Active Lecturing for Optimal Learning International Research Center for Medical Education Tokyo University 14 December 2005 Mark H. Gelula, Ph.D. Asst Dean for Faculty Development Department of Medical Education University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine mgelula@uic.edu Ground Rules Active lectures call for active participants Ask lots of questions and offer your ideas Take risks mgelula@uic.edu (c) MH Gelula, 2005 2 Session Objectives Session Plan By the end of this session you should be able to restate learning theory as applied to lecture processes Construct appropriate objectives for a lecture or presentation; Develop learner activities for each of the three phases of a lecture; describe the impact of lecture density on learning Critique the style and make suggestions regarding lecture examples provided on video; apply the concept of an active lecture to your lecture planning Create an effective active lecture of your own. Introduction Learning theories applied to lecturing Constructing Objectives What makes a good lecturer? Three phases of lectures Activities for lectures Summary (c) MH Gelula, 2005 3 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 4 Create an effective active lecture of your own. Critical Incident Think of a lecture you really enjoyed and from which you learned a lot. Whom do we teach? What made that lecture so enjoyable and a good learning experience? (c) MH Gelula, 2005 5 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 1
Adapting to different audiences Students Residents Patients Community groups Conference attendees Why Lecture? (c) MH Gelula, 2005 7 What are the Advantages to Lecturing? Efficient Controlled content Access unpublished material Explain difficult content Flexibility Personalized Motivating & inspiring (c) MH Gelula, 2005 9 What are the Disadvantages to Lecturing? Missed content Off-topic (irrelevant) instructors Passive students Poor note-taking taking skills Inability to transfer from hearing to writing, speaking, or doing (c) MH Gelula, 2005 10 Some Research Findings How does learning occur? Audience members who are both frequent and relevant responders learn more than passive observers Despite desiring full notes provided to them, students have done better when provided with partial notes Students taking accurate notes, studying them later consistently receive higher test scores than students who only listen to the lecture and read the text. (c) MH Gelula, 2005 11 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 12 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 2
Focus on Concepts: not on facts A Sequence of Teaching for Optimal Learning Facts Predisposing Concept Schema Enabling Reinforcing (c) MH Gelula, 2005 13 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 14 Cognitive Learning Research Kolb s s Experiential Learning Model Constructing new knowledge (constructivism) Situated learning / context Active Experimentation Concrete Experience Reflective Observation Prior Knowledge (knowledge dependent learning) (c) MH Gelula, 2005 15 Abstraction and Generalization (c) MH Gelula, 2005 16 Questions and Questioning Questions engage students actively Questions enable student reflection Questions foster higher order learning Questions facilitate deep learning through Recall Engagement Reflection Practice Goals and Objectives: Purpose, Process and Outcome (c) MH Gelula, 2005 17 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 3
What do you want learners to be able to do when they re done? What Do We Teach in a Lecture? State the lecture purpose Provide only essential facts Frame facts within concepts Explain concepts using different context examples Create opportunities to practice and reinforce concepts with questions, cases, problems and other simple activities (c) MH Gelula, 2005 19 K = Knowledge/Cognitive A = Attitude/Affective S = Skill/Psychomotor Is this any different from what we teach in a discussion at the bedside or in the ambulatory clinic? (c) MH Gelula, 2005 20 What is a Goal? What Are Your Lecture Goals? A goal states s the purpose of instruction. A goal states s the students what to expect from the lecture. A goal reminds the teacher of the t lecture focus. A goal is a road map directing us where we are going. Speaker s s Goal To Inform To Convince To Actuate Desired Participant Response Understanding (K) Belief / Acceptance (A) Establish, Modify, or Stop the Behavior (S) (c) MH Gelula, 2005 21 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 22 What is an Objective? Bloom s s Taxonomy An objective is a description of what is to be learned. A behavioral objective states what the learner is expected to be able to do after instruction. Behavioral objectives direct us how to get where we are going. Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Higher Order Thinking Lower Order Thinking (c) MH Gelula, 2005 23 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 24 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 4
Example Objective Writing Activity Goal: the purpose of this lecture is to introduce the concept of active lecturing. Objective: By the conclusion of this lecture each participant should be able to Create an active lecture on a topic of interest to them Critique lectures presented by their colleagues. (c) MH Gelula, 2005 25 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 26 Four Phases of a Presentation or Lecture I. Planning II. Introduction III. Body IV. Conclusion Planning Essentials Know your audience Experience Level Specialty Special Issues Limit your focus to a single goal Limit your time Know your goal Relate your goal to your audience s s needs Develop the Body Section First (c) MH Gelula, 2005 27 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 28 The Lecture: Introduction Introduction (c) MH Gelula, 2005 29 Style How you begin means everything. This is style and structure Introduction Activities Purpose: state purpose State what the lecture is about. This statement tells the students what to expect from you Objectives: Explains for students what you expect them to achieve by the end of the lecture (c) MH Gelula, 2005 30 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 5
