Attention spans of students and how to retain focus (Rhys Miles)
A key issue I have always personally had is the matter of my attention span; this is not always in regard to an educational setting, but it is most noticeable in this case. To work at my best, I try to focus for periods of 10-15 minutes and then allow myself to get “distracted” for a minute or two, and then I can easily zone back in. In the context of my learning in my undergraduate degree, the teaching blocks were usually 3-hour intervals, and this was further split into 1-hour lectures and 2-hour practicals, but this could vary depending on the session. I noticed a significant benefit in my learning and attention span in the lectures where the teacher decided to have breaks after 15 or 30 minutes to allow students to regain themselves. A study by Stuart and Rutherford, 1978 assessed the students' engagement over a 50-minute lecture using a buzzer that would alarm every 5 minutes, and the students would record their engagement; they noticed that students had the highest engagement in the 10-20 minute period where it then began to decline until the end of the lecture.
An important and somewhat unique part of Geology is the field trips. Not only did these provide other benefits such as practical/real-world knowledge and social skills. In addition, the physical nature of these trips allowed my classmates and me to remain focused on the task at hand.
This is why I would suggest that to further improve teaching in the future; longer lectures should be split into micro-lectures up to 15 minutes in length in order to keep optimum focus for students. In addition, this will allow for discussion periods to be planned out accordingly, which will also benefit them.
References:
1- Stuart, J. and Rutherford, R.D., 1978. Medical student concentration during lectures. The lancet, 312(8088), pp.514-516.
Response:
I totally agree with splitting long lectures into 15-minute intervals. My Information Security post describes adding interactive interludes into lectures such as a video or group game. This divides the lecture whilst still learning. Maybe field trips are easier to concentrate on for longer periods because you are at the centre of your learning and have to gather the results yourself. (Angela Heeler, Information Security)
Controlled Exposure Frameworks in Geological Fieldwork (Adam Eskdale)
Fieldwork is an integral component to the geosciences, particularly in the Earth Science undergraduate education system upon which fieldwork is typically a core module for assessment. Being able to transfer knowledge from theoretical education in the classroom (i.e., lectures and practical's with hand specimens / thin sections) to pragmatic application in the field is essential for students to grasp how geology works around (and beneath) them. This develops the student’s ability to ‘think in 4D’, a concept that is often critical to future more advanced modules and their careers.
Fieldwork provides a working space that strips back the formality of the classroom, typically putting students into smaller groups with their peers, and provides a framework upon which lateral thinking and ‘matchbox ideas’ are encouraged. These discussions, often both in the field and in a more casual setting in the evenings, build up the student’s confidence in their own understanding.
As an example, Royal Holloway Earth Science students were taken to Devon as part of their early field-mapping training in second year 2022. Here their training took the form of ‘controlled independent exposure’ where the groups were first guided to key localities of interest and the discussions controlled by the supervisory staff. Following these ‘controlled exposures’ where answers were readily available, the students were then given independence to explore and map the area for a two-day period (independent exposure). After the first day, students could check-in with the staff for feedback, advice, and clarification (evaluative exposure) before continuing independently (re-exposure) the following day. This series of ‘controlled-independent-evaluative-re-exposure’ provided the students freedom to apply their knowledge in a real-world situation, whilst still ensuring they learnt throughout with mid-activity check-ins. This demonstrates how place-based education (PBE), particularly within the geosciences as fieldwork, is effective as an education tool (Semken et al. 2017).
References:
Semken, S., Ward, E. G., Moosavi, S., & Chinn, P. W. (2017). Place-based education in geoscience: Theory, research, practice, and assessment. Journal of Geoscience Education, 65(4), 542-562.
Interdependence learning: an example of a real-world situation (Zhi Lin Ng)
Earlier this year, I came across an enlightening practical session set up by the lead coordinator that I was demonstrating in. The session was analogous to “The Blind Men and the Elephant”, a vastly adapted Indian fable, where in James Baldwin’s version, it depicts a group of six blind men who set out to describe an elephant, with each having touched a different part of the elephant and disagree on their findings, while their collective wisdom would have led to the truth. A fellow colleague explained to me another version he once heard where the blind men eventually came together to work out a composite picture to grasp the form of the elephant.
