Media - Simulations

We have a particularly challenging concept when describing three phase motors. How to generate the Synchronous Field. While we draw it on the board, it is hard to take a static drawing and describe a fluid process.

This article that I have come across "Using Simulations to help students learn" has helped me to understand the value in the simulation. As well as the benefit.

I have found a simulation that shows the synchronous field, and showed it to some students yesterday. They found the visual process easier to understand. An additional benefit was that I could start and stop the simulation and we could talk about it as the simulation progressed.

This is particularly helpful with electrical concepts, since electricity is invisible and a simulation can help to visualize what is taking place within the electrical circuit.

Instructional Processes / Strategies

I was thinking about how I develop a connection with our apprentices and the material that we are covering. I believe that comes from the Bridge-In that takes place at the beginning of the class.

This is a very interesting article on wikipedia regarding this as well. The article describes the BOPPS Model for Planning Lessons.

In the article they describe the intent of the bridge in and offer several examples that resonated with me: 

1)  Referring to something in the learners realm of experience

2) Linking current topic to material already studied or to future learning

I often look for a link to previous material already covered, or to a comment that an apprentice has made to help me bridge in the new material.

Now I understand the benefit of this type of bridge in and how it improves the buy in. This provides them with a justification or motivation to learn the new material being presented. 

Motivational Techniques

I've just finished reading a really interesting article on 9 different strategies to spark Adult Students Motivation.

I was drawn to this article because they help to identify the differences between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation within learners.

Often I find with apprentices their motivation is viewed as extrinsic; "I need the raise", or "I have to complete my apprenticeship". And while it is true that the government or their employer may be setting that expectation, really at the end of the day, it is the apprentice who will benefit from the learning and growth of their skills.

This piece has really helped me to identify the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic learning and how to help my students see the value in their learning rather than satisfying an outside source.

They list the following:

Encourage students to draw on past experiences and facilitate a dialogue of discussion with regular active participation.

Encourage students to share their own learning expectations and goals related to the course content

Provide announcements and emails with information about the resources available for struggling students (i.e., mentorships, coaching, or counseling services).

Provide real life applications through simulations, case studies, and role playing activities.

Provide visual aids or even field trips that enhance the students learning and application of learning outcomes.

Invite guest speakers that are experts in the field. Experts can pique students’ interests and highlight relevance of the learning concepts being taught.

Talk with students about how the class assignments are relevant to future careers.

Teach students to reflect and take control over their own learning by using weekly reflections (anonymously, if you like) to solicit feedback about their own performance and where they need to improve.

Empower students by teaching them where to find materials and how to use resources in an online college platform that will help them in areas where improvement is needed

Creating a Positive Learning Environment

I was surfing the web and found a like to an article written at the University of Saskatchewan. It's nice to be able to refer to Canadian content (grin!).
The article url is: http://www.usask.ca/gmcte/resources/teaching/environment

What I found most interesting is the first point that they brought up;
"Work Hard to Learn Students names".
With the apprenticeship program being 8 weeks in length, I get to learn 30 new names 5 times a year. And I consider this time well spent, I appreciate people calling me by name, and want to do the same for my students.

Much of what the web page refers to centers around mutual respect and I wholeheartedly agree with that. I can turn many of the points listed into questions to ask myself, to see what I can do to improve the positive learning environment in my class.

Characteristics of Adult Learners

I have found a very interesting resource to help identify distinct characteristics of an adult learner. In this web article, (Billington, D, Seven Characteristics of Highly Effective Adult Learning Programs).  Dorothy describes 7 key factors.

1) "An environment where students feel safe and supported, where individual needs and uniqueness are honored, where abilities and life achievements are acknowledged and respected"

2) "An environment that fosters intellectual freedom and encourages experimentation and creativity"

3) "An environment where faculty treats adult students as peers -- accepted and respected as intelligent experienced adults whose opinions are listened to, honoured, appreciated. Such faculty member often comment that they learn as much from their students as the students learn from them.

4) "Self-directed learning, where students take responsibility for their own learning"

5) Pacing or intellectual challenge"

6) Active involvement in learning, as opposed to passively listening to lectures"

7) Regular feedback mechanisms for students to tell faculty what works best for them and what they want and need to learn"

These points make sense to me and I would like to find many similarities with them in the classroom already.

I believe that these 7 factors can help to provide me with check-in points during my classroom time. By this I mean that I can ask myself; "Is this lecture paced correctly, and is it providing the intelectual challenge appropriate for these apprentices"? Or, "Do I need to lecture this point, or can we use the lab to reinforce this through active learning"?

Inside the Psychologist's Studio with Albert Bandura

Social-Cognitive Theories of Learning

Introduction to Learning Theories

This should be on a bumper sticker!

From page 5 of the book "Adult Learning, Linking Theory and Practice" comes a very interesting quote from a publication "Powerful learning: What we know about teaching for understanding"

Students need to be prepared as self-directed, lifelong learners "for jobs that do not yet exist, to use technologies that have not yet been invented, and to solve problems that we don't even know are problems yet" (Darling-Hammond et al., 2008, p.2)

And yet, when I really think about it and look back on my career, I had no idea when I graduated from SAIT, that I be using a computer on a daily basis (or even carrying one in my pocket!). Or that we would be globally connected via this electronic infrastructure called the internet, allowing us to connect and communicate around the world......

Interesting Thoughts

I've started reading "Adult Learning, Linking Theory & Practice" by Sharan B. Meriam & Laura L. Bierema.

I haven't yet made it past page 5 and there are some passages that I find very interesting.....

