Learning, Teaching and Leading
Course
July 16
July 16
1
The reason you came
(OK you had to.)
• This planned 2 hour course will provide you with a
better understanding of what it takes to learn and
what it takes to train/teach others. It is anticipated
that the knowledge gained in this course will help
you to study better, to prepare and make
presentations, lectures, demonstrations, and other
forms of learning.
July 16
2
Syllabus - Part I
1. Introduction to learning (50 Min)
a) Why do all senses matter?
b) Group exercise (15 Min)
c) Model of Learning
2. Introduction to teaching (40 Min)
a) Group exercise – Fruit Salad (15 Min) (Skipped)
b) Group exercise - Red Green Show (10 Min)
c) How can you teach with each sense (Sight, hearing, smell,
taste, and touch)?
July 16
3
Syllabus - Part II
4. Leading and Teaching (40 Min)
a)
b)
c)
d)
Cutting interference
Using style!
Gettysburg Address (5 Min)
Presentation tools
5. Using your knowledge to learn (20 Min)
July 16
4
Syllabus - Part I
1. Introduction to learning (50 Min)
a) Why do all senses matter?
b) Group exercise (15 Min)
c) Model of Learning
2. Introduction to teaching (40 Min)
a) Group exercise – Fruit Salad (15 Min) (Skipped)
b) Group exercise - Red Green Show (10 Min)
c) How can you teach with each sense (Sight, hearing, smell,
taste, and touch)?
July 16
5
Introduction to learning 1
• “Collaborative studies of the design and evaluation
of learning environments, among cognitive and
developmental psychologists and educators, are
yielding new knowledge about the nature of learning
and teaching as it takes place in a variety of settings.
In addition, researchers are discovering ways to learn
from the ''wisdom of practice" that comes from
successful teachers who can share their expertise.”*
July 16
6
* How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (National Academy of Sciences,1999)
Introduction to learning 2
• “Research on learning and transfer has uncovered
important principles for structuring learning
experiences that enable people to use what they
have learned in new settings.”*
July 16
7
* How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (National Academy of Sciences,1999)
Introduction to learning
Yuck!
I’d rather eat rocks and read the phone book then read that!
SO – What does it mean to learn in real words?
(Lets restart this discussion!)
July 16
8
Introduction to learning (in real words!)
• We are only now beginning to understand
‘learning’
• It is not just a bunch of chemical reactions
• ‘Learning’ is adapting your thoughts to match
what you observe.
– Let’s examine this statement
July 16
9
Introduction to learning
• ‘Learning’ is adapting your thoughts to match
what you observe.
• Does this mean your past affects your learning?
(YES)
– Learning is affected by cultural norms
(Your grandmother is more important to you
then just her cookies)
– Everyone - even babies - have ideas that affect learning
– Everyone will learn in slightly different ways
July 16
10
Introduction to learning
• ‘Learning’ is adapting your thoughts to match
what you observe.
• If you don’t ‘experience’ something can you learn
from it? (NO)
– Good teachers realize this
– They have ‘tricks’ to get students to observe new items.
(Yes your teachers really do care!)
July 16
11
Introduction to learning
• ‘Learning’ is adapting your thoughts to match
what you observe.
• This bring us to an important question - Can you
use this knowledge to help teach?
(Of course the answer is YES)
July 16
12
Some other questions
• What does a rock taste like?
• What does a stick taste like?
• Why do you know the answers to these
questions?
• Why is this guy asking such strange questions?
(The answer is coming!)
July 16
13
Group exercise #1
• The ‘Tell Me’ Game
– Break up into three groups
– Each group will go to a different room and work on the
exercise
– Come back in 15 minutes
July 16
14
Introduction to learning
So what have we just learned?
• The more involved you are in the activity of
learning - the better you learn.
This is exemplified by the Confucian saying
Tell me and I forget
Show me and I remember
Let me and I understand
July 16
15
Introduction to learning
So what have we just learned?
• The more involved you are in the activity of
learning - the better you learn.
