Forum Spring 2000: Re-framing and Renewing a Learning Project

Over the last few years, I have been looking at the way I teach psychology. New technologies and new ideas about teaching and learning are always being developed, and I began to realize that some changes were necessary in my approach to teaching psychology. As my MIL project, I intended to re-frame my thinking about teaching because I have always been interested in the process of learning, both from the point of view of the teacher as well as that of the learner.

The question I started with was, " What do I really want students in my Introductory Psychology course to learn?" This seemed to be a rather simplistic question because I want them to learn the content of the course, but is that all? What about other aspects of learning such as application of the concepts, improved test-taking skills, better writing skills, critical thinking skills? I knew I could never achieve all of these in one semester, so I looked at which of these were most important for my focus. To help me clarify what I thought were critical elements for my course, I started with a self-assessment tool from Angelo and Cross (1993) called the Teaching Goals Inventory. This instrument is one way to help instructors focus on what they really think is important to teach.

As a second part of the project, I wanted to hear from the learners. What do they want to know when they had completed my course? What kinds of things make them want to come to class? Which do they dread? In order to get student input, I started with a small open-ended survey. This survey asked students open-ended questions about how they learned best, what type of classroom activities they liked, what they did not like, and what they liked instructors to do in class. In this way, I hoped to get a picture of student learning in general, rather than targeting specific, predetermined teaching techniques.

The preliminary outcomes of this project are exciting. Using the results of the self-assessment instrument, I am developing classroom activities and assessment practices that correspond more directly with my teaching goals. I found that just thinking about my goals and actually writing down how important each element is allowed me to focus classroom time to better meet these objectives. The preliminary student survey was predictable and surprising at the same time. Students never identified a particular teaching strategy which helped them learn best, but they did give some reminders. They learn best when the teacher is enthusiastic and organized. About the same number of students indicated that they liked group work as indicated that they liked lecture. As an extension of my project, the survey is being administered to all students in the psychology department. This will enable us to gather a wider variety, and more representative indication of student needs and ideas.

In summary, I have been engaged in a study of the "why," the "what," and the "how" of my teaching and learning efforts. The expected outcome of this project is a dynamic teaching portfolio in which I can identify, define, and measure outcomes of my own goals and activities as well as those of the students.

Reference
Angelo, T.A. and Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.