A Holistic Approach to Teaching

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A Holistic Approach to Teaching Learning

• Sandra PoindexterNorthern Michigan
  University(spoindex_at_nmu.edu)

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Academic Environment
What external pressures face academic
institutions that could impact the classroom?
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Academic Environment
Who will be in the higher ed classrooms of the
next decade and what are these students like?
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Academic Environment
To what extent have faculty actually adopted
alternative learning approaches?
Holistic Approach
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Audience Demographics
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Changes in the Wind External Pressures

• Competition and recruitment promises
• Retention
• double-digit student departure after yr 1
• more about social, emotional, intellectual
  connectedness (not found in pure lecture)
• Public accountability
• Productivity

It is faculty on the front who must fulfill these
demands
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Changes in the Wind - Students
In 3 minutes, with the person next to you, list
some descriptors for each factor below as it
pertains to children in the last two decades.

• health safety
• working parents
• daily care
• extracurricular activities
• use of free time
• technology

• fast food concern
• latch key, involved educ
• non family after school
• camps, teams, structured
• little of it sitting communication
• tech savvy digital divide

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Changes in the Wind - Students

• Attention span
• Multitasking
• Structure and Scheduling
• Teamwork
• View of authority
• Technology

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Changes in the Wind - Faculty

• Baby Boomers group approaching retirement
• Gen X group getting tenured and promoted
• more relaxed
• more adventuresome
• less apt to demand control

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Innovation Diffusion

• Innovators I wonder if people
• Early Adopter respected leaders in governance
  and disciplines
• Early Majority early workshop attendees
  determine critical mass
• Late Majority traditionalists who give in
• Non Adopters traditionalists who dont

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Diffusion Topics
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Peer Learning

• Collaborative, cooperative, team, group all
  based upon students learning from their peers
• Early alternative to lecture
• 90 of students in NSSE report doing group work
• Steady adoption toLate Majority

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Active Learning

• Term coined in early 90s
• Slow but steady growth
• Embedded in other methods, e.g. collaborative,
  yet doesnt require them
• May be a farther reach for some in early
  majority

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Service Learning

• Real growth began in 90s
• Gaining momentum with its civic partner,
  volunteerism
• Project-based, problem-based
• 60 of students in NSSE report service
• 40 of students report service learning
• Early majority getting comfortable

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Instructional Technology

• Academic value is a debate topic
• Professional value is clearer
• Fast adoption rate
• Laptop initiatives across the nation continue
  186 by 2003
• Late majority needed help of instructional
  technologist

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Internet Integration

• Explosive growth
• More reliable sites
• Improved connection speed
• Decreased cost of hardware
• Increased accessibility at home
• Minimal use, e.g. faculty email, becomes
  standard

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Internet Integration at NMU
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Holistic Approach
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Communication
Looking at me, could you give me the name of the
people sitting next to you?
Why is that important in a classroom?
some teachers even learn your name!
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Communication
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Technology contributions

• Laptops
• Server space
• Technology-friendly rooms

• Class E-mail
• File attachments
• Course website
• Internet resources
• Presentation software

Tech
Classroom
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Service Tech
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Active Tech
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Active Peer Tech
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Active Peer Service Tech
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Does This Work?
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Does This Work?
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Students

• agree learning is their responsibility
• accept teamwork and less structure in exchange
  for learning how to handle those situations w/o
  penalty
• like to work in teams of mixed talents on projects

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Student Representatives

• Louie McHugh Senior CIS, Pre-law
  (lmcugh_at_nmu.edu)
• Tim Tanis Senior CIS, assistant for UP Bureau
  of Economics (ttanis_at_nmu.edu)

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Scenario Sharing

• Scenario 1 You are teaching a history or
  culture, or art course on Russia or Eastern
  Europe. The objective of a particular class
  session is to cover the topic of Siberia over a
  particular time frame.
• Scenario 2 You are teaching a psychology or
  sociology or social work or nursing course on
  urban change. The objective of a particular class
  session is to cover the topic of extracurricular
  options available to children raised in urban
  settings and the impact those options may have on
  their adult lives.
• Scenario 3 You are teaching a class of a person
  sitting in your group, covering a pending topic.

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Scenario Sharing

• What alternatives to straight lecture could be
  used?
• How can you blend teachings strategies so that
  multiple approaches are incorporated?
• Specifically plan the class period with your
  preparation tasks, student preparation tasks,
  class time, and follow-up discussion.

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Whats wrong with this photo?
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Graduate Testimonial

• I never had a computer class with a separate lab
  and lecture time. I wondered what exactly I was
  going to do for 3 hours twice a week in a
  programming lecture class.
• Programming is not an easy subject to learn by
  taking notes and watching. I was completely taken
  aback by the teaching process, and found my mind
  wandering during most of the classes.
• The hands-on approach to learning programming is
  definitely preferable, keeping students engaged
  throughout the class. In addition, I believe the
  immediate repetition of information after a short
  lecture on the same information provides a better
  knowledge base.

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Road to the Holistic Approach

• Avoid innovation blinders
• Provide faculty training in instructional theory,
  not just techniques
• Cross pollinate faculty
• Reward faculty (at least cut them slack) while
  they experiment
• Look externally for models

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