Thursday, March 10, 2016

Teaching Transparency

In "One Easy Way Faculty Can Improve Student Success," Cook and Fusch discuss the notion of teaching transparency and the empirical evidence suggesting it particularly helps underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income students.

Image courtesy of khunaspix at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Takeaway quote:
When students don't understand how a particular assignment will help them learn course material, they often perceive the assignment as "busy work" -- and fail to complete it successfully. Teaching transparently — explaining why the activity is important and what skills and knowledge students will learn — changes that dynamic, because faculty address the assignment's relevance as soon as they introduce an activity.

Thursday, March 03, 2016

What Doesn't Work

In this November 2015 post we discussed Make It Stick, a book on the science of successful learning. Looking for the Cliff's Notes version? Here's an article by the same authors: "Classroom Practice – Effortless Learning Is A Dangerous Illusion."*

An overview:

Illusion 1

Repeated exposure burns new knowledge into memory.

Illusion 2

Single-focus, rapid-fire practice hones new skills.

Illusion 3

If learning feels easy, it is a sign you are mastering it.

Illusion 4

We are good judges of what we know and don't know.


*Peter Brown, Henry Roediger, Mark McDaniel.