Summer is here (feeling the heat!), and hopefully, you can set aside a bit of time to spend on developing yourself professionally! In the School of Life Sciences Teaching Innovation Center (TIC), we’re reading evidence-based articles this summer and meeting to discuss them to grow in our teaching practice. We did this last summer and found it to be successful!
Opportunities for Scholarly Dialogues
We invite you to join us in reading one article each month for June and July. We will meet virtually to discuss the key takeaways and how we can implement the strategies provided in the articles for our courses. Bonus: in June, the first author of the article, Student Perceptions of Instructor Supportiveness: What Characteristics Make a Difference, will be joining us to share their research and answer questions we have.
TIC Summer Reading Group
Sign-up to receive invitations to the conversations! We plan to meet via Zoom on Fridays, June 25 and July 23, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Arizona/PST time.June 25
Schussler, E. E., Weatherton, M., Chen Musgrove, M. M., Brigati, J. R., & England, B. J. (2021). Student Perceptions of Instructor Supportiveness: What Characteristics Make a Difference? CBE—Life Sciences Education, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.20-10-0238July 23
Chen, X., Redden, J. M., Bobrownicki, A., Gill, J., & Graham, M. J. (2021). Using Pathway Modeling to Evaluate and Improve Student-Centered Teaching Practices in Co-Taught College Science Courses. CBE life sciences education, 20(2), es5. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-07-0147Benefits of Reading and Discussing Articles
A common practice in higher education is to provide evidence-based research or journal articles in a course, and then have discussions that follow. Reading and discussing the information helps to form connections with prior knowledge, provides further context, and determines what actions to take next. Learners, or even educators growing their teaching practice, can benefit from the social interaction of a collaborative discussion, as seen in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, along with the development of higher-order thinking skills (Allman, 2020).In a course, consider asking students to choose an article and lead the discussion with their peers. This evidence-based method of learning is called "reciprocal teaching." It is a scaffolded approach in which the dialogue leader (can be teacher or student) models the following techniques, which then are followed by the group (Spörer et al., 2009):
- generating one's own questions
- summarizing parts of the text
- clarifying word meanings and confusing text passages
- predicting what might come next
Many skills can be gained and improved from this practice of guided reading and discussions, such as communication, leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, and analysis. This practice not only enhances students' ability to read and present primary scientific research but helps them to present their own research (Kozeraki, 2006).
I propose that as educators we should practice these methods ourselves, and then feel confident adding the method to our courses. Educators equally benefit from this kind of dialogue on teaching development practices and the creation of a scholarly community (Hessling et al., 2018).
Opportunities for Scholarly Dialogues
Starting this fall, we will be offering Teaching Conversations each month to create a dedicated time for the valuable dialogues surrounding evidence-based articles, teaching challenges, and acknowledging the failures that lead to innovation. Watch for emails and announcements for the dates and times. We hope to offer at least one or more per month, in a hybrid style (in the TIC office, LSC L1-54, with a Zoom link too). Can't wait to converse with you and other teaching colleagues!
We are also happy to meet one-to-one with you to discuss ways to implement strategies in your courses. We are here to support you in your teaching practice and can follow up later in the semester to see if what you implemented worked, or discuss any challenges you had. Contact us at tic@asu.edu!
Enjoy your summer, and we hope to see you at these conversations around teaching and learning!
References
- Allman, B. (2020). Socioculturalism. In R. Kimmons & S. Caskurlu (Eds.), The Students' Guide to Learning Design and Research. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/studentguide/socioculturalism
- Hessling, P.A., Robinson, E.E., Capps, J.A., Gallardo-Williams, M.T. (2018) Cross-Disciplinary Reading Circles: Community Building, Collaboration and Professional Growth. Journal of Faculty Development, 32(3), 19-24. ASU Library Access.
- Kozeracki, C. A., Carey, M. F., Colicelli, J., Levis-Fitzgerald, M., & Grossel, M. (2006). An intensive primary-literature-based teaching program directly benefits undergraduate science majors and facilitates their transition to doctoral programs. CBE life sciences education, 5(4), 340–347. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.06-02-0144
- Spörer, N., Brunstein, J.C., Kieschke, U. (2009). Improving students' reading comprehension skills: Effects of strategy instruction and reciprocal teaching. Learning and Instruction, 19(3), 272-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.05.003
Sarah Prosory is an Instructional Designer within the School of Life Sciences' Teaching Innovation Center at Arizona State University. She has worked in higher education for over ten years, supporting faculty in law, engineering, and biological sciences. Her experience includes assisting faculty with in-person, blended, and hybrid courses, as well as making the leap to fully online courses. She provides training to faculty and teaching assistants on how to use educational technologies, and shares evidence-based practices in course design to improve the student experience. She also teaches online for ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.
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