For my teaching observations I attended two sections of an introductory statistics course (STAT 201) on Monday, March 7th. The classes were taught by two different instructors, thus allowing for a comparison of different teaching styles. Two instructors would also give insight into teaching approaches that may be driven more by the accepted practice across the field, whether it is the best way to approach the material or not.
Both courses were taught in lecture halls, one had about 100 students signed up, the other just over 50 students. In this environment both instructors were essentially in lecture mode, mostly situated at a podium with an overhead projector.
In the first class, Class A, the students turned in homework assignments at the beginning of the class prior to the instructor coming in. When the instructor arrived, she started immediately into the material. The instructor used two types of media. The first was a series of power point charts with notes and definitions on the material of the day. After a considerable amount of time the instructor moved to a projector where she could write and solve problems on paper, and her work would be projected on a screen.
The topic of the day was an introduction to probability and distribution. The examples she gave were simple, straight-forward problems one would expect from this level. The teacher introduced the concept from two perspectives, one being a pure example of showing probability based upon the throwing dice. To illustrate, she used slides which listed all the possibilities. The second approach she presented was through the use of a diagram tree, showing probabilities built through a series of subsequent trials.
Although class A was technically sound, the instruction almost even put me, someone interested in this material, to sleep. The instructor seldom looked up from her notes, and seldom engaged with the class. Since I was sitting in the back, it was obvious that many students were doing other things such as social networking, texting, or other work. Those that seemed interested enough to observe the teacher and take notes were few. I wondered why many of the students bothered to come to class given the lack of attention to the instructor, and probably relied on their own independent study. That question was answered at the end of class when the instructor provided a code the students were required to enter on-line in order to get credit for attending the class.
There were many similarities with Class B. The power point charts looked like they were the exact same ones, which led me to believe the starting point for theses classes is a “canned” lesson plan. This instructor also used the same techniques of writing problems on paper that were than projected on the screen. This instructor did attempt to make more of a connection with the students. He would ask questions of the students and give them time to think and respond. Still, he pulled a little short by giving the answer if no one volunteered. The layout of this lecture hall seemed to more facilitate that. The stage for Class A was on a raised platform, which wasn’t the case for Class B. This allowed the instructor for Class B to move away from the platform and get physically closer to the students. He did this with some encouragement, and questions posed to the students. Still he did not completely commit himself, allowing himself to walk only a couple of rows from the side of the room. He also used a demonstration where he actually tossed a coin which would land on the projector screen showing the results of the toss. The concern here though was the instructor did not seem to be completely aware or in control of the physical environment. The coin was landing on the part of the screen that was just outside the projection camera, so even though you knew what he was doing, you did not see the projection on the screen. He would record the results of the toss which everyone could see, but the impact of the demonstration was lost. Like the other class, the instructor also gave a code for the students to enter on-line to get credit for attending the course.
Having given myself several days now to reflect on these two classes, I came to several conclusions and ideas. Here are the five key ones that really struck me.
First, a lecture format is not conducive to deeper learning. But if the class has to be in a lecture hall due to the demand for the class, the instructor needs to be aware of his or her surroundings. This could be done by having the students move closer to the front of the room, stepping away from the podiums and projectors, walking around the room while still discussing the material, and observing what the students are actually doing. Even when at the lectern, at least look up and make direct eye contact with the students.
Second, engage and challenge the students directly. It is natural for students to hold back in a large class where they do not have to engage. If no one volunteers to answer a question, ask individuals directly. This lets students know they need to come prepared, at least to the point of being prepared to discuss the material.
Third, use problem solving with more direct interaction with the students. Rather than stepping through the process and providing all the answers yourself, get the student directly involved in solving the problem.
Fourth, even in the lecture hall, don’t base part of the class grade on attendance. Attendance by itself does not focus on actual student learning. If the students can actually do just as well on the material independently and come in for graded tests and assignments, than class attendance is irrelevant. As a minimum, plan interactive activities that require both attendance and participation.
Fifth, if possible, get out of the lecture hall and into smaller class sizes. This may not be practical in all cases, but it does allow more direct interaction with individual students, encourages more questions from the students, and allows the teacher to better gage where the students are in their understanding of the material.
When I begin to teach these types of courses I hope to be able to do so in a manageable environment, where student learning can be truly assessed. But given that the conditions may not always be the most favorable, I hope to be able to find ways to make the experience worthwhile for the student, and not fall into the mental trap that this is just the way it is. Perhaps group projects outside of class that require deeper thought outside the classroom may make the learning experience more tangible; while at the same time, giving grades to groups rather than individuals may help keep grading more manageable. This is still not necessarily the most desirable arrangement, but it may be a more realistic compromise in a large classroom situation.
