Teaching in Higher Ed

Peer instruction and audience response systems

Listen Later

Peter Newbury joins me to talk about peer instruction and using clickers in the higher ed classroom.

Early experiences with clickers

The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative

Achieving the most effective, evidence-based science education

(effective science education, backed by evidence)

The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) is a multi-year project at The University of British Columbia aimed at dramatically improving undergraduate science education.

The CWSEI helps departments take a four-step, scientific approach to teaching:

  • Establish what students should learn
  • Scientifically measure what students are actually learning
  • Adapt instructional methods and curriculum and incorporate effective use of technology and pedagogical research to achieve desired learning outcomes
  • Disseminate and adopt what works

    • The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative resources on general teaching, clickers, and peer instruction

    Today’s use of clickers and other audience response systems
    • iClicker 2 radio clickers
    • Colleagues use cards: A, B, C, D… Plickers…
    • Bonni has a set of Turning Technologies RF clickers

      • Whether we are using physical devices, such as clickers, or we are using more of a bring your own device / smart phone /tablet option, it’s really just a tool.

      “I certainly don’t want to say that in order to use peer instruction, you have to have this piece of technology. It’s not about the clicker.” #peerinstruction

      “Peer instruction is not a shiny thing that comes with clickers. Clickers are one tool you can use to facilitate peer learning.”

      Peer Instruction foundations

      Peer Instruction Fundamentals

      How People Learn (free ebook) states that experts must:

      • Have a deep foundation of factual knowledge
      • Understand those facts and concepts in a conceptual framework
      • Organize the knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application

        • More on peer instruction basics:

        • “If I’m not making your brains work, then I’m not teaching hard enough.”
        • “We need to schedule time into the class where students can stop and think, and start to learn.”
        • “Just stop talking for a while and let the students start to think.”

          •  

          Effective Peer Instruction Questions
          • Peter’s post on what makes for good peer instruction questions? And what makes bad ones?
          • “If I can just ask Siri the answer to the question, that’s [not a good one for peer instruction].”
          • Removing barriers to learning, such as high stakes questions/exercises
          • “…not about getting the right answer, but about practicing how to think.” Homework question will have the opportunity to assess for correctness.
            • Experts vs novices

            “The expert has the same content as the novice, but it’s organized [and more easily retrieved]…”

            Recommendations

            Bonni recommends:

            • Visual note taking tools site

              • Peter recommends:

              • Get yourself into a learning community. Get on Twitter.
              • Bonni mentioned Peter’s Twitter list of Teaching / Learning Centers

                •  

                ...more
                View all episodesView all episodes
                Download on the App Store
                Teaching in Higher EdBy Bonni Stachowiak
                • 4.8
                • 4.8
                • 4.8
                • 4.8
                • 4.8

                4.8

                367 ratings

                More shows like Teaching in Higher Ed

                View all
                TED Radio Hour by NPR

                TED Radio Hour

                21,940 Listeners

                Fresh Air by NPR

                Fresh Air

                38,490 Listeners

                On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti by WBUR

                On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

                4,022 Listeners

                Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

                Coaching for Leaders

                1,470 Listeners

                Good Life Project by Jonathan Fields / Acast

                Good Life Project

                3,378 Listeners

                Sounds True: Insights at the Edge by Tami Simon

                Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

                1,894 Listeners

                10% Happier with Dan Harris by 10% Happier

                10% Happier with Dan Harris

                12,739 Listeners

                Tea for Teaching by John Kane and Rebecca Mushtare

                Tea for Teaching

                68 Listeners

                Life Kit by NPR

                Life Kit

                4,825 Listeners

                The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos by Pushkin Industries

                The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

                14,325 Listeners

                Kelly Corrigan Wonders by Kelly Corrigan

                Kelly Corrigan Wonders

                3,377 Listeners

                The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

                The Ezra Klein Show

                16,554 Listeners

                A Slight Change of Plans by Pushkin Industries

                A Slight Change of Plans

                2,121 Listeners

                Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus by Lemonada Media

                Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

                10,743 Listeners

                Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson

                Letters from an American

                6,256 Listeners

                Wild Card with Rachel Martin by NPR

                Wild Card with Rachel Martin

                1,020 Listeners