In effect you have: more observations
‘Learning’ is adapting your thoughts to match
what you observe.
July 16
16
Introduction to learning
So now back to the rock and the stick.
As babies we learned by using all of our senses.
We touched, tasted, looked at, listened to and
smelled everything - including rocks and sticks.
All of these are efforts to OBSERVE an item
(Yes, you tasted rocks and sticks!)
July 16
17
Introduction to learning
This leads us to a second Chinese saying about
learning
“Learning is from thin to thick to thin.”
What does this mean?
July 16
18
Learning by young adults
“Learning is from thin to thick to thin.”
At first, you know VERY FEW DETAILS
Later, you know LOTS OF DETAILS
(THIN)
(THICK)
Finally, you see SIMPLE PATTERNS or
GENERALIZATIONS (THIN)
This concept can be carried further….
To a model by David Kolb
July 16
19
Learning by adults
Experience
Learning starts when you experience something new
(Thin Knowledge)
The richer the experience (more information)
⇒ The better the ‘learning’
July 16
Model of David Kolb
20
Learning by adults
Experience
The new information is combined
with all of your previous knowledge
(Thin => Thick)
Process
This is ‘processing’ the information
July 16
Model of David Kolb
21
Learning by adults
Experience
Once you have enough information
You can generalize the knowledge
(Thick => Thin)
Process
Generalize
July 16
Model of David Kolb
22
Learning by adults
Experience
Apply
Finally you apply this
to everyday life
Process
Generalize
July 16
Model of David Kolb
23
Learning by adults
Experience
Apply
We will examine this
more later today
Process
Generalize
July 16
Model of David Kolb
24
Syllabus - Part I
1. Introduction to learning (50 Min)
a) Why do all senses matter?
b) Group exercise (15 Min)
c) Model of Learning
2. Introduction to teaching (40 Min)
a) Group exercise – Fruit Salad (15 Min) (Skipped)
b) Group exercise - Red Green Show (10 Min)
c) How can you teach with each sense (Sight, hearing, smell,
taste, and touch)?
July 16
25
Teaching (LEADING!) adults
Use learning model to
develop teaching
techniques
Experience
Process
Apply
Each step important
Start with experience
and go around the circle
July 16
Generalize
26
Introduction to teaching
Experience
• What is Experience?
• How do you get ‘an experience’?
• How do you make a ‘rich experience’?
• What gets in the way of a ‘rich experience’?
July 16
27
Introduction to teaching
Experience
• You are born with this ability
• How do babies learn?
– They use all of their senses
•
•
•
•
•
July 16
Touch
Taste
Scent
Sound
Sight
28
Group exercise #2 & #3
Experience
• #2 - Fruit Salad (Skipped)
– Small groups
– Each person should taste at least once
• #3 - The Red Green Show
– One group
July 16
29
Group exercise #2 & #3
Experience
• Our exercises showed
• Senses matter!
July 16
30
Introduction to teaching
Experience
•
How can you teach with touch?
–
Teach someone how to sail a boat
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
–
July 16
Names of parts of the boat
Show them the parts of the boat
Let them touch the lines/tiller/etc
Show them how they work
Let them sail the boat
Examples from class
31
Introduction to teaching
Experience
• How can you teach with taste?
– Teach someone how to bake a cake
1)Names of baking utensils
2)Show them the how the oven works
3)Show them (and maybe let them taste) the ingredients
4)Show them how how to mix the ingredients
5)Let them taste the mixture
6)Bake the cake
7)Let them taste the cake
– Examples from class
July 16
32
Introduction to teaching
Experience
• How can you teach with scent?
– Teach someone how to buy fresh fish
1)Names of common fish
2)Show them the fish
3)Let them smell fresh fish (no smell)
4)Let them smell old fish (fishy smell)
– Examples from class
July 16
33
Introduction to teaching
Experience
•
How can you teach with sound?
–
Teach someone how to play a guitar
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
–
July 16
Show them guitars
Names of the parts of guitars
Let them listen to you play
Show them how to play
Let them listen to their playing
Examples from class
34
Introduction to teaching
Experience
• How can you teach with sight?
