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Homework for Day
2 | Resources
During this workshop we will ground our discussion of educational
technology within larger pedagogical questions. More specifically,
we will focus on the concepts of learning and teaching styles.
Recent research has revealed that people are psychologically
predisposed to acquire and process information in different
ways: by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning
logically and intuitively, analyzing and visualizing, working
steadily and in fits and starts. At the same time, the teaching
methods currently implemented in schools and colleges are
also fairly diverse: the lecture format is no longer as ubiquitous
as it used to be even ten years ago, as more and more instructors
prefer to lead students to discoveries through demonstrations
and group discussions, encouraging active application of concepts
rather than memorization of information. Although different
disciplines and subject matter impose limits on the instructor's
choice of method, it is still important to be aware that a
course that is designed to meet the needs of only one kind
of learner can be a frustrating experience for instructor
and student alike. Even though it is impossible to accommodate
the preferences of each student individually, instructors
can still increase their students' comfort level and willingness
to learn by balancing different teaching methods.
In the course of the workshop, participants will gain familiarity
with learning and teaching styles, discover their own preferences
by taking 2 electronic surveys, and discuss the pedagogical
challenges involved in balancing different instructional methods
within the constraints of their own disciplines and specific
courses.
Learning
Styles Questionnaire | Teaching
Styles Inventory
Day 2 workshop will be devoted to learning the functionality
of Telesis by setting up a "dummy" course, which
requires a syllabus in electronic form (a Word document, for
example).
1. participant is encouraged to bring his/her own syllabus
for the course that he/she will be teaching/TAing next semester
or choose one of the following samples:
2. Bring additional course materials that you would like
to use in your course, including:
- Articles and handouts for distribution to students (as
Word documents or PDFs).
- Useful links.
- Images.
Educational web sites that can be described in terms of the
different teaching styles
(Formal Authority / Facilitator / Demonstrator / Delegator):
Descriptions and validation studies of the Index of Learning
Styles (ILS):
- "Applications,
Reliability, and Validity of the Index of Learning Styles,"
by R. Felder and J. Spurlin (pdf)
- "A
Contribution to Validation of Score Meaning for Felder-Soloman's
Index of Learning Styles," by M. Zywno. (pdf)
- "Learning
and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education" (pdf)
Engineering Education, 78(7),
674-681 (1988). The article that originally defined the
Felder-Silverman model and identified teaching practices
that should meet the needs of students with the full spectrum
of styles. The paper is preceded by a 2002 preface that
states and explains changes in the model that have been
made since 1988.
- "Reaching
the Second Tier: Learning and Teaching Styles in College
Science Education"
J. College Science Teaching,
23(5), 286-290 (1993). An article that explains the learning
style preferences and their implications for teaching.
- R.M. Felder and E.R. Henriques, "Learning
and Teaching Styles in Foreign and Second Language Education"
Foreign Language Annals, 28(1),
21-31 (1995). Application of the F-S learning style model
to language education.
- Additional
information and references on learning styles.
On Teaching Styles:
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