Research Blog #12: Book Review #4

Rozycki, William. "Just-in-Time Teaching." Indiana University. Research and Creative Activity, Apr. 1999. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://www.indiana.edu/~rcapub/v22n1/p08.html>.      

Gregor Novak, a physics teacher of what was previously Purdue University Indianapolis Campus, came to realize the need for change within the process of teaching students at the level of higher education.

Novak is a well respected physics professor who conducted lecture in an active learning environment.

JiTT: Just-in-Time-Teaching; a web based interactive study tool for students

Collaborative Recitation:  Interactivity is promoted by breaking students into groups of two to four, and these teams then solve problems on a whiteboard, sharing their ideas and communicating solutions. Instructors, graduate assistants, and student mentors circulate among the groups, giving input when needed.

“broke his course material into a series of fifteen-minute structured activities for small groups and developed examples and exercises that connected physics theory to common sense or familiar activities. The students learned by doing” (Rozycki, 1999).  
-Understanding the learning needs of his students, Novak demonstrates the successful outcome universities can have when configuring new teaching techniques around the strengths of the individual students.
 "Because students work in groups, they have to attempt explanations to their peers. They often learn that a particular method or idea is more complex than they realized. The exercise improves both critical thinking andcommunication skills." (Rozycki, 1999).
-The easiest person to convince is one's self.  Working together in groups creates a collaborative environment in which statements and ideas may be challenged.  It is up to the individual to then explain to his or her peers why their particular reasoning is correct.  The act of teaching then allows one to learn the material. 
 "The Web provided a level of connectedness to the class that otherwise would have been lacking."
-From the voice of a student, Jerry Travelstead discusses his view on Novak's teaching tactics.  A fist hand experiences proves to be successful for the student body, illustrating the effectiveness of active learning.


This process of learning has not only stopped in the classroom of professor Novak, but has been used in various universities around the country.  Andrew P. Martin, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado has also incorporated the use of “flipping” the classroom.  This act of teaching “enables students' misconceptions to be corrected well before they emerge on a midterm or final exam. The result, according to a growing body of research, is more learning” (Berrett, 2012).  The evidence provided favors those professors who enable the student body to effectively teach themselves.  Their ability to tune into the needs of the individual allows for a “hands on” learning environment engaging the students with each other.  This engagement allows individuals to acquire various view points on the same problem.  

Extra Credit Post #4

Although the push towards active teaching techniques seems to be propagating, there remains a continuous debate regarding traditional lecture and the new system of teaching.  Jim Corder, author of “Traditional Lecture Still Have a Place in the Classroom” argues several interesting points in terms of a traditional style of teaching.  Reminiscing about a psychology class, Corder claims how “at their best, they dramatize the creation of knowledge” (Corder, 1991).  The lecture in a sense demonstrates the student’s intent to learn.  Listening to simple anecdotes of the professor intrigues the student allowing them to concentrate and wonder what may lie ahead in the particular class.  Demonstrating an effective method in engaging students within the traditional lecture, Corder goes on even further to argue “lectures can show the consequences of knowledge—show what comes of knowledge, how it can be used in ways not previously seen or guessed”  (Corder, 1991).  Essentially Corder’s theory emphasizes the importance of the individual professor.  Whether or not he or she has the ability to produce a successful learning environment depends on the style of each teacher.  This said, one may question whether or not Ratemyprofessor.com really reflects the ability to retain knowledge in a professor’s course.  Even if the professor’s teaching strategies demonstrates that of an active learning environment, if students do not feel motivated to learn, students will not succeed.

Extra Credit Post #3

One study performed by Behar Horenstein and his colleagues, "Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers: An Exploratory Study Of Students' And Professors' Perceptions” provides interesting insight about the influences professors may have on individual students.  Horenstein and his colleagues explored “students' perceptions of the mentoring process and students' beliefs about how it impacted their experiences as undergraduate researchers and their development as scientists” (Horenstein, 2010).  Looking into the impressions left by those professors who taught through the “flipping” process is an interesting direction to take.  Were students influenced by “flipping” professors more successful in the long run?  Or was a traditional teaching method more appropriate for the growth of the individual?  Dan Berrett would have to argue that traditional teaching methods do indeed limit the growth of the student.  In Berrett’s article "Teaching:  Harvard Seeks to Jolt University” he explains how “Lectures set up a dynamic in which students passively receive information that they quickly forget after the test. The traditional lecture also fails at other educational goals: prodding students to make meaning from what they learn, to ask questions, extract knowledge, and apply it in a new context” (Berrett, 2012).  If these institutions have not learned to provide the tools needed to successfully apply information, the progress of their students will remain constant.  Students will have to begin to learn how to apply information in the real world where these skills should already have been learned.  Developing these analytic skills should be a priority of university professors. Terry Barrett and Sarah Moore provide professors with a set of blue prints for incorporating these skills in the classroom in their book “Approaches to Problem-based Learning: Revitalising Your Practice in Higher Education”.  Their book expands on the concept of a student oriented classroom.  Once professors gain insight into the cognition of students and the effective ways hands on engagement can have within the classroom, undergraduate students may potentially carry and apply the learned information to novel situations becoming scholarly problem solvers.