Two Models for Lecture Clarity and Organization Textbook analogy: Lecture Clarity and Organization The Book The Outline Think of a textbook (c) MH Gelula, 2005 31 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 32 The Outline Method for Lecture Clarity and Organization What Makes a Good Lecture? Introduction phase: Objectives Lecture outline Transition statements Segment summaries I. A. B. C. Watch This Lecture Episode Body phase: Segment summaries Transitions II. A 1. 2. (c) MH Gelula, 2005 B. 33 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 34 Compare that Lecturer With This One Lecture Episode 2 The Dr. Fox Studies The effects of educational seduction (c) MH Gelula, 2005 35 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 36 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 6
Keep the audience engaged Requires effective speaker who can vary Tone Pitch Pace Three Approaches to Style Reading Style Speaker reads from notes, or speaks as if reading from notes. Narrow tonal range. Conversational Style Speaker is informal, and may or may not use notes. Conversant tonal range. Rhetorical Style Speaker as a performer. Wide tonal range. (c) MH Gelula, 2005 37 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 38 Style Problems Eye contact Disorganization Voice level Irrelevance Inflection Filler words Recitation from Uncoordinated AV or notes Uncomfortable using AV Style Suggestions Speak clearly Vary your pace Pause often Both you and the audience need pauses You to catch your breath and to scan the audience They to reflect on what you ve said Try to limit umms and ahhs Vary your inflection Un-Root Yourself Move around Use lots of eye contact (c) MH Gelula, 2005 39 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 40 The Lecture: Body Robert Gagne s s Conditions of Learning 1. Gain attention 2. Inform learners of objectives 3. Stimulate recall of prior learning 4. Present the content 5. Provide learning guidance 6. Elicit performance (practice) 7. Provide feedback 8. Assess performance 9. Enhance retention and transfer (c) MH Gelula, 2005 41 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 42 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 7
Challenges in the Body Phase? Challenges from 2 perspectives: Challenges for students Challenges for you as lecturer What is the goal or purpose? What do you want to accomplish during this period of time? What might be difficult for learners to understand? What s s in a body? Depends on your objectives What s s the purpose of this lecture? To Inform To Convince To Actuate (c) MH Gelula, 2005 43 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 44 Effective Lectures Russell: information density Content Process Content: Cut it in half! (c) MH Gelula, 2005 45 Russell, IJ, et. al. (1984) Effects off Lecture Information Density on Medical Student Achievement. Journal of Med. Ed. 59:881-889. (c) MH Gelula, 2005 46 Effective Lectures Copeland et al: Attributes of the effective medical lecture Content Process Engaging the audience Lecture clarity Active Learning (c) MH Gelula, 2005 47 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 48 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 8
Engaging the audience Let s s Revisit Kolb s Experiential Learning Model Attention Arousal-interest Motivation Active learning Guided note handout Active Experimentation Concrete Experience Reflective Observation Abstraction and Generalization (c) MH Gelula, 2005 49 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 50 Now It s s Your Turn Involving Your Audience Join with a person sitting close to you: List at least three activities which can be used to actively engage students during the introductory phase of a lecture I will ask for some responses (c) MH Gelula, 2005 51 Questions Structuring Soliciting Responding Reacting Cases Content in a specific context Different contexts to emphasize similar content Examples How you do something How others do same thing How else it could be done Concrete vs abstract Clarifications Responding to questions Responding to student ideas (c) MH Gelula, 2005 52 Handouts and Guided Notes Guided Notes Instructor-prepared handouts Background information Standard cues with specific spaces where learners write Key facts Concepts Concept and fact relationships (c) MH Gelula, 2005 53 Handouts and Guided Notes Benefits of Guided Notes Instructor preparation no more winging it Prioritized, focused lecture content Less is more -- what is most important for learners? Increased learner engagement with content Focused questions & comments Complete accurate lecture notes Higher exam scores (c) MH Gelula, 2005 54 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 9
Keeping Learners Engaged Effect of rest or change of activity on learning Discussion 85 Heart rate Lecture 75 Time in minutes 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 Based on Bligh, 2000 55 Effective Learning Learning lost with rest or change of activity 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 Based on Bligh, 2000 56 Minutes into lecture Learning gained with rest or change of activity Rest or change in activity Therefore use alternative strategies and involve learners every 15-20 minutes! Instructional Activities that Engage Conventional Activities promote passivity in students fail to clarify relation of activities to objectives fail to define benefits, outcomes of activities omit essential directions, resources, students need (c) MH Gelula, 2005 58 Instructional Activities that Engage Copeland et al: Attributes of the effective medical lecture Learning-Centered Activities Engage students with material Explain instructional rationale (relate activity to goals/objectives) - Provide clear guidelines or models Assess progress toward objectives (Formatively or Summatively) Engaging the audience Lecture clarity Active Learning (c) MH Gelula, 2005 59 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 60 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 10
Segment Summaries & Transition Statements Instantiation I Content: To review, the three parts of a lecture are the intro, body and conclusion Segment Summary Structure: We ve gone over the three parts of a lecture; now we re going to talk about the three dimensions of a lecture. Let me give you an example of what I mean... Transition Statement (c) MH Gelula, 2005 61 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 62 Instantiation II Summarize, Reinforce, Clarify Key Concepts Can you think of an example? (c) MH Gelula, 2005 63 Summarize your main points Reinforce using cases, Use problem solving, Ask questions Provide concrete examples instantiation (c) MH Gelula, 2005 64 Copeland et al: Attributes of the effective medical lecture What do you want learners to be able to do when they re done? Engaging the audience Lecture clarity Active Learning (c) MH Gelula, 2005 65 Give learners opportunities to practice using: Cases Problems Tests Handouts (c) MH Gelula, 2005 66 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 11