– Teach someone how to tie a knot
1)
2)
3)
4)
Name of the knot
Tell them where the knot is used
Show them how to tie it
Let them tie the knot
– Examples from class
July 16
35
Introduction to teaching
Experience
• Did you notice something?
• Each example used multiple senses
July 16
36
Introduction to teaching
Process
• As a teacher (LEADER!), you must provide
experiences for your students
– Is this the end of your job? (NO!)
You need to help your students PROCESS the
information that you gave them.
FAILURE HERE IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST REASON
WHY STUDENTS DO NOT LEARN
July 16
37
Introduction to teaching
Process
• What does it mean to
“PROCESS INFORMATION”?
• Dictionary definition
Process:
A series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result
Information:
Knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction
 Make information useful
July 16
38
Introduction to teaching
Process
• For information to be useful
– We must have a way to retrieve it
• Think of a library
– Books placed randomly
Does not work
– Books placed in order
Works
July 16
39
Introduction to teaching
Process
• Each person has their own way of ordering
knowledge.
• The best learners have a systematic method
Meta-cognition
July 16
40
Introduction to teaching
Process
• Meta cognition is
– “Learning to learn” - “Thinking to think”
 Active control over the learning process
• This “active control” includes
– Monitoring of progress
– Active learning strategies
July 16
41
Introduction to teaching
Process
• Monitoring of progress
– Identify the task
– Check the progress
– Evaluate that progress
– Predict the outcome
July 16
42
Introduction to teaching
Process
• Typical active learning strategies
– Allocate needed resources to learning
– Determine order of steps to learn
– Set intensity/speed needed to learn
• Specific active learning strategies depend on the
subject
July 16
43
Introduction to teaching
Process
• “Expert teachers know the structure of their
disciplines, and this knowledge provides them with
cognitive roadmaps that guide the assignments they
give students”*
As a teacher/leader you must understand your
subject
(What, where, when, why, how & impact)
July 16
44
*How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition (National Academies Press, 2000)
Teaching History
Process
• ‘History’ = abundance of data
 History often taught as:
• Memorize event dates & locations
» (What, Where & When)
• This ignores:
– Why?
– How?
– Impact/implications for today (generalization)
July 16
45
Teaching History
Process
• One needs to ask questions such as:
– “What is history?”*
– “How do we know the past?”*
– What does it mean to ‘write history’
• From this one learns:
 How evidence influences ‘history’
 How/why past and present events are linked
 Implications (generalizations)
July 16
46
*How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition (National Academies Press, 2000)
Teaching Mathematics
Process
• ‘Math’ = over abundance of formula
 Often taught as:
• Memorize formula (What and When)
 Math is taught as ‘pure science
• This ignores:
– Where, how and why?
 (Math is a physical science!)
– Impact on other physical sciences (generalization)
July 16
47
Teaching Mathematics
Process
• One needs to ask questions such as:
– What are physical examples of the math?
– Negative numbers <=> floors below ground
– Positive numbers <=> floors above ground
– Multiplication a fast way to add
» 4 tents, 6 stakes/tent => 24 tent stakes
• From this one learns:
 How math and other sciences are linked
 Implications (generalizations)
July 16
48
Teaching Science
Process
• ‘Science’ = abundance of processes
 Often taught as:
• Memorize processes (What and how)
• This ignores:
– Why?
– Real life examples (Where and when)
– Impact on your life (generalization)
July 16
49
Teaching Science
Process
• One needs to ask questions such as:
– Can you describe this is real life?
– Why is this important?
• From this one learns:
 Gets physical picture
 Implications (generalizations)
July 16
50
Introduction to teaching
Process
• In each example
– Need to ask
•
•
•
•
•
•
Who
What
Where
When
Why
Impact
• BUT the questions are different for each
July 16
51
Introduction to teaching
Process
• And what have we just done?
