By Yawar Baig A key skill for any instructor in student-centered learning, is the ability to ask good questions that lead a student to critical thinking, discovering their own answers, and exploring new ideas. In Friday's workshop we shared some techniques to make this easier, whether using questions for clickers, or having a class discussion. We defined 4 different types of questions, and practiced writing Factual, Convergent, Divergent and Evaluative questions. We talked about the types of questions to use during the four different stages of a classroom discussion. We discussed how to use Bloom's Taxonomy for developing questions, and how important student generated questions were by using the K-W-L activity to get students thinking about their questions before class. (or using it for a "ticket out" at the end of class) Links and resources are listed below: PowerPoint file Handout Additional Resources: The Second Principle: http://thesecondprincip...

The Decision Making Process What would be a good reason for making changes to a course? Take a minute to reflect and count how many reasons you can find.  If you want to hear more than 15 reasons, then Tuesday's TeachT@lk webinar is for you. Most importantly, not only did we talk about potential rationales for making changes to a course, we also provided planning strategies and highlighted several helpful available resources that are available to you at ASU. So, if you ever thought about change, now is a good time to start! Among the reasons for re-designing discussed are: New Content (e.g., world happenings, new perspectives) New Format (e.g., accelerated vs. semester-long) New Policies (e.g., addressing student behaviors) New Tools (e.g., technologies) Feedback (e.g., from students, peers) General Trends (e.g., Universal Design, Active Learning) When you decide you need to make a change, big or little, be sure to follow the "Decision-Making Process" ...

On Tuesday, July 12, our TeachT@lk webinar on  "informal learning" looked at various examples on integrating this type of learning into our courses. Although there are some challenges for faculty that want to use informal learning like organizing group work, time limitations and assessing the work, the benefits include: Reinforcement and extension of important concepts from class Appealing to multiple learning preferences Connecting class content with a student's personal goals and motivation Giving students skills to learn outside, and beyond the classroom Helping students develop a Personal Learning Environment (Bonwell & Eison, 1991; Felder & Brent, 2009) To take advantage of informal learning opportunities, faculty can create open-ended assignments, give students choices in topics, and options for a final deliverable . For these types of projects to be successful faculty should help students identify resources, and develop a work flow, inclu...

Did you know that K12 schools are integrating 21st Century Skills and making broad shifts in education? These changes include integrating more real-world problem solving, peer collaborations, and innovative technologies into classrooms. In Tuesday's TeachT@lk webinar, our guest, David Roman , a K12 Education Specialist from Pinal County, helped us understand what these skills are, and what faculty should expect in future college students. David introduced us to "P21" a framework for helping to develop 21st Century Learning, which includes these 3 skill areas: Life/career skills Learning/Innovation Skills 21CLD Collaboration Rubric Information/Media/Tech skills The webinar also included an introduction to the 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics , which describe 6 specific skills for higher education, including: Collaboration Knowledge construction  Self-regulation Real-world problem solving Use of ICT (Information and Communications Tech...

Today's post is by Liz Barnes, a PhD Graduate Student in Sara Brownell's Biology Education Research Lab at ASU's School of Life Sciences. Liz found her niche in evolution education research and completed a master’s thesis titled “Professor Attitudes and Beliefs about Teaching Evolution”. After obtaining her master’s degree in the summer of 2014, she began working on her doctoral research, which focuses on how the personal belief systems of individuals influence their perceptions of science and science education. Further, she is studying the ways in which science educators can effectively teach controversial subjects in biology while fostering positive attitudes towards science. Evolution is one of the most important theories in biology and yet one of the most controversial in society (Dobzhansky, 1973; Newport, 2014). This concurrent foundational and controversial nature of evolution makes it one of the more difficult topics to teach in biology. While studen...