PAL Award Training Session 1 (13.12.11)

Learning Development

www.le.ac.uk/slcwww.le.ac.uk/leicesteraward

Introduction to the Peer Assisted Learning Leicester Award

Steve RooneyZoe Enstone

Marta Ulanicka

http://www.le.ac.uk/slc



What is Peer Assisted Learning?“... a scheme that fosters cross-year support between students on the same course. PAL encourages students to support each other and to learn co-operatively under the guidance of trained students, called PAL Leaders, from the year above.”(Bournemouth University, www.peerlearning.ac.uk)

PAL leader views (UWE)

http://www.peerlearning.ac.uk/

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/peerassistedlearning/leaderviews.aspx



What is the Award about?• Use your knowledge and experience to help others to learn;• Refresh your own knowledge;• Gain numerous new skills;• Increase your employability and gain accreditation.



What will completing the Award involve?• You will work in a team to design and lead a peer assisted

learning (PAL) activity.• The PAL activity could take the form of:

– face to face sessions– IT mediated support– resource development(or a mixture of the above)

• We will provide you with training and guidance to enable you to undertake the activity.

• You will submit a proposal and updates to keep in touch with us.



Assessment of the Award• Portfolio containing:

– evidence of at least 20 hours of peer assisted learning related leadership activities (inclusive of meetings, preparation, publicity etc)

– skills audit completed during initial training– 1500 – 2000 word reflective assignment or blog– presentation materials

• Presentation drawing links between skills you have developed and skills required by graduate employers



Points to note• Peer Assisted Learning relates to student-to-student activities;• You will have to include an element of teamwork within the

Peer Assisted Learning leadership activities which you carry out;

• Only PAL leadership activities carried out this year can be counted towards the award.



Timescales• First training session: Tuesday 6th December• Second training session: Wednesday 14th December (DWL IT

Room 1)• Deadline for peer support activity proposals: 21st December

(if you plan to start in January)/3rd Feb (if you plan to start in February)

• Updates: 27th February, 30th March, 14th May• Deadline for finishing PAL activity/last update: 8th June • Presentations: 18th – 20th June• Deadline for submission of portfolio: 27th June



What is the Leicester Award?

•Encompasses a range of employability courses and programmes available to University of Leicester students;•Gives you the opportunity to gain a qualification

which encourages reflection and personal development in a range of ways;•Appears on your degree transcript;•More information at www.le.ac.uk/leicesteraward.

http://www.le.ac.uk/leicesteraward



What’s next?

• Complete the registration form;• Come to the training sessions;• Plan your PAL activity and submit

the proposal;• Run the PAL activity.

We will keep in touch and support you with the above!



PAL Leicester Award: what’s involved?

www.le.ac.uk/leicesteraward > Programmes> Peer Assisted Learning



http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers/la/programmes/palla/information-for-participants/information-for-participants


Training sessions

• 6th December 2011: Facilitation skills• 14th December 2011: IT skills/independent group work.




Plan of session• Introduction to Learning Development• Facilitation SkillsBreak• Remembering Boundaries• Skills Audit




Academic Skills Development – what we do

• Getting organised and ready for study

• Managing time

• Effective reading strategies• Making notes

• Making the most of lectures

• Academic writing



Academic Skills Development – methods of access

online and paper-based resources

study-skills workshops

one-to-one consultations


http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld/resources

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld/resources

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld/workshops/outlines/all

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld/workshops/outlines/all

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld/appt

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld/appt


Our website: www.le.ac.uk/succeedinyourstudies


http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/ld


Teaching/instruction versus FacilitationTeaching Facilitation



Facilitation – what’s your view?




Facilitation – what’s involved? what works?

1




Facilitation

Multi-sensory Multi-media

Positive Reinforcement

Experiential Learning

Group Work and Group Dynamics

Generic Study Skills

Questioning



Questions: Open versus closed questions• Closed questions: emphasise content, can often be answered

with a few words, or with a yes/no;• Open questions: allow the other person to elaborate on

information of their choice.

ClosedDid you understand the main points of the first lecture on Physiology?

OpenWhat did you think were the main points of the lecture?




Questions: Socratic questioningSocrates taught by asking questions to encourage his pupils to discover the answer themselves.

‘Socratic questioning’ relates to the use of open questions to break down difficult concepts into small chunks of information which can be answered more easily.

Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian-w-scott/4869953457/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian-w-scott/4869953457/




Questions: Socratic questioning (2)

How do we address this whole problem?

What is the first thing we need to do to understand this?

More information at: http://www.changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm

http://www.changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm




Redirecting questions – how not to give answers

• Can anybody help X answer that question?• What was said in the lecture about this?• Does anybody know the answer to that question?• What do you think?• What information would you need to answer that?• What is the first thing you would need to do? What would you

need to do next?• Let’s try and work that out together.




Fill them up with facts!

“Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them.”

Thomas Gradgrindin Charles Dickens, Hard Times



Transmissive teaching

student

knowledge

teacher



Tell me, show me, involve me

“Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I'll remember. Involve me and I'll understand.”

Confucius



Using the senses

Encourage students to:Draw: pictures/diagrams/flow charts/mind mapsUse colourMake good use of space in their notesVisualise Access a variety of resources such as written texts, screencasts, diagrams, charts etc.

Encourage students to:Discuss and explain topics to each otherListen to lectures/recordings‘Explain aloud’ as a revision/ comprehension checking strategy“You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.”(Albert Einstein)

Kinaesthetic learning:learning through doing/movementEncourage use of:Experiments, simulations, role-playReal artefacts/objectsResources which are interactive and/or involve problem solving, such as games, quizzes etc.

Both taste and smell can act as powerful memory triggers.?



Techniques to get them talking

ThinkingTime

Pairdiscussion

Pairdiscussion

Groupwork

Groupwork

Groupwork

Groupwork

Whole class feedbackTutor summary

Develop ideas Understand task

Get talkingCheck understanding

Develop ideas

Input new but related task



Other techniques

• Rounds• Case studies• Role play• Changing the rules• Games• Quizzes• Debates

Structured activities can also help manage group dynamics



Positive reinforcementThink about how you can:• create a positive atmosphere;• encourage participation;• use praise in a constructive way (‘I like the way you’ve elaborated on the points instead of just providing a list’)• respond tactfully if you suspect lack of understanding (‘What else could you add to this?’ ‘Is there another way you could look at this/different approach you could take?’)



Awareness of generic study skills

Time management

Information management,

reading strategies, note-making

Academic writing Revision and exam skills



Questions/concerns



Contacting us and staying in touch

(0116) 2231889

[email protected]

www.le.ac.uk/leicesteraward

2nd floor, David Wilson library

mailto:[email protected]




Sections of this training session were based on the UCL transition mentor training materials (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/transition/student-mentoring) and Glasgow PAL coordinators’ pack (http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/resources/paltraining.pdf).

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/transition/student-mentoring

http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/resources/paltraining.pdf



Encourage students to:Draw: pictures/diagrams/flow charts/mind mapsUse colourMake good use of space in their notesVisualise Access a variety of resources such as written texts, screencasts, diagrams etc.

Encourage students to:Discuss and explain topics to each otherListen to lectures/recordings‘Explain aloud’ as a revision/comprehension checking strategy“You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.”(Albert Einstein)

Kinaesthetic learning:learning through doing/movementEncourage use of:Experiments, simulations, role-playReal artefacts/objectsResources which are interactive and/or involve problem solving, such as games, quizzes etc.

Both taste and smell can act as powerful memory triggers.?


PAL Award Training Session 1 (13.12.11)

Education

Transcript of PAL Award Training Session 1 (13.12.11)