Teaching Techniques

1. Teaching Techniques 2001 PCO/PXO Seminar

2. Outline • A lot on teaching and testing techniques

3. Philosophy Psychology Prognosis Prescription

4. The Four “P’s” • Philosophy of teaching/learning • Psychology of teaching/learning • Prescription for teaching/learning • Prognosis for teaching/learning

5. Philosophy: • “an integrated personal attitude toward life and reality” • Life & Reality: • University • Your position as a faculty member • Midshipmen • Your course of instruction Philosophy

6. Philosophy of Teaching/Learning • Like college students • Sound scholarship Teaching---Scholarship---Research Philosophy

7. Philosophy of Teaching/Learning - Personality - Know why - Relevance - Methodology - Enthusiasm Philosophy

8. What if you really don’t think you’re the “instructor” type? • What do you want for your Navy and Marine Corps in the future? • What values do you believe in? • What do you want for your children? • What do your midshipmen know about the real Navy and Marine Corps and what has Hollywood taught them about service?

9. Learning Styles (1) • Auditory - (learn by listening) • Visual - (learn by seeing and writing) • Kinesthetic - (large motor, whole body learning) • Tactile - (small motor learning) Psychology

10. Learning Styles (2) • Cognitive -- head learning • Psychomotor -- body learning • Affective -- soul learning Psychology

11. Learning Styles (3) • Active and reflective learners • Sensing and intuitive learners • Visual and verbal learners • Sequential and global learners Psychology

12. Prescription • Develop the plan • Fit the material to the time • Seek precise examples and illustrations • Begin by stimulation • Improvise • Provide breathers • Have a clean, clear ending • Use variety • Be guided by the class Prescription

13. “NO WAY YOU CAN AVOID THE PERCEPTIONS OF INCOMPETENCE OR LACK OF PREPARATION IF YOU WING IT FOR LONG”. Oh, by the way, you are an incompetent instructor if you are winging it. Prescription

14. Mission • … “structure experiences that will lead to changes in behavior.” • PREPARATION • What is to be learned? • How do I provoke learning? • How do we confirm learning has occurred? Prescription

15. OK, I’ve got all of that. But what if I don’t really know much about the subject I’m supposed to teach?

16. Tools • Professional Core Competencies (PCC) • Curriculum • Objectives designed to satisfy PCC’s • References and Texts (chapter and page #) • Instructors • Students • Instructional Aids recommendations • Procedural and student activity options • Presentation Prescription

17. More tools • Instruction • NROTC Instructor seminar • Unit pass down • University sponsored faculty training • Experience • Academic • Military • Personal Prescription

18. 7 Instructional Design Steps 1. Topic and purpose 2. Study and know the class 3. Develop objectives 4. Prepare the lesson plan 5. Select presentation method 6. Deliver the goods 7. Test and evaluate Prescription

19. 1. Topic and purpose • Why is this course important? • What do I already know about the subject and what do I need to learn? • What do my students already know and what do they need to learn? • What else is going on around this course? Prescription

20. 2. Study and know the class • Know your students -- they are your audience • Names • Background (prior enlisted? Nurse Corps option? Transfer from Air Force?) • Know their situation (Library hours? Dorm environment? Access to computers?) • Know their goals Prescription

21. 3. Develop objectives • Performance -- what is the learner supposed to be able to do? • Condition -- under what conditions? • Criterion -- at what standard of performance? Prescription

22. 4. Prepare the lesson plan • Topic and bookkeeping info • Objectives • Materials and references • Introduction (motivation) • Presentation (outline, methods, questions) • Application • Summary • Test and Evaluation • Assignment Prescription

23. Good Lesson Plans • Tailored to your audience • Based on your strengths • Uses all available resources • Flexible • Concise • Motivational • Discussion/thought provoking • Successful in achieving learning Prescription

24. 5. Select presentation method • Lecture • Guest Lectures • Discussion • Seminar Prescription

25. So you’re going to lecture…. • It’s an art and a science • Students want: a brief outline, summaries, demonstrations/movies to reinforce concepts, buzz groups • Be enthusiastic • Be seen and heard • Use a sense of the dramatic Prescription

26. So you’re going to lecture…. • Watch your time and your timing • Watch your mannerisms (you’re the most important visual aid) • Never be afraid to stop and get untangled if you get stuck • Use eye contact Prescription