The setting of my sharing is a Marine Geology practical class for Year 3 Earth Sciences students, with the aim to develop students’ understanding on the morphology and processes on deep-water depositional systems by interpreting data acquired form multiple techniques used in a real-world situation and location. It was the first time for these students to be introduced to the remotely-sensed data. The session was planned out with the students divided into three separate groups, where each group were given a different type of dataset: bathymetric data; radar reflectivity, multi-beam, and side-scan sonar data; and seismic reflection data, respectively.
With assistance from tutors, each group were tasked to independently create a map of the different features in the study location and interpret the different processes that were present in the recent past, without the availability of datasets from the other groups. As all three groups progressed, it became clearer to the student what information was available based on their dataset to be included in their maps, but each of the three groups could not draw a definite conclusion due to the limited capabilities of each technique. After adequate time, the three groups were required to summarise their workflow and findings to the entire class at the ‘meeting table’. Multiple hypotheses were introduced by each group based on their work and were slowly eliminated with new information arising from other groups’ presentations. Towards the end, the entire class would come together and settle with the best interpretation and solution.
In this exercise, I learnt the importance of interdependence learning, where, with limited resources available, time in this instance, multiple distinct components can run simultaneously to be combined in the end to enhance and to create a more impactful understanding of a whole topic. On a lighter note, this skill should also come in handy for students during revision.
Response:
A very interesting and inspiring example and way of teaching. I wonder if there is an optimal and feasible number of groups to be formed under this method. A highly dispersed group may not always exhibit desired outcomes, I believe. (Saffet Aras Uygur, Management)
A very interesting analogy of how sometimes one question/argument might have different approaches, especially in STEM. When teaching STEM students, we must emphasize the range of ideas and answers for a single topic, enhancing student participation and increasing their motivation to participate. (anon.)
Practical application before theory – a potential way to enhance motivation and prior knowledge? (Juliane Hennig-Breitfeld)
For my lecture and subsequent practical session I came across an interesting approach used by the former lecturer of the course. The person included an additional exercise in the practical which brings students in contact with a new topic (in this case, constructing outcrop patterns using structural contours) for which they are not supposed to have background knowledge yet. I found this an interesting but also challenging idea and was curious whether this would be successful or not.
The practical session included three different tasks. While the first two exercises focused on familiar content of the preceding lecture (grid reference, compass use, topographic profiles), the last one was a new task focusing on geological problem maps for which I gave some practical guidance at the beginning, but the background information would only be presented in the following week lecture.
First useful thing I noticed was the practical side of this approach; first year students come from different backgrounds and are at different levels, therefore it is a good way to have a more challenging exercise prepared for some students who might already have good understanding of basic geological concepts and will be very quick with the first two tasks.
During the practical I was very surprised how engaged all students were with the additional task and keen to solve these problem maps, which was mostly successful with some help from me and the course’s demonstrators. There are some potholes to avoid afterwards; I found it crucial that they recap the exercises before the next lecture; otherwise they will mainly forget what they learnt. If, however, they come prepared for next lecture, this could be really beneficial as it provides them with some prior knowledge for the next lecture (thereby resembling aspects of a flipped classroom concept).
Response:
It is really an interesting idea! I had some similar experience when I taught research methods in human geography. Students usually understood theories better, if they had related practices beforehand. One concern is that the idea may be dangerous if the practical involves human beings outside the course or may harms the safety of students. Students can do some practical before theory lectures, but they must be explained research ethics and safety guidelines at very first. （Yunting Qi, Geography)
Guided laboratory work: From theoretical knowledge to practical application (Tim Breitfeld)
As part of my teaching this year I also give a laboratory introductory session for mineral separation analysis to MSc and PhD research students. Most of their individual research projects involve processing of rock samples for U-Pb zircon analysis and provenance studies.
