Teaching Techniques

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Seminar V Learning Objectives
Debra Larson
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Muddiest Point on Effective Teaching

• Results

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Think about the last class you taught.

• Can you list what you covered?
• Can you list what the students learned?

Why is question 1 easier to answer than question
2?
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• A Technique That Helps Us Go Beyond
• Knowing About What We Tech
• To
• Knowing What Our Students Learn

Learning Objectives
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Seminar Vs Learning Objectives

• Define learning objective.
• Classify learning objectives according to Blooms
  Taxonomy.
• Construct a learning objective.
• Appraise the usefulness of learning objectives.

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Demo Class Is Lesson Objectives

• Define a truss.
• List the assumptions necessary to determine
  internal forces in a truss.
• Solve for internal forces in a truss member.

From this example, make at least one observation
about the characteristics of lesson learning
objectives.
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Operational Definition
Lesson Content Stated in Learning Terms

• Describes what the students should be able to do
  after
• Completing the reading
• Attending class
• Completing the assignment
• Typically 2 to 4 per class

Action
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Writing Learning Objectives
Action Verb List

• Start with action verbs
• That can be observed and measured
• Avoid
• Understand, know, be aware, appreciate
• Use
• Describe, construct, calculate, determine, list
• Use complete and simple sentences
• Verb process or behavior
• Noun knowledge to acquire or construct

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Group Activity

• Individually
• Think about your first class that you will be
  presenting on Tuesday afternoon.
• For this class, write one lesson learning
  objective.
• With your neighbor
• Share your objective
• Refine it
• You have 5 minutes.

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Describe Learning

• Three Domains of Learning
• cognitive (intellectual abilities)
• affective (attitudes, values, interests)
• psychomotor (muscular action, dexterity)
• Blooms ( others) Taxonomy
• 1956 a shared vocabulary ahead of its time
• 2001 Proposed Revisions
• Incorporated two small ones here

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Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
For the Cognitive Domain
judge, critique, justify, verify, assess,
recommend
create, construct, design, improve, produce,
propose
compare, contrast, classify, categorize, derive,
model
calculate, solve, determine, apply
explain, paraphrase
list, recite
includes refinements by Anderson, et. al.
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Example (Lesson-Level) Objectives

• Design the members of the structural steel truss
  shown below to withstand the HS-20 truck load at
  any point along the bridge.

Synthesize
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Example(Lesson-Level) Objectives

• List the assumptions used in analyzing truss
  structures.

Remember
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Example (Lesson-Level) Objectives

• Compute the internal force in truss member AB.

Apply
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Example (Lesson-Level) Objectives

• Assess the three truss designs shown below and
  recommend the best solution. Explain.

Evaluate
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So What?
At what level do we want our students to be
working at?
At what level of thinking are the first years of
higher education typically focused on?
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So What?

• Undergraduate education tends to focus on the
  lower level thinking skills. (Knowledge,
  comprehension, application)
• Ideally, all levels should be addressed in every
  course
• Ideally, all levels should be assessed in every
  course

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So What?
Students will operate at the level we expect them
to, if

• Communicate these expectations
• Use activities teaching strategies that support
  expectations
• Assess and evaluate performance

Learning Objectives
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Group Activity

• Go back to your learning objective previously
  written and with your neighbor
• Determine what level of learning this objective
  met.
• Try to re-state it to increase its level.
• Be ready to present the results of this exercise
  to the entire group.
• You have 3 minutes.

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Seminar Vs Learning ObjectivesWhere are We?

• Define learning objective.
• Classify learning objectives according to Blooms
  Taxonomy.
• Construct a learning objective.
• Appraise the usefulness of learning objectives?

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Lets ReflectUseful For?

• Consider student learning
• Communicate lesson goals behavior expectations
  to students others
• Plan our lesson
• Align teaching strategies to desired learning
• Assess evaluate students performance

HOW?
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Seminar Vs Learning Objectives

• Define learning objective.
• Classify learning objectives according to Blooms
  Taxonomy.
• Construct a learning objective.
• Appraise the usefulness of learning objectives.

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Objectives and Assessment of Learning
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Objectives and Assessment of Learning

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Learning objectives shift us away from what we as
teachers are covering towards what our students
are learning.

• In Summary

Use learning objectives to set up a class where
higher levels of thinking are taught, learned,
practiced, evaluated, and assessed.
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The 27-Second Teaching Quiz
If your score is gt than your age, you AND YOUR
STUDENTS are Winners!
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References

• Wankat, P. and F. Oreovicz, 1993, Teaching
  Engineering, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
• Gardiner, L.F., Redesigning Higher Education
  Producing Dramatic Gains in Student Learning,
  AAHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, V 23, No. 7,
  The George Washington University, Graduate School
  of Human Development.
• Anderson, L.W. and Others, 2001, A Taxonomy for
  Learning, Teaching, and Assessing A Revision of
  Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.
  Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
• Baldizan, M.E. and McMullin, K.M., 2005,
  Evaluation of Student Learning in an Engineering
  Graphics Course. J. Prof. Issues in Eng. Ed. and
  Practice. July. Pp. 192-198.