Extra Credit Post #2

Student’s speaking from their own experiences can be looked at in a controversial manner.  Again one must consider the various students attending universities and their work ethics.  Some may simply be demonstrating a lack of academic integrity.  However, one has to question:  What if what the student’s say truly reflects the situation?  The student body is heavily reflective of one another.  If students cannot manage the ability to grasp information in an efficient manner, what are universities doing to change that?  Many have started developing ways to successfully connect with students, helping them to essentially teach themselves.  Gregor Novak, a physics teacher of what was previously Purdue University Indianapolis Campus, came to realize the need for change within the process of teaching students at the level of higher education.  The results of his change were remarkable.  Novak simply “broke his course material into a series of fifteen-minute structured activities for small groups and developed examples and exercises that connected physics theory to common sense or familiar activities. The students learned by doing” (Rozycki, 1999).  Understanding the learning needs of his students, Novak demonstrates the successful outcome universities can have when configuring new teaching techniques around the strengths of the individual students.

Extra Credit Post #1

The study “Rate My Expectations:  How Online Evaluations of Professors Impact Students’ Perceived Control” conducted by Rachel Hensley evaluates the affect of a single website that is Ratemyprofessor.com.  Prior students of these professors write up a description of their personal experience in the course.  As one can imagine, every student’s experience varies.  Hensley’s study illustrates how “Ratemyprofessors.com can have an impact on students’ impressions of professors and directly affect student perceptions of control over the course outcome and their attitudes toward taking the course” (Hensley, 2011).  Those students placed into a “poor” rated professor’s lecture fail to cooperate with the teaching style of the particular professor due to a pre judged description.  Had the student simply accepted the alleged professor without reading a review before hand, one may question how the student would have performed.  Does someone else’s experience truly speak for that of future students?  Maybe the original student who struggled in the class was not as interested in the subject matter, failing to perform at the level desired by the professor of said course.  These factors must be taken into consideration when gaining insight into the professor’s ability to successfully teach his/her students.

Research Blog #11: Counter-Argument Book Review #3

Corder, Jim W. "Traditional Lectures Still Have A Place In The Classroom." Chronicle Of Higher Education 37.39 (1991): B2. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. 

Jim Corder's article "Traditional Lectures Still Have a Place In The Classroom" provides reasons why active teaching strategies may not be the most efficient method of teaching.  Demonstrating how professors whom stick to the classic ways of teaching lectures continue to provide fundamental information and techniques appropriate for retaining knowledge.  

Jim Corder is a professor of English at Texas Christian University 

Experiential Learning:  basically any classroom method of teaching other than lecturing

Traditional Lecture:  professor reading from a book or powerpointl, not engaging the students

“lectures can show the consequences of knowledge—show what comes of knowledge, how it can be used in ways not previously seen or guessed”  (Corder, 1991).  Essentially Corder’s theory emphasizes the importance of the individual professor.  Whether or not he or she has the ability to produce a successful learning environment depends on the style of each teacher. 

“at their best, they dramatize the creation of knowledge” (Corder, 1991).  The lecture in a sense demonstrates the student’s intent to learn.  Listening to simple anecdotes of the professor intrigues the student allowing them to concentrate and wonder what may lie ahead in the particular class.  

"the rich array of learning situation, course goals, students, and subject matter that make up a college education leaves room for the well-constructed lecture--at the right time, for the right people, and in the right place" (Corder, 1991).  Traditional lectures may still allow individual students to successfully acquire knowledge.  It basically depends on the students presented at the specific time and how willing they are to work with the professors teaching strategies. 

This material creates an argument within my paper offering another view on the "proper" teaching methods.  Creating dialogue between ideas within my research paper allows for a deeper and more intricately designed piece of work that shows apposing views on the subject.  Unlike my other readings, this article pertains to the importance of the traditional lecture style compared to active or experiential learning environments.  

Research Blog #10: Your Case

Berrett, Dan. "Teaching." How 'Flipping' the Classroom Can Improve the Traditional Lecture. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 19 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://chronicle.com/article/How-Flipping-the-Classroom/130857/>.

My argument may be extensively illustrated through Dan Barrett's article presented above.  The text demonstrates how active teaching strategies are effective learning techniques for students rather than traditional college lectures.  In my previous post, I presented a diagram illustrating how active teaching techniques compare to the classic lecture.  This article provides further evidence in regards to the retaining knowledge.  It may also be useful to know that although there remains concrete evidence that active teaching results in higher knowledge retention, many still argue the traditional lecture results in a better learning environment.  http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=4&sid=cce1d73b-abdd-48d0-9652-438e4b4dc266%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=10670552 The following article offers interesting points that support the use of traditional lecture over active or experiential teaching.  

