The British Model of Teaching & Learning ~ How Not What

Purposes

To discuss why the Learn How to Think Not What to Think approach is so important

To explain what this approach means in practice

To encourage you to make the transition to How Not What in your teaching

How Not What

This epitomises the British approach to teaching and learning

Tell someone what the answer is and they can answer the same question again

Tell them how to answer the question and they can apply this to other similar questions.

Learn how to think...not what to think

O brave new world...

How Not What is fundamentally about our graduates

So let's start by thinking about the sort of world that our graduates will inhabit - and influence

We know that one thing that won't change is...

...that has such people in it

For this sort of world...

...what sort of graduates do we want to produce at the BUE?

Please talk with a few neighbours and generate three or four words to describe these graduates.

We want BUE Graduates to be..

Critical thinkers Analytical Reflective Problem solvers Creative Self aware Motivated Flexible &

adaptable

Resourceful Independent Risk takers Entrepreneurial Leaders Team players Proficient English

speakers Life long learners

Why 'How Not What'? The world will need How Not What people

How Not What is BUE's unique selling point

How Not What will make our graduates more employable

Your discipline needs How Not What students for the future

How Not What is more fun for the teacher

Teaching for How Not What

It's not easy!

It involves students as well as staff

It's an ongoing process

It will be different at different stages in their time at BUE

Fundamentals

What How

One-way Multi-way

Received wisdom Contested knowledge

Passivity Active engagement

Memorisation Processing

Giving you the answer

Giving you the tools

Telling Helping

How people learn

How do you learn?

Please think of a time when you were learning well

What made it good?

How people learn 2

I hear and I forget

I see and I remember

I do and I understand

My framework

Design Assist Deliver Assess Comments on the first three Assess in a separate session Your ideas are most welcome

Design ~ A MORAL approach

An iterative optimisation process. If you don’t assess it then students

won’t see it as important.

An iterative optimisation process. If you don’t assess it then students won’t see

it as important.

Methods Teaching techniquesOutcomes ILO’sResources Facilities, equipment, etcAssessment

Techniques of assessment

Learners Students’ characteristics

Characteristics of good design

Variety ~ different learning styles

Relevance ~ ...that is perceived

Engagement ~ often via activity

Empathy ~ the dangers of expertise

Interest ~ for both you and them

...?

After BloomCreate

Evaluate

Analyse

Apply

Understand

Remember What

How

Mastery & developmental tasks

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a spectrum of task difficulty. It goes from easy tasks such as recalling knowledge to harder tasks such as evaluating an argument.

A mix of developmental and mastery tasks is required to ensure that weak students achieve some success while the able are stretched.

Mastery Tasks

Mastery’ tasks have the following characteristics:

they are easy, typically involving only knowledge and comprehension

they are not dependent on prior learning they can be attained in a short time they involve lower order skills such as recall

and understanding, etc

Example mastery tasks

Recognise and name the main constituents of a simple cell.

Copy and label a diagram of a hydroelectric power station

Find the cost of sending a fax in this country and abroad.

Express one figure as a percentage of another using (A/B) X 100.

Developmental Tasks

The characteristics of developmental tasks are that: they are more difficult

they are highly dependent of prior learning

students can’t get 100%

development is slow and requires considerable effort

they involve higher order skills such as evaluation, synthesis, etc

Example developmental tasks

Write a clear, scientifically argued laboratory report.

Evaluate the importance of full to high employment in western societies.

How did the early life of Harold Macmillan influence his political thinking?

Survey leisure time opportunities in your nearest city, and report on your findings.

Assisting for How Not What

How not what is new for many students You can't expect them to change how they

learn without help But first… If you really want to change the way

students learn, change the way you __________ them.

Personal Tutors Show that you think

it’s important ~ positive messages from you are crucial

TAs have a key role in helping students

Discuss how people in your discipline think

Model your discipline’s processes

Provide typologies of problems

Refer to assessments in your teaching

Give feedback on assessment

Assistance advice

Delivering for How Not What In groups of three, for three minutes… Will one of you please explain something

from your area of professional expertise to the other two

But please – and this may be hard – do it in as un-engaging a way as possible

Then discuss the experience

Delivering for How Not What 2

A lot of How Not What is about your relationship with your students

Your role is to diminish dependency

Telling Helping

Students don't know how to behave ~ unless you tell them very clearly

Students may not have seen this sort of teaching before ~ so explain your reasons and expectations

Students may not see the benefit ~ so link your teaching to the assessment

Students may be fearful of appearing stupid ~ so reduce the risk and raise the reward

Delivery dangers – and tips

Students will want to know the limits, so…

Be very clear about what you want them to do

Be friendly …and firm Address inappropriate

behaviour early …maybe just by

moving your position

Say thank you Don't put students

down Don't target

individuals in large groups

Gather group ideas Look for humour Link to current

events

Risks and rewards

Offer options for them to choose from ~ they can vote

If a student responds to a question don’t punish them further by getting into a dialogue with them!

Don’t let your irritation show – unless you really want it to

Explain why they need to understand

Link what you’re saying to the assessment.

Risks and rewards 2

Your delivery

Please talk to a few neighbours and help each other to think of at least one way of making your own delivery more How Not What.

Finally

Please talk to a neighbour so that each of you shares one of your moves towards HNW in your teaching.