...I think about enhancing the learning of others instead of hindering it with useless "show off" types of technology. I think that technology can be very useful in my field of microbiology, since most everything I study and teach cannot be seen with the naked eye. Bacteria are small, and the use of a microscope as a piece of technology can be a useful teaching tool for understanding different shapes and types of bacteria. Enyzmes, DNA, and proteins are EVEN smaller than bacteria, and the use of videos or computer/whiteboard drawn images can be particularly useful for many people. There is a big difference between telling a student what a protein looks like versus showing it to them and letting them explore the structure on their own.
Although it can be useful, I think about how it can be bad in a class as well. Some professors I have use powerpoint where powerpoint is unnecessary and hindering. Yes, a powerpoint speed up the time the lecturer can lecture, but perhaps the students cannot take in that information mentally or on paper in the time that the slide is talked about. It is hard when you are talking to grasp how long it takes to write down what you are saying. For this reason, some of the best science classes I have taken involve the professor writing on the whiteboard. That way I can move at the same pace the lecturer is moving and I can really gather my thoughts and think in depth about what I am learning.
I hope to take my past experiences about teaching with technology to form myself as an efficient teacher. I need to learn from what works for me, but also realize that what works for me may not work for everyone. For example, someone in the class may actually prefer the powerpoint method or the whiteboard. Before beginning a class with my students I will have to make sure that I understand the needs of everyone to have an equal balance of learning. I can achieve this by surveying the students on their preferred method of being taught, creating a better learning environment.
Great idea for a SoTL study, Chelsea. You could ask your students to provide a few activities, from past classes, that they found particularly effective and why they feel that way. This could be very enlightening, not only to you, but to other students. You will be able to share that some students in the class really enjoy lecture and feel it works well for them, while others may prefer classroom activities, such as role play or debates.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I really like that idea! On the college level, I think that it could be particularly useful to survey the class at the start of the semester regarding what methods of learning work best for them, since students hopefully are self-aware enough & have experienced enough variety in teaching/learning styles by that point to reply accurately. Then you could enhance your course by incorporating these methods throughout the semester when possible.
ReplyDelete