Environmental considerations towards an effective interactive teaching strategy
Diana McCown
Several environmental issues can determine an effective interactive teaching strategy.
Traditionally, classrooms are arranged with all seats facing the front, focusing the attention of the
students on the teacher. With this arrangement, quite often the teacher is standing, or behind a
podium. The students rarely look at each other, but must look at the teacher because of their seat
positions. All of this indicates that the teacher is the most important person in the classroom, and
that all others are to absorb as much as the teacher can give during that hour. Needless to say,
this style squelches student discussion with each other, and, if it happens at all, only encourages
discussion with the teacher.
Most of us learn by doing. When our "doing" is inhibited by an environment that mainly allows
the above teaching situation, we often learn less effectively or deeply. The use of group placings
whereby students are seated at tables facing each other, with the instructor moving about, allows
for more face-to-face discussion of the material with both peers and teacher. We learn from each
other, and are able, almost required by social pressure, to speak and share our thoughts on the
subject at hand. With direction from the teacher, we become active learners, thus usually
retaining more of the concepts of the discipline, than just "absorbing" them in the traditional
environment.
Less physical and psychological emphasis on the teacher, due to the classroom environment,
allows students to look to themselves and their peers for their own learning. This, in many ways,
describes learning communities, in which the instructor is an abettor, rather than the primary
knowledge in the room. Interactive teaching involves much more than is described here, but it
appears that we are subject to our environment when trying to accentuate interactive teaching
strategies.
A Two-and-a-Half Component Approach
Tessa Durham Brooks
I do this a lot in my Introductory Cell Biology class and also used a lot of dialogue in my
Research I seminar. The approach I use has two and a half components:
1. A 'Ticket to Class' (stolen from our critical thinking speaker from last year) that students
bring with them nearly every day. It is short (3-6 points worth of work) and is graded
randomly. When it is graded, students are given detailed feedback and occasionally the
quality of the responses are discusses by displaying student examples. When I don't
grade it, I check it off for completion.
2. Many short breakout sessions (at least 2-3) during the lecture to discuss a problem with
seatmates or as a class. These include the use of whiteboards and 'act it out' sessions in
addition to small group discussions. Again, I like to highlight excellent examples from
the class by grabbing a whiteboard and showing everyone else what others have done.
3. A requirement that students change their seatmates several times throughout the semester.
You never know who you're going to learn from best!
I like this approach mainly because it fits my 'lecturing style' better (better described as a lack
thereof). In addition, students learn early that they are integral to the learning process in each
class...it's generally difficult to 'soak it in' without getting noticed as a non-participator. Finally, I
enjoy the sense of ownership that students tend to take in their course...they are not unlikely to
voice their assessments of whether that day's lesson was a success or failure.
Telephone and Book-Ends Activities
Alec Engebretson
Purpose of activities
A.
B.
Provide practice/reinforcement in developing as a critical communicator
(reading, writing, speaking, listening)
Provide opportunity to process key information from reading
Telephone activity
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Outline key points from reading (ideally found in introduction or summary)
Form groups where the number in each group is equal to the number of key points
to investigate in reading
Each student in group is assigned one key point to investigate
Exploration period #1 – individually explore reading and learn as much as you
can (use critical reading) about your key point. Create a one paragraph summary
capturing what you discovered. Work for clarity, accuracy, and precision.
Consider the 3-Ex model.
Exploration period #2 – Have all students working on one key point come
together, share their paragraph, and as a group, create a one paragraph
summary. Work for clarity, accuracy, and precision. Consider the 3-Ex model.
Sharing period – In each original group, play telephone with each key
point. Each group is in row out of ear shot from other groups and each other, first
(who wrote paragraph) shares with second who shares with third etc. (1 minute
each), final person (and only final person) writes a summary (1 minutes). Work
for clarity, accuracy, and precision throughout. Share summaries written by final
person. Relate back to original summaries written and to the original text.
Resolve any differences, questions.
Bookends activity
A.
B.
C.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Critically/deeply read introduction and conclusion of a writing
Groups of 3, alternate paragraph by paragraph
One person read aloud, process, paraphrase (state it), elaborate (elaborate), if
possible relate to examples or illustrations – think aloud
Partners take notes of agreement, disagreement, questions
Discuss at the end of each paragraph
Looking for clarity, accuracy, precision
Model with instructors and TA (if applicable)
Four-corners Activity
Linda Kalbach
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ask students to reflect on their current belief/understanding of a concept (for example,
truth) and write a very short statement capturing the essence of their belief
Place items, such as quotes, related to the concept in each of the four corners of the
classroom
Review quotes with students, ask each to write down which quote resonates most closely
with their statement
Have students form four groups based on which quote resonates with them
In each group,
a.
b.
c.
have students reintroduce each other
have each student share his/her initial reflections and short statement
as a group
1)
2)
3)
decide what it is about the quote that works for the group collectively
write a group summative statement that synthesizes the conversation
appoint a person to report to the larger group