This work was supported in part by the Los Angeles Collaborative for Teacher Excellence LACTE National Science Foundatio

1. This work was supported in part by the Los Angeles Collaborative for Teacher Excellence LACTE National Science Foundation # DUE-9453608

2. And Title III Grant Los Angeles Valley College Strengthening Institutions Program for Hispanic Serving Institutions U.S. Department of Education

3. Goals • Illustrate some teaching strategies that promote active learning • Demonstrate nongraded assessment tools that can be used to monitor learning and teaching

4. What do you think? Use number cards to answer true (1) or false (2) 1._____All students respond equally to lecture. 2._____Lecture is the most efficient way of producing learning. 3._____Lecture is needed to cover the material. 4._____Active learning means no lecture.

5. Benefits of Lecture With your group, discuss and list those aspects of lecture that you consider essential to teaching. (2 minutes)

6. Some Benefits of Lecture • Covers the material • Controls learning process • Organizes content • Nonthreatening • Comfortable

7. Drawbacks of Lecture In your group, discuss those aspects of lecture that do not work well. (2 minutes)

8. What don’t we like about lecture? • Students are passive • Difficult to sustain listening effort • Minimal retention • One learning style • Cannot monitor understanding

9. What Research Says About Lecture • Lecture method used by 61% of humanities professors 81% of social scientists 89% of science and math professors • Lecturing has become synonymous with teaching

10. Attention to Lecture • Students not attentive 40% of time • Information overload leads to “mental lapses” • Even motivated students experience inattention • High the first 10-15 minutes, declines, and peaks again in the final 5-10 minutes

11. Retention of Lecture • 89% of freshman cannot determine the major lecture ideas (Kiewra, 1987) • A slow lecture rate (100 wpm) far exceeds a student’s ability to record at 20 wpm. (Green, 1928) • At best, 20% of the information enters student’s notes. (Carrier, 1983) • When tested after lecture using notes, students recalled no more than 42% of the lecture. (McLeish, 1968)

12. Learning Check 1. The percentage of college science professors using the lecture method 1) 25% 2) 56% 3) 89% 2. How many minutes into lecture do most students pay attention? 1) 10-15 2) 20-30 3) 30-45 3. Percent of class time students are not attentive 1) 20% 2) 40% 3) 60%

13. Learning Check Solution 1. The percentage of college science professors using the lecture method 3) 89% 2. How many minutes into lecture do most students pay attention? 1) 10-15 3. Percent of class time students are not attentive 2) 40%

14. Education Trends Structure Grade levels Continuous progress Classroom Learning centers Group-based Individualized Teacher’s Role Transmitter Coach/facilitator

15. Education Trends Student’s Role Take notes Think Memorize Use, apply Competitive Cooperative learning Tools Books Multiple resources Evaluation/Testing Group Individualized Johnston, Aretz & Millis (1996)

16. Lecture PLUS A teaching strategy that integrates student-centered activities into lecture to promote Participation Learning Understanding Success

17. minilecture activities assessment

18. Why Small-Group Learning? • Engages student • Shares teaching and learning • Uses more learning styles • Develops higher-order thinking skills • Helps students learn to reflect • Increases success and retention

19. Resistance to Small-Group Learning • Public and institutional resistance • Fear cannot cover all the material • Students do not want to change • Lots of work initially

20. Some Tips • Begin first day • Provide a non-threatening environment • Start small • Clarify procedures • Adapt to fit your class • Be prepared to find out what is not learned

21. First Day Small Group Activity • Provides information about course content • Involves students immediately • Shows how your course will be different

22. Clarification Pauses • Give mini-lecture (15 min) • Students review notes (2-3 min) • Instructor moves about the room

23. Collaborative Learning • Form groups of 3-4 students • Hand out a problem set • Give time limit • Work on assigned question • Students present solutions to class

24. Group Behavior 1. Respect each others answers and contributions to group even if you disagree 2. Encourage every one to contribute by verbalizing new concepts and new terms 3. Attend all meetings of the learning team and be on time 4. Be patient and open minded

25. Group Behavior (cont.) 5. Be prepared for the work to be done at a group meeting 6. Divide work into sections (share work) 7. Take time to teach each other 8. Don’t let one member do all the work 9. Respect cultural differences 10. Understand different learning styles

26. Exact Numbers Number of people in your group ______ Number of people wearing glasses in your group _______ Number of grams in a kilogram _______ Discuss: 1. How did you obtain the above numbers? 2. Why do you think these numbers are called exact numbers?