Preface, page viii
"One of the assumptions of andragogy is that because adults are self-directing in their work, family, and community lives, they can also be self-directing in their learning"

Hmmmm, In my classes so far, I have seen the self directed learners, and I have also seen a fair percentage (I would guess at least a third of the class) that wait for the direction of the instructional staff.

That's not to say that they lack the ability, but I wonder if our K-12 structure here in Alberta has conditioned the students to follow the direction of the instructors, rather than take it upon themselves.

Definitely something to debate over coffee.....

Trends

A fellow instructor here in the Electrical Department is trying new techniques with his students whereby he assigns topics to small groups to research and then present to the rest of the class. While only tried in one class, he commented that the students were quite receptive to learning for each of the small groups. Again it occurs to me that this is another use of peer learning within the classroom.

And there may also be a side benefit of peer pressure, providing the students with additional incentive to give a good presentation in front of their fellow students.

Additionally, I can see that this sharing of the students is a peer learning technique that I want to utilize whenever possible in my lab classes. Providing 2 benefits; 1) Confirmation for the sharing student that they understand the material, and 2) Assisting the learning student with another viewpoint or person whom they can learn from.

In theory classes, I've identified the strong students based on their results in the evaluations that I have. I'll check with them first to ensure they are comfortable with it and if so, then I'll mention to the class that if they are looking for some extra help, or an additional perspective, to go talk with these students who have a solid grasp on the theoretical concepts.

New Insights

In the past few classes, I have noticed how some of the stronger students (those who find the electrical material easier to learn or comprehend) step up and assist the students who are struggling in the labs.

I really hadn't paid much attention to it until I started researching "Peer Learning" for this module.

I see that these students were sharing what they have just learned with their counterparts, and in the process helped to strengthen their own understanding of the material while assisting their lab partners to further comprehend the new concepts. Additionally I saw that the students who were sharing their knowledge were describing it in terms that they understood and I believe that this benefited the other students because they were exposed to another viewpoint, or another way of looking at the material.

This goes back to what Glenn had mentioned, (I'm paraphrasing) "We teach the way we learn".

Another amusing moment occurred when I was reading the front page on the Peeragogy website. They quote "“Education is not an affair of ‘telling’ and being told, but an active and constructive process." (Dewey, 1916). The amusing moment came when I looked at the publication date..... It impresses me to see that so much learning is not recent, but really ongoing. 

As a relatively new instructor with 1 year under my belt, I have participated in discussions where the seasoned instructors would caution against becoming a "Sage on the Stage". In my opinion, not having much history allows me to continue to develop my teaching style and philosophy. Resulting in (I hope) an easier acceptance of teaching methods such as Peer Learning.

References:

1.  Dewey,J (1916), 'Democracy and Education'

Conference

Part of the assignment is to have a web conference with your working partner. I am very fortunate to be paired up with another instructor here at SAIT.

I had a great meeting with Stacey on Monday, to discuss our shared topic on Peer Learning.

She brought some articles which I found interesting. One from the National University of Singapore labelled Peer Learning: Enhancing Student Learning Outcomes had a very interesting quote: "Students learn a great deal by explaining their ideas to others and by participating in activities in which they can learn from their peers"" (Boud, 2001)

As an Electrical Apprenticeship instructor I have experienced this most recently in a lab last week. The students were grouped in pairs for the lab class where they were learning to hook up a motor and have it run correctly, when none of the leads were labelled. They had to go through a test procedure to correctly identify each wire and then successfully connect and operate it. Some students found the process quite easy where others had a greater challenge. It was interesting to see the students who had mastered the process support their peers who were struggling.

One of the challenges that we both identified was performing a good post assessment. Peer Learning can be very effective for the student who is sharing with their fellow peers. However it is equally important to ensure that all of the students within the peer learning group are participating and engaged in the process. Referring back to my students within the lab environment, I have experienced group dynamics where both students are working through the lab module. As well, I've noted situations where one student is heavily engaged and the other is mildly interested. In my opinion, having an effective post assessment tool can help to motivate some students to take a more active role.

Finally, it was interesting to note that both of us came upon an excellent website; Peeragogy
Many folks have come together to develop a handbook on collaborative learning.

References:

1. Boud, D. (2001). 'Introduction: Making the Move to Peer Learning'. In Boud, D., Cohen, Ruth & Sampson, Jane (Ed.). Peer Learning in Higher Education: Learning From & With Each Other. London: Kogan Page Ltd, 1-17

Staying on track while surfing the 'net

Funny how you can search the internet looking for one topic and before you notice it, you've shifted over to something unexpected!

I started out by googling "peer learning" and stumbled across a website on "peeragogy"

For those (like myself) that don't know all of the terms, wikipedia defines the term "pedagogy" as the "science and art of education".

Smarter folks than I coined another term called "andragogy" which focuses on "Adult Education". There is a great definition and comparison by Ron Kowit on Andragogy vs. Pedagogy

The basis of my thoughts for the moment has been to look at pedagogy initially and then to observe the differences in andragogy. How are adult learners different from young learners?

Then I run across articles that question that progression? Can we not use the methods that are identified for an adult learner with children? Tom Whitby has a great article on just this

So much for staying on track with peer learning!!!

So, to refocus, my goal is to evaluate how Peer Learning is changing my role as an Adult Educator.

First meeting with my Trends & Roles Partner

Yesterday, I had a nice meeting with my learning partner for this stage of our PIDP 3100 class. Stacey also works at SAIT and we were able to come up with a common topic that is of interest to both of us.
We've chosen to work on Peer / Blended learning approaches in our classrooms. Stay tuned for updates as the research continues!

Welcome to my PIDP Pathway

This blog was created by myself (Robin Greig) to help chronicle my journey through the Professional Instructor Diploma Program that I am currently enrolled in through the Vancouver Community College.

Thanks for visiting,
Robin