NUTSHELL NOTES "Teaching tips in a nutshell" - The University of Colorado at Denver's One-page Newsletter for Teaching Excellence

    This issue summarizes ?good teaching practices? as considered from the standpoint of what we know about how the brain learns. Learning at the level of brain biology involves the establishment and stabilization of neural connections (synapses), so "good teaching practices? are those that most effectively build and stabilize synapses. Let's consider research on student evaluations from the standpoint of such practices.

    "Instructional dimensions? are teaching traits that are detectable on formative evaluations. "Achievement? is a direct measure of learning such as performance indicated by exam scores or graded reviews of student work, such as written reports or portfolios. ?Overall evaluations? are measures of general satisfaction, such as are found on summative tools like our own FCQs."

    Feldman's meta-analyses show that the most important dimension to learning is the teacher's preparation and organization of the course. (Surprisingly this is only the sixth most important dimension in affecting overall evaluation.) "Good preparation? means that the course materials are structured so as to be cognitively accessible. Such accessibility is increased by requiring varied uses of the brain-confronting materials verbally, visually, in active discussion, in metaphors and analogies and by requiring repeated engagement of the same materials through various modes both inside and outside of class.

    Accessibility is strongly influenced by clarity (#2 in importance to both learning and overall satisfaction), which is strongly related to the concept of audience awareness used by writers and speakers. The ability to build synapses depends upon an ability to construct interrelated patterns. The importance is easily grasped by comparing the effects of storytelling to poor lecturing. The former provides a pattern with continuity; the latter provides just facts. Consider which is retained longer.

    Writing and discussing are ways of building more synapses by using visual, auditory and motor (kinesthetic/speaking) portions of the brain. The effects of writing/discussion and the requirements they place on the brain explain why cooperative learning produces about 0.5 standard deviations of improved learning beyond what would occur in a normal lecture-based classroom (Springer, L., Stanne, M. E., and Donovan, S. S., 1999, "Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering and technology: a meta-analysis:" Review of Educational Res., v. 69, pp 21-51).

    Bob Leamnson (1999, Thinking About Teaching and Learning: Stylus Pub., 169 p.) notes the importance of engaged emotions to learning. When brains are stimulated by interest and sense of importance, learning is easier to achieve. This is verified by the high rankings of items 3, 4, and 5 in the second column and items 4 and 5 in the third column of the table. These dimensions "hook? students by reaching them where their interests lie. Learning will extend those interests, and learning through time produces verifiable brain changes. Progressive brain changes validate the research models of Perry (see NN, v8 n1-n7), Blosser, and King & Kichener. All verify that ability to think at increasingly higher levels is a gradual change produced by education.

    Since I started Nutshell Notes at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville in 1991, I have never put in a solicitation for any donation or fund drive. The fact that you are reading one now, in this issue, shows that a particular chord has been struck with me. I am normally rather cantankerous when it comes to keeping this newsletter completely restricted to the issues of teaching, learning and thinking. However, this particular fund drive IS related to those issues, because the funds from this drive go to support our students, our library, and our programs, and because people like Paul Bartlett, William Murray, and other faculty and staff serving on their committee have worked hard to insure that many of the funds we contribute as faculty and staff are matched from other sources, thus doubling the revenue we create ourselves. This group has set a modest goal to increase the number of faculty/staff contributors by a mere 5%. Getting participation this year is even more important than the amount, because whenever potential matching donors are approached by our own fund raisers, one of the strongest points of credibility they can bring to these donors is the record of participation by the people whose efforts these donors are being asked to support. The percentage of contributors could be better, and so I am helping with this effort here. The leverage a high percentage of contributors can bring for our external fund raising efforts is too important to ignore. Gifts can be one-time or distributed payroll deductions. To see the current list of campus gift funds, to initiate your own gift fund, or to simply provide a gift quickly and conveniently by charge card, contact Betsy Cheroutes at 6-4301.
 

Centered on development of a personal teaching system that leads to greater student learning , higher levels of student thinking, and greater personal satisfaction for professors. Topics include: achieving what you most want to achieve; organizing a course to maximize learning and thinking outcomes; insuring clarity and understanding; resolving difficulties through ethical frameworks; selecting effective pedagogies to match your learning goals and teaching preferences, making best use of assessment & evaluation; teaching in accord with how the brain learns; using instructional technology properly; balancing demands of teaching, research and service, building academic community, becoming a better colleague, documenting success, and working smarter at the unit levels.

Contact Edward Nuhfer, Office of Teaching Effectiveness, CU-Denver, Campus Box 137, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364. Phone (303) 556-4915 or email  enuhfer@carbon.cudenver.edu

Edward Nuhfer, Director Teaching Effectiveness & Faculty Development
CU-Denver Campus Box 137 PO Box 173364 Denver, CO 80217-3364
(303) 556-4915 Fax (303) 556-5855