Active Learning: Case based format Relevance Example: : Students analyze Patient cases Students apply new information that you just taught Your example Students use relevant statistics Your example Students use comparison and contrasts Your example (c) MH Gelula, 2005 67 These are Active Learning Methods Active Learning Supports: Transfer Application to clinical medicine Application to practice Application to other contexts Generalization to real life (c) MH Gelula, 2005 68 Strategies Activities that Engage Students and Promote Deep Learning Take an EBM approach --use statistics about the case Clarify an idea with questions Put it in a population perspective Focus on clinically related statistics if possible Use rhetorical questions Focus on thinking rather than memorizing Ask open ended questions Follow up with Why questions Follow up with another slightly different case Involve students in more than information gathering. Ask students to classify, compare/contrast, explain, etc. Involve students in discerning, reporting, recording contextual differences Involve students in describing steps in an operation/procedure then ask them to practice it, report results (c) MH Gelula, 2005 69 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 70 Activities that Engage Students and Promote Deep Learning Ask students questions that will help them to accurately integrate new learning with old (have them identify similarities and differences to avoid oversimplification and misconceptions about new learning) Involve students in applying decision making rules and being able to support their decisions ask students to organize new material (conceptual mapping, outlining, graphics, summaries, (c) MH etc.) Gelula, 2005 71 Activities that Engage Students and Promote Deep Learning Ask students to Apply new learning to a problem Develop questions or tasks to assess new learning Assess the work of their peers Think of ways new knowledge affects those outside of the field (c) MH Gelula, 2005 72 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 12
Copeland et al: Attributes of the effective medical lecture The Lecture: Conclusion Engaging the audience Lecture clarity Active Learning (c) MH Gelula, 2005 73 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 74 The Challenge in the Conclusion We must help students as they consolidate their learning. Without consolidation learning cannot be retrieved and applied. For effective behavior change, three procedures needed: Predisposition Enablement Reinforcement (c) MH Gelula, 2005 75 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 76 Kolb s s Experiential Learning Model Consolidation into Long-Term Memory Active Experimentation Concrete Experience Abstraction and Generalization Reflective Observation Consolidation takes about 3 hours Without consolidation: Surface learning: memorization of facts Consolidation fosters deep learning: make connections and links; establish relationships between facts, concepts, pre-existing existing information (c) MH Gelula, 2005 77 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 78 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 13
Interference with memory Proactive interference: from what came before Retroactive interference: from what follows Facts and concepts learned at the beginning and end of the lecture are remembered best Start Middle End (c) MH Gelula, 2005 79 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 80 Consolidation through: Reinforcement, Review & Practice Reinforcement Review Practice Within 30 minutes Encourages connections between concepts Strategies for the conclusion phase Challenge: help students consolidate their learning so it can be retrieved and applied. (c) MH Gelula, 2005 81 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 82 Long term memory Rehearsal helps consolidation Takes about 30 min to consolidate Surface learning: memorization of facts Deep learning: make connections and links; establish relationships between facts, concepts, pre-existing existing information Rehearsal within 30 minutes facilitates consolidation Encourages connections between concepts (c) MH Gelula, 2005 83 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 84 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 14
60 40 20 0 Reinforcement through Testing B C 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 D A = tested immediately B = after 1 day C = after 1 week D = after 2 weeks E = after 3 weeks A E Identify Strategies to Foster Consolidation Review important points & key concepts Highlight structure of lecture and important links Have students summarize important points Have students generate questions at start of lecture, answer them at end Give tasks that enable students to practice what they ve learned. Days from lecture (c) MH Gelula, 2005 85 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 86 Implication: The conclusion phase takes time! 12 9 3 Introduction Body Conclusion Consolidating Activity Specify the objectives... Design two activities for one of the lecture phases For the intro: to engage prior knowledge For the body: to maintain attention and interact with material For the conclusion: to practice using the material per the objectives 6 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 87 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 88 Analyze this session! Session Objectives: Did you have a chance to practice? Introductory activity (primer) Body activity (interact with material) Whom do we teach? Why lecture? What Makes a good Lecturer? Construct objectives By the end of this session you will be able to: 1. Construct appropriate objectives for a lecture or presentation Conclusion activity (integrate and practice) Design activities Analyze workshop (c) MH Gelula, 2005 89 2. Design learner activities for each of the three phases of a lecture (c) MH Gelula, 2005 90 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 15
The successful teacher Session Summary is no longer on a height, pumping knowledge at high pressure into passive receptacles he is a senior student anxious to help his juniors. -- William Osler Tell me either: One concept or new idea that you learned today or One process that you will do differently (c) MH Gelula, 2005 91 (c) MH Gelula, 2005 92 (c)mh Gelula, 2005 16