Over the past year I noticed that most students were not really aware what the purpose of certain laboratory steps actually were and what they are trying to achieve from the rock processing and heavy mineral separation used for identification of sources. I therefore designed a seminar which I held at the beginning to present the use and practical application of sediment source identification (i.e. why certain methods are used for a study).
Another problem was how then to engage students/first-time users in the laboratory. In previous years students were often not confident in the individual steps due to a lack of previous knowledge and purpose of the procedures. Thus, it is important to convey the aims for each step, what methods are used, and what risks for health and safety, and sample contamination are involved. To familiarise the students with the lab, I take a very small group and run theoretically through each step. Following the theoretical part, we take a test sample and I perform each step as a demonstration. So the students get familiar with the procedures and get more confident to perform the rock processing by themselves. After that, each student does the tasks on their own with little guidance by me. Lab instructions are also provided as handouts and a workflow chart is giving on a white board as additional aid.
The gradual transition from theoretical knowledge to individual practical application in the laboratory with the teacher as lab instructor improves the ability of the students to work according to the lab standards and to think about what they are trying to achieve in each step. This also follows a student-centred approach, where the student is involved in the learning (O’Neill and McMahon, 2005). An important aspect is to timely set up the guided practical session so that the students get hands-on experience while the theoretical knowledge is still fresh.
Reference
O’Neill, G. and McMahon, T., 2005. Student-centred learning: What does it mean for students and lecturers. In: Emerging issues in the practice of university learning and teaching I. Dublin: AISHE.
Response:
I can relate to the experiences you describe here. Even though the context is very different for me as a librarian, I have noticed that students who are new to Higher Education sometimes struggle with using our online resources. I run sessions during the year to introduce students to Library Search and subject databases, and they often follow a pattern of demonstrating a resource for the whole group and then giving the students a chance to use that resource to complete a task. Some students find it hard to keep up with or understand demonstrations for various reasons, but the length of sessions doesn’t always allow time to help each individual achieve the same standard. I have tried to overcome this difficulty by encouraging students to contact me for 1-to-1 support sessions if they need it; but I also like your idea of gradually progressing from a teacher-centred approach (explanation of theory and step-by-step demonstration) to a student-centred approach (students working through tasks with minimal support). (Benjamin Williamson, Library)
Teaching through analogies in an Earth Sciences Practical Session (Robbie Cooke)
Throughout my time doing my Masters Project, much of my knowledge and experience regarding inSTIL topics like effective methods of learning and teaching diverse students has come primarily from my time demonstrating during palaeontology practicals to first year earth-science undergraduates at RHUL.
During demonstrations one common problem I find is the inability to explain a certain aspect of a specimen to the audience, for example the tooth-shape of a Baryonyx or the shape of an Ammonite. In scenarios like this I like to refer to practical or pop-culture analogies.
The effectiveness of analogies in learning is well documented scientifically most notably by Treagust (1993) and Coll, France & Taylor (2011). However in my experience I do find that each analogy scenario is dependent on the student who is being interacted with, the analogies most relevant to them, and the message one is trying to convey.
Some analogies are simpler than others. For example using my hands to represent jaws and teeth is a simple and general way to show how effective Baryonyx teeth can catch fish. However some are more specific; the best example of this I have encountered regarded a girl and her friends who I knew were keen gamers and familiar with the Bioshock series. In these games there is a vehicle called a bathysphere which has a near-spherical shape to help it traverse the city of Rapture deep beneath the sea without being crushed by the pressure. A genus of ammonites called Ceratities has a similarly-shaped shell structure being notably round and spherical which indicates that it too lived in a deep-water environment. By using such a specific analogy, the point was communicated easily to this group of students and by using such a notable reference like Bioshock, it was far more likely to be remembered by students.
Overall when it comes to analogies, their application opportunities and effectiveness can vary. The simpler analogies can be done with nearly every student but are often less likely to be remembered, whereas the more specific analogies usually require specific knowledge of a certain topic of pop-culture. However in my opinion, the main thing that is required for these analogies to be effective in teaching is for them to be delivered with enthusiasm and passion. These traits can dramatically enhance explaining analogies and make students far more likely to gain knowledge critical to their future academic career.