Research Blog #9: Visual

This diagram illustrates the importance of Active Learning vs traditional Passive Learning.  As one may see in the chart, very little information is retained through passive learning teaching techniques.  The particular diagram supports my research paper as I explore the impact of various teaching styles of professors in the college classroom.  Whether or not these teachers practice an efficient form of teaching may influence the success rate of their students.

Research Blog #8: Book Review #2

Photo as seen in Dan Berrett's scholarly article "How Flipping the Classroom Can Improve the Traditional Lecture".  

Berrett, Dan. "Teaching." How 'Flipping' the Classroom Can Improve the Traditional Lecture. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 19 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://chronicle.com/article/How-Flipping-the-Classroom/130857/>. 

Dan Berrett touches on various ideas particularly interesting in regards to the effects of teaching at the level of higher education.  Offering valid evidence for the argument of proper teaching strategies, Berrett introduces Professor Andrew Martin.  Constructing a learning environment shaped around the student body, Martin illustrates the power of group work as a means of containing information.  Rather than lecturing students on a particular subject, professors see benefits in allowing their students to use and apply material.  

Graduating from Columbia University, Dan Berrett is a well respected author writing many articles as Senior Reporter at "The Chronicle of Higher Education".  

"Flipping"- Allows students to collaborate together to form an understanding of the particular topic based on previous reading/knowledge.  The class then discuss problems with the Professor and he or she is able to correct or help students.

STEM- Acronym for fields of study in categories:  science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

"Flipping allows colleges, particularly large research institutions with big classes, to make the traditional lecture model more productive"-(Introduction)   

-Engaging students to use their knowledge and prove one is right, allows one to become physically engaged with the material.  If they are incorrect, they may simply be taught the correct answer when realizing theirs is incorrect.

"Rather than sending students home to struggle with a new concept, the instructors can hear—and correct—misunderstandings as they arise"-(Identifying Key Concepts)

-Misinterpretation of information may be altered when students have the professor available to talk to.  Essentially, the students teach each other.  The professor is simply a reference to relate to.  One question that comes to mind however, what if some students disagree with what the professor says?

"Once you engage the students' minds," Mr. Mazur said, "there's an eagerness to learn, to be right, to master."-(A View from the Lecture Hall)

-The idea of competition between students engages each of them in an active environment, stimulating neurons and allows for making connections between material.  

-The particular article "How Flipping the Classroom Can Improve the Traditional Lecture" helps me explore my research question as it provides supporting evidence that some professors may not be preparing students in an efficient manner.  This particular article illustrates how one may successfully retain knowledge through the use of student interaction, providing the professor uses "flipping" teaching strategies.  

-Reading this article was interesting as it connects with several other readings done in class.  It relates to many readings I came across when researching my topic.  A particular short video clip, "The Hilt Conference on College Teaching" posted on our College! blog demonstrates exactly what my paper is forming as an argument.  

Research Blog #7: Book Review #1

Rachel Hensley, et al. "Rate My Expectations: How Online Evaluations Of Professors Impact Students’ Perceived Control." Computers In Human Behavior 27.5 (2011): 1862-1867. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.


-This particular scholarly article touches on the impact one website, Ratemyprofessor.com, has on a student's projected outcome of said class.  It is a study regarding the responses to teachers based on their "rating" as a professor.  


-Rachel Hensley:  affiliated with the Department of Psychology at both the University of Houston and Alabama.  


-Ratemyprofessor.com:  A website used to essentially "rate" professors based on prior students experiences
-Student Evaluation:  All evaluations are opinion based, cannot speak for every students experience 


"Ratemyprofessors.com can have an impact on students’ impressions of professors and directly affect student perceptions of control over the course outcome and their attitudes toward taking the course”-(Abstract)
-Supports the concept of my paper explaining how impressions of a professor may be unfairly represented as students feeling ill prepared simply do not cooperate with the professors teaching habits. 
"Results revealed that the RMP reviews influenced the audience members’ attitudes toward learning the material and views of the speaker’s credibility, particularly when the RMP information was positive"-(1.4)
-The student feels control of their projected grade is based on the rating of the professor.  Some may feel that gaining an A in a class taught by a poor rated professor is impossible, when it truly remains up to the individual and their work ethic. 
 "When participants were given negative feedback, the female authority (but not the male authority) was perceived as incompetent. These findings strongly suggest that future research should take gender of the professor into account to examine the possibility that women who are professors may have a greater preponderance of more negative comments on their profiles – some of which are based on negative stereotypes about women rather than reflecting genuine professor characteristics– than do comparable male professors."-(4.3.2)
-Further investigates the rating effect on a students predicted grade.  Some ratings may be unfair based on ignorance.  


-This particular study helps me explore my research question as it pertains to student’s feelings ill prepared simply because they are ignoring these attempts of teaching.  It helps answer my question of whether or not professors are providing a legitimate foundation for success among the student body?  If not, how then do professors go about preparing individuals to successfully retain knowledge? 


-This new reading connects with previous readings done in the coarse as it demands one to develop questions.  Like the issues of privatization, one may argue for or against.  Due to this study, my topic can be debated whether or not professors are preparing students in an efficient manner, providing tools for them to successfully retain knowledge.