Transcript Helping students

Helping Students Learn to Learn
Fostering Problem Solving Abilities
by
Engaging Students in
Thinking ‘Behind’ the Steps
Objectives of this workshop series
1.
Identify the cognitive development needs of students
2.
Introduce some educational theories which can
help us address the developmental needs
3.
Propose easy methods for teaching / assessment
for helping with these cognitive development needs
4.
Explore ways for adopting / adapting some of the
methods in your course
Adopting / adapting the methods in
your specific context
The facilitators
provide generic ideas
The participants
adopt / adapt the ideas
in specific subjects
Designed
generic worksheets
Directly use / modify
the worksheets for specific
subjects
Suggested ways for
implementing the ideas in
teaching and assessment
Brain storm how to
adopt / adapt the ideas
in your own courses
Focus of this session

Objective:
Fostering students' abilities in solving problems





conceptual problems,
numerical problems,
scientific and technical problems,
laboratory investigation, etc.
Strategy proposed:
Think 'behind' the steps
Developing Problem Solving Abilities at
2 Levels
Cognitive strategies for
problem solving
What
are they?
How to
develop them?
Metacognitive strategies w.r.t.
problem solving
What
are they?
How to
develop them?
Metacognition
What is metacognition?
A. Awareness / knowledge of what cognition (learning) is
B. Abilities to control cognition (learning), i.e. the
disposition & habits that support and drives learning
Key operations in metacognition (control of learning)
1. Planning your learning
2. Monitoring your learning
3. Assessing your learning
Elaborated approaches to develop
problem solving abilities
The literature contains different models of problem solving, e.g.
 Representing the problem
 Formulating possible subproblems
 Formulating a plan
 Testing feasibility of alternative plans
 Seeking relevant information, tools
 Using information, tools to solve the subproblem/ problem

Justifying the reasoning behind one's conclusion

…
There are extended courses for training problem solving.
In search of
Easy methods for teaching & assessment
to enhance problem solving abilities
Will these give us some clues?
What students say about problem solving tasks



“For example, “A + B = ?” is what we usually work on, and if he
suddenly gives us a different one “A*B = ?”, then I will not know
how to solve it.”
“Some subjects just give us a manual, we just follow it. … We
may do that by following the procedures. But after that, if you ask
me how to do it, I won’t know.”
“…the focus should not be on drawing an apple. It should rather
be focusing on how to draw an apple and the process of thinking
in-between…”
What is causing problems in learning about problem solving?
A common obstacle for problem solving abilities –
The 'algorithm  solution' routine
For some 'problems' students could arrive at an answer by
blindly carrying out the algorithm / procedural routines
without understanding the concept / logic behind the steps,
e.g.




Apply formulae of physical laws to solve scientific problems
Following mathematical algorithm to solve mathematic problems
Following manuals in computing, technical operations
Carrying out recipe type laboratory experiments
Following the algorithm / procedures VS
Focusing on the thinking and reasoning

“…the focus should not be on drawing an apple.
It should rather be focusing on how to draw an apple
and the process of thinking in-between…”
Thinking 'Behind' the Steps





Modeling the problem solving process by teacher
Think aloud during teaching
Engaging students in articulating their problem
solving process
Think-of-Your-Thinking Worksheet
Two-person instruction
O heuristic for experiments
Vee Diagram for research investigation
Think-of-your-thinking Worksheet


A tool to encourage students to actively seek of
gaps in their thinking and understanding
Components of the worksheet:




Instructions
First Aid Kit
Left Column
Right Column
Think-of-your-thinking in
Teaching and Assessment
Teaching:
1.
2.
As a compare-with-the-expert assignment
follow-up
Demonstration in lecture / tutorial
Assessment:
1.
Use it as a continuous assessment
Two Persons’ Instructions

What is Two Persons’ Instructions?


The Two Persons’ Instructions is a method designed to
awaken the awareness of reasons behind procedures by
creating a situation where students can experience the gaps
in their knowledge.
Rationale


The differences between two plans for the same objective
also strike curiosity in one’s mind
By examining the differences one finds out about the reasons
behind the steps, which in turn become a stimulus for
reflection on one’s own plan
Using the Two Persons’ Instructions

How to use?


Plan, exchange, clarify
Examples


In practical class
For assignment
O diagram

What is an O diagram?


The O diagram is a powerful tool that can be used in all sorts of
experiments and investigations. It effectively bridges the gap
between procedures and the reasons behind them, and the gap
between the question and the answer of an investigation.
Rationale



Unlike the V diagram, the O diagram shows no gap between
conceptual and practical issues
The O shape joins the cause and the end of an experiment
Through stating the reasons behind each step, they understand the
procedure better, and become aware of what they do not
understand about the procedure
Using O diagram for laboratory

How to use?



Before the laboratory class, write inside the circle all theories
and key concepts that you can think of that are relevant to
the experiment going to be carried out during the class.
Work anti-clockwise through the circle, from hypothesis to
conclusion.
As you carry out the experiment, record on the outside of the
circle the steps you’ve taken and write the reason for each
step inside the circle, adjacent to the steps. If a reason is
already in the circle (e.g. a theory you’ve written down before
the experiment), draw a line to link the step to it.
The V diagram for Research

What is a V diagram?


A heuristic for research, or discovery learning in
general; a powerful tool for balancing the theory side
and the practical side of a topic
Structure of V



It has 2 sides, representing conceptual and
methodological issues of the topic respectively
Sub-headings
Focus question and events/objects
V diagram in 1984 - Gowin

Why use?



To bridge theory and practice
To show that knowledge is constructed over time
How to use?





Begin with concepts, objects, events
Introduce the idea of records and focus question
Record transformation and knowledge claims
Principles and theories
Value claims
V diagram in 1984 - Gowin
You’re calling this a
‘simple’ method?
Visualising the V
The observation of
event/object
like a pond
at the
 The focusisquestion
is like
thesun,
bottom
of a mountain;
is
to which
all face – iti.e.
 The conceptual side of the V
theitems
source
all that
grow
onofeither
side
are all
is
likethinking
athetree;
it grows

The
side
and
the
above.
about
question,
or,over
about
time.
On
are theand
doing
sidethethe
areright
closely
answering
question
immediate
taken,
intertwined
– and only
solving the actions
problem.
which
to theof
throughcontribute
the marriage
growth
of the
conceptual
theory and
practice
would the
side.
highest level of knowledge
be achieved. side.

Why is it so powerful?

Rationale


The diagram provides a visual structure for students
to organize information, so as to reduce their mental
overload.
In particular, the V-shape helps students to focus
their attention to the observation and question under
construction, thus narrowing the gap between
methodologies and theories
Materials for the V diagram


A briefing for student
The V diagram for research worksheet
One thing I would like to try is
Fostering problem solving abilities by
Thinking 'behind' the steps
Developing problem solving abilities at 2 levels
Cognitive
development
Teacher-modeling by
thinking aloud during teaching
Students articulating
their own thinking process
during problem solving
Metacognitive
development