• Generalized the teaching process
July 16
52
Introduction to teaching
Generalize
• Generalization
– See patterns in knowledge
– Allows one to learn faster
– Allows one to remember better
• Requires ability to see patterns
July 16
53
Introduction to teaching
Generalize
• Generalization
– See patterns in knowledge
– Allows one to learn faster
– Allows one to remember better
• The problems
– Not all subjects have the same issues/patterns
– Not all people see the same patterns
July 16
54
Introduction to teaching
Generalize
• Generalization problems
– The leader/teacher will have to:
• Understand the subject
• See patterns in the subject
• Know how to lead students to see patterns
–
–
–
–
July 16
Ask the correct questions
Employ the correct senses
Use the correct examples
Show how the patterns can be applied
55
Introduction to teaching
Apply
• And what have we just done?
• We have tied application to learning
– Application can be:
• Homework
• Projects
• Hands-on experiences
July 16
56
Introduction to teaching
Apply
• Applications in classrooms
– History
 ‘Create’ a society
– Science
 Carry out an experiment
– Mathematics
 Use physical examples of math
July 16
57
Introduction to teaching
Apply
• What have just seen are:
– Examples
– Only a small fraction of what might work
• DO NOT JUST COPY
– You have to understand the students needs
July 16
58
Teaching adults - Recap
Used learning model to
examine teaching
techniques
Experience
Process
Apply
Each step important
Started with experience
and went around the
circle
July 16
Generalize
59
Syllabus - Part II
4. Leading and Teaching (40 Min)
a)
b)
c)
d)
Cutting interference
Using style!
Gettysburg Address (5 Min)
Presentation tools
5. Using your knowledge to learn (20 Min)
July 16
60
Leading and teaching
Use this to
lead & teach
Experience
Process
Apply
Remember
Each step important
July 16
Generalize
61
Leading and teaching
Experience
• People experience by senses
• Remember how babies learn?
– They use all of their senses
•
•
•
•
•
July 16
Touch
Taste
Scent
Sound
Sight
62
Leading and teaching
Experience
• How do some teach?
– Monotone uni-directional sound
– Monotone uni-directional pictures
BORING!!!
July 16
63
Leading and teaching
Experience
• For us to actually experience something
– We need to be mentally involved
 Pay attention
 No outside disturbances
Funny smells / extra noise are out
 Intellectually stimulating
Monotone sights/sounds are out
 You need to make sure this occurs
July 16
64
Leading and teaching
Experience
• No outside disturbances
• What should you consider?
July 16
65
Leading and teaching
Experience
• No outside disturbances
• Noise/ Acoustics
– Loud fans or other noise
– Cellular phones and pagers
• Lighting
• Temperature
• Table and seating
– Poor quality
– Poor arrangement
– space
July 16
66
Leading and teaching
Experience
• Intellectually stimulating
• What should you consider?
July 16
67
Leading and teaching
Experience
• Intellectually stimulating
– Keeping the audience interested
– Keeping the audience involved
• YOU NEED TO BE HEARD!
• All of this fits a category
‘EXCITING’
July 16
68
Leading and teaching
Experience
• ‘EXCITING’
– Belief in your message and yourself
– Make it fun
• Theatre/Run-ons Games/Songs/Skits
• Humor/Magic/Stunts Prizes
– Asking the audience questions
• In general interacting with the audience
July 16
69
Leading and teaching
Experience
• Interaction allows:
–
–
–
–
–
Provides motivation/interest
Wake up / Energize participants
Break the ice
FUN!
Feedback to you!
• Learn audience needs!
July 16
70
Leading and teaching
Process
• Interaction allows:
– Helps the audience ‘PROCESS’
July 16
71
Leading and teaching
Process
• For better processing:
–
–
–
–
July 16
Presentation tools
Pattern breaks!
KIS (keep it simple)
Interact!
72
Leading and teaching
Process
• Know your presentation tools
– Different tools for different subjects
Would you teach:
– Sailing with a bike?
– Math with a dictionary?
