Discipline based approaches and reflection

Mick Healey and Martin Jenkins

“… universities should treat learning as not yet wholly solved problems and hence always in research mode”

(Humboldt 1810, translated 1970, quoted by Elton 2005, 110)

Discipline-based approaches and reflection

1. Discipline-based case studies2. Brainstorming ideas3. Encouraging students to reflect on

their experiences of IBL4. Planning how to engage your

students in research and inquiry (continued)

5. Conclusion

The developmental journey of the student

Paradigm ApproachTeaching Telling students what they need to know

Learning Engaging students in learning how to learn; emphasis on learning what they need to know

Discovery Encouraging students to seek and discover new knowledge

Source: Hodge et al. (2007, 3)

See Table 6 p6 for application of Baxter Magolda’s ideas to Miami, Ohio

Engaging students with research and inquiry

I want you to position yourself on a line according to the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements

Talk to the person next to you about why you have positioned yourself where you have and as a consequence you may need to ‘move’

Engaging students with research and inquiry: Line-up

I believe that my teaching and my research are strongly linked

Strongly ------------------------------ Strongly agree disagree

Engaging students with research and inquiry: Line-up

It is essential that undergraduate students are aware of the research which goes on in their departments

Strongly ------------------------------ Strongly agree disagree

Engaging students with research and inquiry: disciplinary perspectivesA key issue:

How may the linkages between research and teaching be developed to enhance the benefit for student learning?

In pairs each skim read the abstracts for ONE different group of DISCIPLINES (pp.1-15).

Discuss whether any of the ideas may be amended for application in your context

5 minutes

What is research?

Breaking new ground; moving forward; exploration and discovery

How visible is it?

Laboratories and machinery (ie tools) but often behind closed doors

Where is it located?

Out there; at a higher level

Who does it? Lecturers

Students experience of learning in a research environment: Physics

Source: Robertson and Blackler (2006)

What is research?

Gathering information in the world; answering a question

How visible is it?

Most visible in the field

Where is it located?

Out there in the field

Who does it? Lecturers and (increasingly over time) students

Students experience of learning in a research environment: Geography

Source: Robertson and Blackler (2006)

What is research?

Looking into; gathering; putting it together; a focus of interest

How visible is it?

Not tangibly visible but apparent in the dialogue

Where is it located?

In the library; in the head

Who does it? Lecturers and students

Students experience of learning in a research environment: English

Source: Robertson and Blackler (2006)

Action planning

In your group individually write down on post-its your ideas for integrating undergraduate research and inquiry into your programs

One idea per post-it

“Doing things better versus doing better things”

Developing unique selling pointImplementing the University Strategy

Action planning

In a round each of you should read out one idea and without elaboration or comment add it to the flip chart. Keep going until all the ideas have been added.

Action planning

As a group allocate each idea to one of:

a) Common and feasible (yellow);

b) Innovative and feasible (green);

c) Innovative but not yet feasible (red).

Discard any ideas you feel are common but not feasible.

Action planning

Innovative

Not yet feasible

Innovative

Feasible

Not yet feasible

Feasible

Common Innovative

Common

Feasible

Action planning

Each person should individually use their stickers to choose no more than ONE idea in each category that they would prioritise in their faculty:

a) Common and feasible;

b) Innovative and feasible;

c) Innovative but not yet feasible.

Action planning

In a round each team should outline, in no more than 30 seconds, ONE idea (perhaps the one prioritised by the most team members) that they are going to develop in the next year.

The inverse or flipped classroom

Source: http://ctl.utexas.edu/teaching/flipping_a_class/what_is_flipped

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26pxh_qMppE

The flipped classroom

Flipping the classroom – simply speaking; Penn State University

3:23

The inverse or flipped classroom

The experiential flipped classroom model (Source: Gernstein 2012)

Encouraging students to reflect on their experiences of IBL

Emphasis on research processes

- critical thinking

- independent learning

- research skills

- communication skills

Process vs. Product

How do we ensure students explicitly develop these skills?

ActivityHow can tasks and assessments be used to help students make judgements about their own learning and enable future learning?

Considering your planned activity, how could students be:•provided with opportunities to make judgements about their own learning or performance through review and critique?•provided with opportunities to track and analyse their approaches to responding to a problem, issue, situation or performance?•provided with opportunities to integrate prior or current feedback into their response?•rewarded for the quality of their analysis of metacognitive abilities, rather than just the final product?

Encouraging students to reflect on their experiences of IBL

Adapted from Crisp, G (2010): Integrative assessment: reframing assessment practice for current and future learning, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, pp1-11

Planning how to engage your students in research and inquiry

Using planner tools as a guide.

Decide on a key change you want to implement in your practice by yourself and or with immediate colleagues•The central idea is …

•This is so important because …

•The way that this will be implemented is …

•The (two) main challenges to implementation are … and how I expect to deal with them …

•Something else I want to say about this idea is …

Presentations

• To produce a shareable learning design for a change that you want to implement in your practice.

• Design must be in a format you think will best communicate your ideas with other participants and with your immediate colleagues.

• Use planner tools as a guide.• Presentations to be organised into two groups:• 5 minute presentation + 5 minutes for feedback

Evaluation

Please complete the evaluation form

THE END

For more pictures of Tess see:

www.mickhealey.co.uk