Teaching for Inclusion

Anne Russof, Denbigh Starkey, and Carolyn Plumb

The first in a series of discussions about teaching and learning

Sponsored by the College of Engineering

What is “Teaching for Inclusion”

Teaching that does not exclude (accidentally or intentionally) any student from the opportunity to learn.

What excludes students?

Conveying disrespect, unfairness, or lack of confidence

Interacting with only a subset of students Teaching in ways that favor particular

backgrounds or approaches

Why Do We Hear More about Inclusion Recently?

More diverse students The need to prepare students to live and

work in a global society The focus on learner-centered

environments What we now know about how people

learn

What Does Inclusion Have To Do with How People Learn?

Learners construct their own meaning, based on the prior knowledge and experience they bring to the learning event.

“If teaching is conceived as constructing a bridge between the subject matter and the students, learner-centered teachers keep a constant eye on both ends of the bridge.”

(Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School, 2002)

Where Can I Get More Information?

College of Engineering web site• Faculty and Staff Tab

•Teaching Resources

Contact Carolyn Plumb• cplumb@coe.montana.edu

One Way to Think about Learning Styles

Why learnersWhat learnersHow learnersWhat-if learners

(Anson et al., Empowerment to Learn in Engineering: Preparation for an Urgently-Needed Paradigm Shift, Global Journal of Engineering Education, 7(2), 2003.)

One Way to Think about Learning Styles

Why learners• Prefer listening and discussing ideas

• Learn best by relating new information to prior knowledge and experience

• Learn best in environments that promote divergent thinking and subjective interpretations

One Way to Think about Learning Styles

What learners• Prefer to form judgments on verifiable data

• Learn best by assimilating abstract facts into coherent theories

• Most comfortable in situations that allow them to use their tough mindedness to deduce correct and precise answers

One Way to Think about Learning Styles

How learners (most common—49% in a recent study)• Prefer experimenting and testing ideas

• Learn best by using down-to-earth problem-solving strategies to make sense of ideas

• Like to work with concrete, real-life circumstances

One Way to Think about Learning Styles

What-if learners• Prefer trial-and-error problem solving

• Learn best by looking for patterns and relationships that connect personal experience to new information

• Do best in environments where there is a convergence of ideas and a respect for the unconventional

Distribution of Learning Styles of Engineering Students

Strategies to Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Relate course content to previous and future content and to students’ experience

• Why and What-if learners

Strategies to Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Balance concrete information with abstract concepts

• All learners

Strategies to Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Balance practical problem-solving methods with material that emphasizes fundamental understanding

• All learners

Strategies to Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Provide concrete examples of the phenomena the theory describes or predicts (What), then develop the theory (Why and What-if), show how the theory can be validated (What-if and How) and present applications (How)

Strategies to Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Allow students to reflect on or write about what they are learning

• Why and What-if learners

Strategies to Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Ask students to solve problems in groups

• Why, How, and What-if learners

Strategies to Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Connect abstract theories to practical applications

• How learners

Where Can I Get More Information?

College of Engineering web site• Faculty and Staff Tab

•Teaching Resources

Contact Carolyn Plumb• cplumb@coe.montana.edu