NameSchoolDepartment

JUST IN TIME TEACHINGA 21ST CENTURY LEARNING TECHNIQUE

DR. JEFF LOATSDEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

@ COLTT 2013

THE EVIDENCE STANDARD2

Teachers can feel bombarded… I strive to be a scholarly teacher …Common (evidence-based) themes:

• Focus and attention• Using emotions appropriately• Repetition and practice• Feedback

In your teaching do you have a method for holding students accountable for preparing for class?Previous iClicker poll results (compiled):~24% → I don’t, but I ask/threaten really well.~44% → I use a paper method (quiz, journal…)~7% → I use a digital method (clickers, etc.)~7% → I use Just in Time Teaching.~17% → I have some other method.

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OVERVIEW4

1. Motivation for change2. Basics of Just in Time Teaching3. Mock example4. Evidence for effectiveness5. Summaries

5PHYSICS EDUCATION REVOLUTIONEric Mazur, Physicist at Harvard:

6“ALL SIMILARLY (IN)EFFECTIVE…”

7

University of Washington

CU Boulder

University of Illinois

at Urbana-Champaign

FEEDBACK THAT WORKS8

“Improvement of performance is actually a function of two perceptual processes. The individual’s perception of the standards of performance, and her/his perception of his/her own performance.” The Feedback Fallacy – Steve Falkenberg (via Linda Nilson)

TECHNIQUE & TECHNOLOGY9

Technique:Just in Time Teaching

Technology:Online question & response tools

Learner Teacher

JUST IN TIME TEACHINGOnline pre-class assignments (“WarmUps”)First half:• Conceptual questions, answered in

sentences• Graded on thoughtful effortSecond half:• Responses are read “just in time”• Instructor modifies the plan accordingly• Aggregate and individual (anonymous)

responses are displayed in class.

Learner Teacher

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JUST IN TIME TEACHINGA different student role:• Actively prepare for class

(not just reading/watching)• Actively engage in class• Compare your progress & plan accordinglyA different instructor role:• Actively prepare for class with you

(not just going over last year’s notes )• Modify class accordingly• Create interactive engagement

opportunities

Learner Teacher

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0-20% 20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 80-100%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

24%

36%

24%

11%7%

Consider a typical day in your class. What fraction of students did their preparatory work before coming to class?Previous iClicker poll results (compiled):

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N = 73

WARMUP QUESTIONS13

• Every-day language• Occasional simple comprehension

question• Mostly higher level questions (a la

Bloom)• Perhaps any question is better than

noneConnections to evidence:–Pre-class work reduces working

memory load during class.–Multimodal practice (not learning

styles):JiTT brings reading, writing and discussion as modes of practice.

METACOGNITION14

Two questions in every WarmUp:First: “What aspect of the material did you find the most difficult or interesting.”Last: “How much time did you spend on the pre-class work for tomorrow?”Connections to evidence:–Forced practice at metacognition:

Students regularly evaluate their own interaction with the material.

CLOSING THE LOOP15

Student responses:• Graded on thoughtful effort• Sampled and categorized for display• Quoted anonymouslyClosing the loop:• Respond to some students digitally• Class time shifts to active

engagement.

EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK16

Faulkenberg’s criteria for feedback:• Feedback doesn’t work if students

don’t correctly perceive the performance standards.

• Feedback doesn’t work if students cannot correctly evaluate their own performance.

JiTT feedback loop:Clarify standards in low-stakes situations.Allows students to judge whether they have correctly evaluated their own performance.

EXAMPLE: WHIRLING BUCKET

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A bucket of water can be whirled in a vertical circle without the water falling out, even at the top of the circle when the bucket is upside down. Explain…~15% → An outward force

holds it in~30% → An inward force

holds it in~20% → Talked (correctly!)

about acceleration & velocity… but didn't really answer.

~10% → Nailed it! (or close enough)

EXAMPLE: WHIRLING BUCKET

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“The water doesn't come out because you twirling the bucket is applying the force of spinning, and the water just kind of counteracts that motion.”“Because the water naturally wants to keep traveling in the same direction its being whirled around in the water attempts to continue going up in a straight line but the bottom of the bucket forces it to stay in the bucket, like when you are pushed by the door of a car while making a turn.”

WHAT TOOLS TO USE?19

• CMS/LMS (Blackboard, D2L, Moodle, etc.)Ready to use, tools… imperfect awful

• Free service from JiTTDL.org.Designed just for JiTT, but extra login, and the site has not been improved in ~5 years

• Students email responsesEasy! usually overwhelming and awful

• Blogging tools (WordPress)?• New tools (TopHat, Learning

Catalytics)?

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MAZUR AFTER 1 YEAR

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ELSEWHERE?

STUDIED EFFECTIVENESS22

Used at hundreds of institutionsDozens of studies/articles, in many disciplines:Bio, Art Hist., Econ., Math, Psych., Chem., etc.– Increase in content knowledge– Improved student preparation for

class– Improved use of out-of-class time– Increased attendance & engagement

in class– Improvement in affective measures

STUDENT FEEDBACK ON JITT315 students in 7 classes over 4 terms (roughly ±6%)The WarmUps have…

Agreed or Strongly Agreed

…helped me to be more prepared for class than I would otherwise be.

70%

…helped me to be more engaged in class than I would otherwise be. 

80%

…helped me to learn the material better than I otherwise would

64%

…been worth the time they required to complete 57%

WHAT MIGHT STOP YOU?24

In terms of the technique:Time, coverage, not doing your part, pushback…

In terms of the technology:Learning curve, tech. failures, perfectionism…

In any reform of your teaching:Reinventing, no support, too much at once…

MY SUMMARY25

JiTT may be among the easiest research-based instructional strategies that you can consistently integrate into your teaching.From an evidence-based perspective, JiTT addresses often-neglected areas.Be prepared to find that students know less than we might hope. (Perhaps freeing?)

YOUR SUMMARY26

What part of JiTT concept/process is the fuzziest for you after this talk?What is the biggest reason you might not give JiTT a try in one course next term?Contact Jeff:

Jeff.Loats@gmail.comSlides: www.slideshare.net/JeffLoatsI love talking and working with faculty, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

JITT REFERENCES & RESOURCES

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Simkins, Scott and Maier, Mark (Eds.) (2010) Just in Time Teaching: Across the Disciplines, Across the Academy, Stylus Publishing.Gregor M. Novak, Andrew Gavrini, Wolfgang Christian, Evelyn Patterson (1999) Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River NJ.K. A. Marrs, and G. Novak. (2004). Just-in-Time Teaching in Biology: Creating an Active Learner Classroom Using the Internet. Cell Biology Education, v. 3, p. 49-61.Jay R. Howard (2004). Just-in-Time Teaching in Sociology or How I Convinced My Students to Actually Read the Assignment.  Teaching Sociology, Vol. 32 (No. 4 ). pp. 385-390. Published by: American Sociological AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3649666S. Linneman, T. Plake (2006). Searching for the Difference: A Controlled Test of Just-in-Time Teaching for Large-Enrollment Introductory Geology Courses. Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol. 54 (No. 1)Stable URL:http://www.nagt.org/nagt/jge/abstracts/jan06.html#v54p18