Teaching and Learning Best Practices

Transpersonal Education

Transpersonal education is a perspective on teaching and learning that stands for an integration of critical and contemplative thinking. It is

• radically experiential, a blending intuition and intellect,
• trans-rational, evoking enchantment and inspiration, and rooted in mystery and love.

Transpersonal teaching and learning integrate theory and experience The teacher and the learner as a unity move easily from experience to theory and back again, each balancing, supporting, and completing the other. The transpersonal learning experience reveals the non-duality of contemplation and thought. The mind, as a brilliant, luminous, crystal clear manifestation of Being, dissolves into Mind, and the moment unfolds. The learning process becomes intimate, vulnerable, graceful, alive, and blessed. Intellect becomes another expression of love and joy. *(See research by John Davis, 1997, Stanlislav Grof 1994, and Ken Wilber, 1996)

Constructivism

A perspective on learning that holds students construct or build their own understanding of events and phenomena. A teacher cannot make students believe otherwise unless students construct meaning for themselves. In a constructivist classroom, a teacher facilitates learning by providing multiple open-ended explorations/research opportunities for students.

*(See research by: Jerome Bruner, 1963; Rosalind Driver, 1983; Robert Jager, 1991.)

Inquiry

A process by which a teacher uses student’s questions to more fully elicit meaning and understanding from a given event or phenomena. The 5-E Learning Cycle is one example of a looping inquiry approach: 1) Engage, 2) Explore, 3) Explain, 4) Extend, and 5) Evaluate.

*(See research by: Martin, Sexton, Wagner, & Gerlovich, 1994: Mesa, AZ Project, 1999.)

Problem Based Learning

Problem-based learning (PBL), at its most fundamental level, is an instructional method characterized by the use of "real world" problems as a context for students to learn critical thinking and problem solving skills, and acquire knowledge of the essential concepts of the course. Using PBL, students acquire life long learning skills that include the ability to find and use appropriate learning resources. The process used in PBL is the following:

1. Students are presented with a problem (case, research paper, video tape, for example). Students (in groups) organize their ideas and previous knowledge related to the problem, and attempt to define the broad nature of the problem.

2. Throughout discussion, students pose questions, called "learning issues," on aspects of the problem that they do not understand. The group records these learning issues. Students are continually encouraged to define what they know - and more importantly - what they don't know.

3. Students rank, in order of importance, the learning issues generated in the session. They decide which questions the whole group, will follow up, and which issues can be assigned to individuals, who later teach the rest of the group. Students and instructor also discuss what resources will be needed in order to research the learning issues, and where they could be found.

4. When students reconvene, they explore the previous learning issues, integrating their new knowledge into the context of the problem. Students are also encouraged to summarize their knowledge and connect new concepts to old ones. They continue to define new learning issues as they progress through the problem. Students soon see that learning is an ongoing process, and that there will always be (even for the teacher) learning issues to be explored. * (See research by Barbara Duch, 1995, and Mark A. Albanese, and S. Mitchell, 1993)

Cooperative and Collaborative Learning

Cooperative learning refers to a teaching and learning model in which students work in small, mixed-ability groups. The students in each group have specific roles, and are responsible not only for learning the material being taught in class, but also for helping their groupmates learn.

*(See research by David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson, Robert E. Slavin, and Spencer Kagan.)

Effective Questioning Techniques

Questions form about 1/5 of teacher talk in the classroom. The kinds of questions used by teachers are an essential element in the learning process, within inquiry and constructivist approaches. Sequencing of questions has been found to encourage productive thinking and facilitate meaning making: 1) attention focusing questions, 2) comparison questions, 3) measuring and counting questions, 4) action questions, 5) problem-posing questions.

*(See research by Elstgeest, 1985; Wynne Harlen, 1988; Mary Lee Martens, 1999.)

