Action Research Project

Measuring the impact of student led teaching techniques in academic

subjects

Context

Academic based subjects lend themselves to teacher led learning techniques in order for students to comprehend the high level of subject knowledge required

However, research (N. Carr) on the brain structures of young people, who interact heavily with new technologies suggests that teaching styles must change to accommodate this 'new' brain structure.

Furthermore, Ofsted's shifting focus towards student centric lessons has highlighted a need for change in terms of methodology for teaching these academic subjects

Core Focus

To address the changing structure of the learners’ brains it is important to trial new methodologies that not only allow the student to take ownership of their learning but also ensures that the new teaching methodologies do not distract from the academic content and allow for the depth of knowledge to be secured

Aim

To trial a variety of teaching and learning techniques and measure the impact upon the

depth of learning

Key Areas

Aiming to create:• Ownership of learning• Depth of understanding• HOT skillsAiming to facilitate:• The ‘new’ brain• Student led teaching methodologies• Assessment focused sessions

Intended Impact

• To enable students to learn on a academic level that is more suitable to their changing brain structures

• To allow for the support and development of students with lower MTG's allowing for an increase in student success rates

Research• Michael Rich, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School,

identified the changing shape of modern brains due to the impact of technology. Research indicates that the brain is "rewarded not for staying on task but for jumping to the next thing".

• Nicholas Carr argued that this instant gratification is changing the structure of the brain allowing far more connections to be made but only on a superficial level. This research impacts upon high end academic subjects as it indicates that a student's modi operandi means that they will not be able to process the level of in-depth knowledge required for the subject.

• Joseph Novak’s research illustrates that teaching from a philosophical standpoint allows for the development of written and verbal skills therefore argument mapping could be useful in place of theory lecturing.

Initial Ideas• Think Breaks• Interactive Starters• Theory exploration• Active listening• Assessment via immediate feedback• Punctuated Lectures• Concept Mapping• Total Physical Response (TPR)• Lecture Reaction• Jigsaw (Group Experts)• Speed dating• Fishbowl• Anonymous Peer Feedback

Initial Results

The interactive techniques occur after the content has been taught

Results

• 94% of students achieved their predicted grade or higher

• 87% of students exceeded their predicted grades

• 67% of students achieved high grades• Of students who re-did mock questions 100%

achieved high grades and 71% improved on their predicted grades by 3 grades

• Value added +24Based on 15 students

Student progression

Predicted Grade

Mock One Mock Two Mock Three Mock Four0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Student AStudent BStudent CStudent D

U

D

50 = A40 = B30 = C20 = D10 = E

E

C

B

A

First and Final Comparative

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Student 4

Student 5

Student 6

Student 7

Student 8

Student 9

Student 1

0

Student 1

1

Student 1

2

Student 1

3

Student 1

4

Student 1

50

10

20

30

40

50

60

PredictedFinal Mock

A = 50B = 40C = 30D = 20E = 10

Results – my perspective

• Student led teaching methodologies and assessment focused sessions enable ownership of learning and student independence

• Depth of understanding and Higher Order Thinking skills are developed via the type of technique used

• Use of a variety of tasks, focus on the timing of tasks, allowing students to think and reflect allows for the adaption of the ‘new’ brain

How I used the techniques to develop HOT skills

Think Breaks – Gives the students the ability to determine their own perspective before being told that

of a philosopher or theorist and contextualises the theory helping to remove some of the abstract context

Interactive Starters– Increases student engagement and creates a productive atmosphere

Punctuated Lectures– Students become self-monitoring listeners and develops critical reasoning skills

Concept Mapping– Helps to develop essay planning, helps to show strands of reasoning/ argumentation and

develops critical reasoning skills

Total Physical Response (TPR)– Increases recall, creates a more productive atmosphere and sustains concentration

levels

Jigsaw (Group Experts)– Develops critical reasoning skills, develops knowledge recall and develops active

listening skills

Speed dating– Develops recall and develops active listening skills

What next?

• Independent learning is key to student motivation– Flipped learning

• Engagement– Effective starts

• Review– Endings

Additional Findings

Learning Styles

Auditory learners - value added +3Visual learners – value added +8Auditory/visual learners – value added +5Kinaesthetic learners – value added +4

Based on 15 students

Theory Explanation – Research and Trial

• Trialling Joseph Novak’s theory explanation technique with the A2 Philosophy students as their work is solely theory based.

• This technique was trialled in the teaching of the most complex non-reductive theory, Anomalous Monism.

• The response has been very positive as students have shown a good level of comprehension of the complex theory.

• An essay was set to identify the depth of their understanding. The essay results were set against an essay on another theory where the technique was not employed to enable a comparative assessment.

Theory Explanation – How it Works

• Joseph Novak’s research illustrates that teaching from a philosophical standpoint allows for the development of written and verbal skills therefore argument mapping could be useful in place of theory lecturing.

• Start with the conclusion– What is the theorist trying to argue?

• Identify the reasoning given– Identify the different reasons (write on post it notes)– Create a chain of reasoning by mapping the notes

• Evaluate the argument– Are the reasons true within themselves?– Do the reasons increase the likelihood of the conclusion?

Theory Explanation Findings

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Student 4

Student 5

Student 6

Student 7

Student 8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Anomalous Monism EssayCan consciousness be reduced? Essay

Student 2 exceeded his predicted grade by 4 grades

Theory Explanation Results

• This technique had the biggest impact on the auditory learners – students 2 and 3

• Although the kinaesthetic learner’s grades increased it was minimal in comparison with the auditory learners

• The results indicate that although this technique works very well for auditory and multisensory learning styles it does not have as much impact on the kinaesthetic learning style

• It is the kinaesthetic learning style that remains a barrier for the teaching of theories

Appendix

Assessment Methods

1. Tests using Bloom’s taxonomy to assess the different levels of learning

2. Mock examinations to identify skills in an assessment situation

3. Mini tests (on past topics) to identify the level/amount of recall

4. Immediate feedback

Comparing Bloom’s Taxonomy and HOT skills

• The different levels of Socratic questions enable focus on the different types of skills from low level comprehension to higher order thinking skills.

• The level of questioning matches the skills as identified by Bloom.

• Using these different types of Socratic questions in class and via review tests enables an understanding of the depth of learning taking place.

Questioning Questions

Examining Implications

Analysing Viewpoints

Exploring Reasons

Investigating Assumptions

Conceptual Clarification

Socratic Questioning

BibliographyMichael Rich• http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/11/the-mediatrician • http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0Nicholas Carr• http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/3068

68/

• ‘The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains’ N. Carr, W.W Norton & Company, London, 2010

Techniques• http://

www.brown.edu/about/administration/sheridan-center/teaching-learning/effective-classroom-practices/interactive-classroom-activities

• http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/teachingandlearningresources/coursedesign/assessment/content/101_tips.pdf

Novak• ‘Learning, Creating and Using Knowledge: concept maps as facilitative tools in schools and

corporations’ Joseph D. Novak, Routledge ,1998