27. Guest Lectures • They don’t replace learning!! • Provide them with a list of objectives. • Prepare a pre-brief to ensure the appropriate subject matter is covered. • Limit the time. • Introduce your guest. • Have questions prepared. • Trust no one. Prescription

28. Discussion Groups ...seeks to engage the group in the act of learning by getting them to listen and speak in a sequence that is both partially controlled and designed to maximize thinking. Prescription

29. Set ground rules Post an agenda Tolerate emotional outbursts Watch for roadblocks Use pursuing questions Tolerate silence Curtail your own chatter Summarize often Keep interest through humor, tragedy, or demonstration Encourage neighbor interaction Discussion Groups Prescription

30. Seminar …. a small number of intensely interested and knowing individuals letting their minds play on a particular topic. Prescription

31. Seminar • Set the stage. • Specify the problem. • Determine known and available pertinent data. • Determine what is necessary to solve the problem. • List possible solutions. • Weigh the solutions against the criteria for solution. Prescription

32. Technology in the classroom • Chalkboard, Whiteboard & Easel • Overhead projector • Slide projector • VHS • Computer Prescription

33. 6. Deliver the goods (teach!) • Arrange the room to suit your class. • Clean the boards. • Pre-flight chalk and pens • Check the bulb in the overhead • Have software ready Prescription

34. 6. Deliver the goods (teach!) • Your demeanor • Your appearance • Time • The syllabus • Readings and assignments • Courtesy in the classroom • Roadblocks Prescription

35. Just a few other issues…. • I’m positive that kid knows more about this subject than I do. • What do I do when everything is going well? • What should I do when I make a huge mistake? • What do you do with the student who is never quiet and the one who never talks? • Why did they laugh? • I’ve got too much time or too little time!! • They all look bored. (I’m a little bored, too.) • I hate that one kid. • How do I graciously accept the instructor of the year award? Prescription

36. Improving Your Teaching • Study your material • Rehearse • Class critiques • Watch others • Use the video recorder Prescription

37. 7. Test and evaluate • Why test student knowledge? • Clarify learning objectives • Report student achievement/mastery • Improve learning • Tests teach students • How are tests used? • Report student achievement • Clarify objectives • Improve learning Prognosis

38. Tests teach • Test methodology influences student study habits. • Tests motivate students to study/learn. Prognosis

39. Relevance Balance Efficiency Objectivity Specificity Difficulty Discrimination Reliability Fairness Speed Characteristics of quality tests Prognosis

40. Tests can be motivators • Not helped by high grades • Not helped by unrealistic standards • Most motivation occurs when student feels he/she can succeed with reasonable effort Prognosis

41. Hierarchy of test methods Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Recall Prognosis

42. Test Types • Informal or standardized • Oral, written or performance • Mastery, survey or diagnostic • Objective or subjective • Question types: true/false, matching, multiple choice, completion, essay Prognosis

43. True/False - Advantages • Makes wide sampling of knowledge possible in a short period of time • Readily assesses facts • Helps assess degree of superstitious beliefs • Adapts itself to a variety of subjects Prognosis

44. (True/False - Advantages cont’d) • Can be objectively scored • Forces choosing between alternatives • Evaluates ability to apply principles to new situations • Can measure understanding of concepts Prognosis

45. True/False - Disadvantages • Encourages guessing • Adapts poorly to educational diagnosis • Has low reliability. T/F test must be longer than other objective-type tests to secure comparable reliability Prognosis

46. (True/False - Disadvantages cont’d) • Constructing statements that are absolutely T or F is difficult • Appears easy to construct • May be misleading • Often creates resentment Prognosis

47. Matching - Advantages • Lends itself to the measurement of questions beginning w/ WHO, WHEN, WHERE, and WHAT • Is relatively easy to construct and use • Adds interest and variety to a test Prognosis

48. (Matching - Advantages cont’d) • Requires less space than other forms • Keeps guessing to a minimum • Measures a variety of outcomes of instruction Prognosis

49. Matching - Disadvantages • Tends to be less effective than Multiple Choice in assessing understanding or in evaluating the ability to discriminate • Lends itself to overemphasis on memorization of facts • Wastes student’s time if questions are poorly constructed Prognosis

50. Versatile Reliable Valid Suitable for item analysis Unambiguous Open to illustration Objectively scored Students generally like it Multiple Choice - Advantages Prognosis