Higher Order Thinking Skills

Perspectives that encourage increasingly complex operations with respect to thinking processes. Beginning with basic knowledge acquisition, taxonomy’s of learning progress to thinking strategies that require students to use several complex operations in conjunction with one another. Bloom’s taxonomy has 6 levels: 1) knowledge, 2) comprehension, 3) application, 4) analysis, 5) synthesis, and 6) evaluation.

Multiple Intelligences

A theory that human intelligence is multifaceted, i.e. different people have different intellectual strengths. Teaching practices should include opportunities both for students to excel with their strengths and to be exposed to other modes of learning. Among the intelligences identified are: logical/mathematical, visual/spacial, body/kinesthetic, musical/rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, verbal/linguistic. Newer research indicated other strengths could also include: spiritual and environmental.

*(See research by: Howard Gardner, 1993; David Lazear, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994.)

Emotional Intelligence

A theory that emotional intelligence is multifaceted, i.e. different people have different emotional strengths. Teaching practices should include opportunities both for students to build on their emotional strengths and to be exposed to emotional challenges in the learning environment which will help them work on areas where they are not as strong. They should be given opportunities to practice these competencies so that they can respond appropriately any emotional challenge. The two major domains of emotional intelligence are personal competence and social competence. Under each of these rubrics fall several emotional skills and abilities.

Under personal competence

• Self-awareness which includes

• emotional awareness,
• accurate self-assessment,
• self confidence,

• Self-regulation
• self-control
• trustworthness
• conscientioness
• adaptability
• innovativeness

• Self-Motivation
• Achievement drive
• Commitment
• Initiative
• optimism

Under social competence

• Social Awareness
• Empathy
• Service orientation
• Developing others
• Leveraging diversity
• Political awareness

• Social Skills
• Influence
• Communication
• Leadership
• Change agency
• Conflict management
• Bonding skills
• Collaboration and cooperation
• Team player/builder

*(See research by Daniel Goleman, 1998)

Technology

Technology enhances instructional delivery and student learning. It makes possible in the time and space dimensions many activities that were impossible without it. It makes each of the foregoing best practices more effective. Included in best technological practices are:

Internet Search strategies

· Conducts searches using a single thread search engine

· Conducts searches using a multi-tsearch engine

· Conducts searches using subject guide

· Conducts power searches using a variety of search strategies and search logic

· Conducts people searches using a variety of search strategies and search logic

Inquiry-based strategies

· applies a pedagogically sound instructional design to an online learning environment.

· Plans effective Web searches, using various search strategies and tools.

· Evaluates information for applicability, authority, and reliability.

· Builds Web documents that deliver inquiry-based Web lessons.

· Develop assessment strategies to assess the outcomes of those Web lessons.

· Applies an array of standards (state, national and local) to lesson plan design.

· Uses various software tools to facilitate online inquiry-based learning.

http://www.biopoint.com/staffdevelop/ibr.html

Discussion Boards

· Creates and posts on the internet an area where a significant amount of class discussion occurs – a message or discussion board. Usually, the discussion board is organized into separate forums or discussion.

· Conducts and/or monitors single, focused discussions

· Conducts and/or monitors a “thread” or a sub-section of a forum or discussion. Ideally, each thread focuses on one idea, problem, issue, or narrow topic

· Establishes guidelines and monitors/controls contributions and comments posted.

http://athena.uccp.org/talking/disc_bd.html

Web-based Labs

· Provide real-time, unique and compelling experiences using the internet for laboratory work.

Telecollaboratives

· Provide opportunities for people at different locations using Internet tools and resources to work together on projects and research activities.

Web Publishing

· Create web pages (text document that opens in a web browser)

· Create a web (which contains all of the files and component information that make a web site)

Powerpoint presentations

· Create visually compelling, well-organized presentations to print or view on screen as slide shows.

Digital Portfolios

· Provide for the selection of key performances (samples of student achievement)

· Enable reflection and analysis of each student's learning patterns.

· Provide a web-based, relational, searchable database of selected assessments and assignments from each student that can be accessed anytime and anyplace.

*(See the Alliance+ and Saavy CyberTeachers Resarch and applications)