Innovative Aspects of TE 150

1. Course Design

2. Creative Use of Multiple Media Formats

3. Theoretical and Conceptual Knowledge of the Design of Technology for Teaching

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Course Design

• To make TE 150 web site dynamic, easy to use, and capture the excitement and fun that we wanted to convey

• Moodle

▫ Discussion Board Setting

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Creative Use of Multiple Media Formats

▫ Video clips, Flash based magic tricks, games, experiments, Wikipedia, & Internet search

• YouTube Clip

▫ Witnessing a Car Crash

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Theoretical and Conceptual Knowledge of the Design of Technology for Teaching

• Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)▫ Mishra & Koehler (2006)▫ http://www.tpck.org

• A grand design experiment that we seek to improve iteratively with every offering of the course▫ New Technology

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Students’ Learning

•Quiz Scores▫Monitoring of students’ learning

•Analysis of the Video Montage at the Beginning and End of the Course

•Book Review and Interview Assignment•End of Semester Survey Evaluation

▫Teaching themselves▫Multimedia approach to learning

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Research Projects•Facebook vs. Moodle

▫ DeSchryver, M., Mishra, P., Koehler, M., & Francis, A.P. (2009, March). Moodle vs. Facebook: Does using Facebook for Discussions in an Online Course Enhance Perceived Social Presence and Student Interaction? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Charleston, NC.

•Google Docs. vs. Moodle▫ Gao, F. (2009). Fostering focused online discussions. Unpublished

doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

•Student Rationales vs. Instructor Rationales▫ Shin, T. S. (dissertation proposal approved). The Effects of Providing a

Rationale for Learning a Lesson on Students’ Motivation and Learning in Online Learning Environments.

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Facebook vs. Moodle• Two online undergraduate

Educational Psychology courses• Both courses hosted in Moodle• Student Discussions:

• One course used Moodle forums

• One course linked to Facebook group discussion board

• Compared frequency/length of student interaction & students’ perceived social presence

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Facebook vs. Moodle

• Statistically insignificant differences• No significant differences reported by surveys of social presence, either

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Google Docs vs. Moodle• Two online undergraduate

Educational Psychology courses• Both courses hosted in Moodle• Student Discussions:

• One course used Moodle forums

• One course linked to Google Docs

• Compared percentage of text-focused discussion

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Google Docs vs. Moodle

• more direct focus on the text in the Google Docs format

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Student vs. Instructor Rationales• Value Aspects of Motivation (Brophy, 2008)• Two Types of Rationales

▫Student Rationales: a brief testimonial of a former student

▫Instructor Rationales: a statement by the instructors, • The rationales will be given at the beginnings of six

two-week modules• Measures

▫Motivation: value, interest, self-determination, autonomous regulation

▫Learning: quiz scores, grades, students’ postings, perceived learning

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Instructors’ Learning•Diversity of students

▫Non-traditional students, non-education majors, students with special needs, honors students

•Multiple instructors with various expertise▫Motivation

Carol Dweck’s interview clip An Excerpt from Jere Brophy’s book

•Great Potential▫2008 MSU-AT&T Instructional Technology Award ▫Expanding sections (from 2 to 4)

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Thank you!