Teaching Strategies

The groupwork went so well in the last class that I wanted to do a slight modification in today’s. Lest anyone get too settled, we’ll do another type of activity next week.

Today’s main goal was for everyone to learn a little about taxonomies; enough so that you can think back on it later if there was something that struck you. The secondary goal was for everyone to be able to think through how these taxonomies could influence their teaching. If we’d had time for a 15 minute discussion, we would have focused on how these taxonomies could interplay in your teaching, and how you can pick the best ones to focus on for a given topic. If that’s interesting to you, feel free to start the discussion in the comments!

The group task of the day was for each group to learn about their taxonomy, to contribute to the “handout” for the class, and to discuss, as a group, three ways that you do (or can) use this understanding of learning to encourage a stronger learning environment. The concluding presentation included an explanation and one example of how these models could include your teaching.

You can find the handout here.

After an understanding of Instructional Design, we moved into talking about different models Instructional Designers use. As everyone indicated they had a high priority for learning more about active learning and group work, instead of a lecture (or even a facilitated discussion), we used groups to get to the content.

The layout of the class was:

1. Why models are important
2. Divide up into groups and pick models to investigate
3. Groups researched their models, created a PowerPoint slide (aka poster) on their topic
4. Each group sent a representative to present their slide and explain their concept
5. We talked about what the models have in common, how they inform our teaching, what we already do using these models (without knowing them), and how these models could improve what we do.

The main points (I had) for the group:

• Models give us a vocabulary for what we do and a framework to use when approaching a big task. This allows us to identify areas that need work and make improvements.
• ID Models can apply to a curriculum, a 3 hour course, a one-shot session, or even a handout. They’re macro and micro.
• The models are all really simple, so picking one and running with it isn’t a bad thing. I use ADDIE.
• These models are cyclical, so the evaluation from one phase feeds into the analysis of the next phase.

Interested in the posters? They’re here:

Here is the presentation from today’s workshop:

View Syllabus Handout on Scribd

If you have questions or comments, feel free to contact me or leave a message in the comments. If you’d like to share your syllabus, please put a link in the comments!

Each class, I’ll post something to let you know about the ID process on my end. This is the first of these posts. Since this was the first day, my main objective was to set the stage for the class and get to know the dynamics of the group:

• Make the goals and intentions of this “course” clear
• Give a broad overview of the topic
• Get a sense of what you hope to get from the “class”
• Note group dynamics
• Preliminarily redrafting the rest of the “course”

This information will inform how we adapt the “course” even at this early stage in the game.

This morning kicked off the 15 week “class” in teaching for librarians. To make sure we are all on the same page, and to give a broad overview of the course, we started with a presentation introducing Instructional Design:

The handout included the following:

Frameworks for Instructional Design:

• Reality
• Process
• System
• Discipline
• Science
• Instructional Technology

Who does it?

• Teachers
• Librarians
• Distance Educators
• Instructional Designers
• Content Developers
• For-profit Educators
• Corporate Trainers

What does it do?

• Needs assessment
• Goals and objectives identification
• Audience and setting analysis
• Content development
• Delivery development
• Evaluation
• Redesign

Where does it happen?

• In your office
• In the classroom
• In your inbox
• Wherever you get your evaluations

When does it occur?

• All the time: before, during, and after the class

Why does it happen?

• To meet required objectives
• To anticipate student needs
• To meet the needs of unique audiences
• To clarify your intention
• To speed up the process
• To demonstrate continued improvement

A lot informs this process. In this “course” we’ll discuss: instructional design models, taxonomies of learning, educational psychology, educational theorists, multiple intelligences, learning styles, teaching styles, learning theory, problem based learning, active learning, inquiry learning, classroom management, and assessment.