Developmental Education: Instructional Practices

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Developmental Education Instructional Practices

• Ruth Dalrymple and Marilyn Mays
• Texas Collaborative for Teaching Excellence
• June 12- 13, 2003

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Develop Learning Communities

• Not for everyone, in spite of research
• Use informal assessment to decide
• Faculty spend great deal of time coordinating
  efforts
• Labor-intensive assign release-time
• Training required in-service workshops
• Students will need to be trained on
  roles/expections

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Develop Learning Communities

• Services (counseling/advising, tutoring) must be
  well integrated yields a greater impact
• The National Learning Communities Project
  (Evergreen State College in Wash.)
• http//learningcommons.evergreen.edu

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Varied Instructional Methods

• Distance Learning
• Self-paced Instruction
• Individualized Instruction
• Peer Review of Student Work
• Collaborative Learning
• Computer-Based Instruction
• Mastery Learning
• Small group

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Varied Instructional Methods

• Faculty must be trained
• Match method with students learning style
• Preferred modes of learning for dev students is
  hands-on and visual
• Reward faculty who attempt varied instruction

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Supplemental Instruction

• Formal training essential
• Targets difficult classes not difficult students
• In addition to SI, there exists VSI (video based
  supplemental instruction)

7
Testing Opportunities

• Test and test often
• Post practice test on web
• Use learning centers as test sites
• Provide Readiness tests (Pre-test)

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Technology in Moderation

• Inverse relationship between the amount of
  computer technology used in a dev course and pass
  rates in that course.
• Use only as supplementary assistance, tutoring,
  individual drill and practice
• Use rarely mandated
• Supplement not substitute

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Frequent and Timely Feedback

• Immediately
• Positive feedback effective when specifics are
  noted. (You factored well on the homework)

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Mastery Learning

• Small units of instruction
• Frequent testing of units
• Traditionally set of criteria for mastery
• Usually 85

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Link Dev Course to College-Level Course

• Dev Faculty and College-level Faculty should meet
  to discuss and review syllabii
• Dev faculty should teach college-level and visa
  versa

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Share Instructional Strategies

• Devote meeting to share strategies
• Invite adjuncts
• Use short research articles on teaching as focus
  for discussion
• Attend professional conferences

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Teach Critical Thinking

• Decide what Critical Thinking means as a
  department
• Best taught in a systematic manner such as in
  logical structuring

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Use Active Learning Techniques

• Student engagement in problem solving groups
• Student design and delivery of in-class
  presentations or relevant course topics
• Students providing coaching to each other in
  solving math problems
• Students interview local employers to learn about
  the importance of basic skills in workplace

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Use Classroom Assessment Techniques

• Short, in-class, assessment activities
• One-minute paper Muddiest Point
• Designed to improve learning
• Faculty should use these in their most
  comfortable class
• Feedback should be provided
• Identify which CAT is most appropriate