July 16
73
Leading and teaching
Process
• Example
– Gettysburg address - IN POWERPOINT!
– (PPT version the work of Peter Norvig)
– See: http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/making.html
July 16
74
Leading and teaching
Process
• What do we see?
– Different techniques needed for different subjects
July 16
75
Leading and teaching
Process
• Presentation tools (Related to senses)
• Sight and sound tools
– Whiteboards, Posters, etc
– Computer Presentations, Videos
– YOUR VOICE!
• YOU NEED TO BE HEARD AND SEEN!
• Touching tools
– Hands on Demonstrations!
• Smell and Taste
– Hands on cooking
July 16
76
Leading and teaching
Process
• Presentation tools (Related to group size)
• Large group
– Lecture/ Talk/ Demonstration
– Question and answer sessions
• Small group
–
–
–
–
–
July 16
Discussion
Case study / Role playing / Simulation
Brainstorming/Buzz groups
Learning centers
Reflecting
77
Leading and teaching
Process
• Presentation tools (Related to use)
• Problem-solving
– Brainstorming
• Reflection
– Directed sequence of questions
– Discussions
• Information
– Lecture/Talk
– Demonstration - etc
July 16
78
Leading and teaching
Process
• Presentation tools (Related to use)
• Other ways to hold the audience
– Humor!
– Errors!
• Yes, U Kan teech by maken ah mistake?
July 16
79
Leading and teaching
Process
• KIS (keep it simple)
What more can I say?
July 16
80
Leading and teaching
Process
• Interact!
– Lets you help the audience
Generalize
• Process
• Generalize
• Apply
Apply
July 16
81
Syllabus - Part II
4. Leading and Teaching (40 Min)
a)
b)
c)
d)
Cutting interference
Using style!
Gettysburg Address (5 Min)
Presentation tools
5. Using your knowledge to learn (20 Min)
July 16
82
Using your knowledge to learn
You can now use what
you have learned to
improve your school
work
Remember each step
important for you to
learn
Experience
Process
Apply
Generalize
Start with experience
and go around the circle
July 16
Model of David Kolb
83
Using your knowledge to learn
When learning something new
Experience
Include:
Many Senses and sources
 Read other books for different views
 Use sound/vision etc as available
Don’t get distracted
 Focus!
 Block out other experiences
YOU can overcome a bad teacher!
July 16
Model of David Kolb
84
Using your knowledge to learn
Your next step is to
process the new
information
This is where most
students fail in the
learning process!
July 16
Model of David Kolb
Experience
Process
85
Using your knowledge to learn
Process the experience
 Use manageable bits
Experience
Often this means
 Outline the information
 Rewrite notes to explain the information
Others should be able to understand!
Process
This will improve your grades!
Remember to ask
What, why, when, where and how
July 16
86
Using your knowledge to learn
Once basic questions answered
Experience
Check fit with other knowledge
Process
 May need to reprocess
 Examine implications
Generalize
 Typical outcome
 Less time studying
 Improved grades
July 16
87
Using your knowledge to learn
Apply your knowledge
Do homework
(New experience!)
Experience
Process
Apply
Remember
Each step important
July 16
Model of David Kolb
Generalize
88
Overview and wrap up
Used learning model to
examine teaching
techniques
Experience
Process
Apply
Each step important
Started with experience
and went around the
circle
July 16
Generalize
89
Overview and wrap up
Experience uses all senses
Experience
Process
Apply
Presentation should
Interact with audience
Use multiple senses
Tailored to field
Tailored to audience
July 16
Generalize
90
Overview and wrap up
Process => application
Depends on field
Experience
Process
Apply
Generalize
July 16
91
Overview and wrap up
Process => application
Depends on field
In general ask:
What
Why
Where
When
How
Implications
July 16
Experience
Process
Apply
Generalize
92
Overview and wrap up
Process => application
Depends on field
Apply
Presentation
KIS!
Lead audience
Ask questions
Interact with audience
HAVE FUN!
July 16
Experience
Process
Generalize
93