27. Measured Numbers With a measuring device, determine the length and width of this slide. Length _____ Width ______ Area _____ Discuss 1. How did you obtain the numbers for length and width? 2. What units did you use? 3. What do you call numbers obtained by using a measuring device?

28. Learning Check A. Exact numbers are obtained by 1. measuring 2. counting 3. definition B. Measured numbers are obtained by 1. measuring 2. counting 3. definition C. Exact numbers have 1. infinite number of significant figures 2. limited number of significant figures 3. no significant figures

29. Learning Check Solution A. Exact numbers are obtained by 2. counting 3. definition B. Measured numbers are obtained by 1. measuring C. Exact numbers have 1. infinite number of significant figures

30. How am I Teaching? • Large gap between teaching and learning • The exam is too late for changes • Nongraded assessments monitor what students really learn • Faculty aid learning by giving feedback

31. Classroom Assessments • Tell us what we actually taught • Provide us with information to improve our teaching • Actively involve students and teacher • Occur at various times during the instruction

32. Protons and Neutrons in an Atom Atomic Number Number of protons Mass Number Number of protons + neutrons 30 Zn

33. Learning Check An atom of zinc has a mass number of 65. A. How many protons are in the zinc atom? 1) 30 2) 35 3) 65 B. How many neutrons are in the zinc atom? 1) 30 2) 35 3) 65 C. Another atom of zinc has 37 neutrons. What is the mass number of this atom? 1) 37 2) 65 3) 67

34. Learning Check Solution An atom of zinc has a mass number of 65. A. How many protons are in the zinc atom? 1) 30 B. How many neutrons are in the zinc atom? 2) 35 C. Another atom of zinc has 37 neutrons. What is the mass number of this atom? 3) 67

35. Learning Check Organic Chemistry Answer (1) SN1 or (2) SN2, neither or both(1,2) 1) ___Increased nucleophile concentration increases rate of reaction 2) ___Tertiary substrates react faster than primary 3) ___Polar, protic solvents speed up the reaction 4) ___Reaction takes place in more than one step 5) ___Increasing T increases rate of reaction

36. Learning Check Organic Chemistry Answer (1) SN1 or (2) SN2, neither or both(1,2) 1) ___Increased nucleophile concentration increases rate of reaction 2) ___Tertiary substrates react faster than primary 3) ___Polar, protic solvents speed up the reaction 4) ___Reaction takes place in more than one step 5) ___Increasing T increases rate of reaction

37. Shared Paragraph • Write a short paragraph • Read by other students • Give feedback in groups • Turn in (optional) • Instructor reports results and reviews

38. The One Minute Paper • Write a one-minute paper • Turn in • Do not grade • Summarize results • Report back

39. Student Comments “You become more involved with the class and thus more a part of the material that you are learning” “The group methods helped me understand the material for the first time. It made chemistry actually enjoyable”. “Active participation helped me to remember concepts and learn new ones in a more timely and efficient manner”.

40. Index Card • Hand out index cards • Students write questions • Sort cards • Determine what points need work • Review “muddy” points

41. More Team Activities Lab • Work in pairs • Turn in one report • Give one grade to each pair Homework Projects • Work on Chemworks • Turn in one paper • Give one grade for the group

42. Student Assessment of the Impact of Small Group Learning Strategy % Not % Very helpful helpful Chemworks 14 86 Learning Checks 15 85 Minilectures 18 82 Textbook 23 77 Group Activities 25 75 Peer Presenations 34 66 VOH/email 60 40 Office hours 51 49 119 responses

43. Assignment With your group, describe how you might use one of the active learning strategies discussed today in your classroom.

44. “One must learn by doing the thing; though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. “ Sophocles“Learning is not for school, but for life”khemist@aol.com