References
Coll, R.K., France, B. and Taylor, I., 2005. The role of models/and analogies in science education: implications from research. International Journal of Science Education, 27(2), pp.183-198.
Treagust, D.F., 1993. The evolution of an approach for using analogies in teaching and learning science. Research in Science Education, 23(1), pp.293-301.
Response:
This is a very interesting post, as a biology teacher, I usually find myself in the same situation, trying to explain certain ideas or concepts. I also find analogies very useful and use them quite frequently, not only with my hands or showing pictures on the screen but also trying to find examples from everyday life. (Marta Pérez, Biological Sciences)
Practical and fieldwork – a review (anon.)
During my two years of teaching, I have had the pleasure to visit different countries with students at a postgrad and undergrad level alike. The idea of fieldwork is for the student to bridge the gap between classroom sessions, assessments, and at postgraduate level, laboratory analyses. In petroleum geology, we need to understand the mechanical properties of rocks to understand reservoir behavior. It involves the understanding of fluid flow, the rheology of rocks and geomechanics. At postgraduate level especially, fieldwork can get very complicated but analogous to the 4.6 billion years of Earth's history.
Geological fieldwork tends to be strenuous enough to students, especially to the inexperienced one and first-year undergraduates. The long distances walked, and sometimes, different transportation methods, e.g. ferries and buses to secluded mountains, desserts or inside a volcano's caldera, discourages many students and the fieldwork becomes irrelevant to them. Therefore, the idea of having group assessments turned in afterward or the day after becomes unconstructive and not the best evaluation method. That is why this year I had the idea to push for the assessment of students while they are on the field, as well as the briefing and debriefing of objectives at the beginning, climax, and end of the day, as proposed by Lonergan and Andresen (2006). This does not only encourage them to get most of their assessment right but to learn.
One of the last fieldwork experiences I had with students was during a rainy day up on the north-west coast of Scotland. I noticed that a type of rock outcropping within the area was a Cretaceous chalk rock that is also encountered in the North Sea buried under kilometers of ocean water and sediments. This same type of rock might hold a big potential for gas exploration and development for natural gas in the UK. Hall et al., (2002) elucidated that fieldwork in the UK allows students to experience the real 'research' and so I acted upon this. I had to break off a piece of rock, test them and allow them to explain in one sentence what would they do to test their idea. I felt it was the right time to test them about their geophysical understandings and mechanical properties of rocks learned at the laboratory and during lectures.
In conclusion, I feel that fieldwork assessments should be dynamic and not always at the conclusion of the field experience, or worse yet when they are back at the campsite or accommodation.
References
Hall, T., and Healey, M. (2002). Fieldwork and disabled students: discourses of exclusion and inclusion. Royal Geographical Society. Vol. 27, 2, pp. 213-231.
Lonergan, N., and Andresen, L. W. (2006). Field-based Educations: Some Theoretical Considerations. Higher Education Research & Development. Vol. 7, 1, pp.63-77.
Response:
This resonates with me and my experiences of teaching and I find the assessment of students whilst in the field a particularly difficult one! I like the way you have acknowledged that asking students to complete an assessment after a long day in the field when they are tired and unmotivated is unlikely to be a true reflection of their performance and therefore have adapted your evaluation method accordingly. Other forms of assessment which you could consider include: the production of a field notebook with notes, observations, interpretations and field sketches; a hand-drawn field map of the area; a digitised version of the field map on GIS software; or a field report.
It is also clear you recognise the unpredictability of fieldwork! It is great that you seized the opportunity to engage the students in ‘real research’ and I’m sure this had a big impact on their learning. (Alice Reynolds, Geography)
The importance of student collaboration when using student response systems (Max Coleman)
I have regarded the use of student response systems, or ‘clickers’, as a great tool for encouraging student engagement in lectures, but I wanted to see if my views are supported by the literature and what are the best methods for using clickers. A review by MacArthur and Jones (2008) found generally supportive results for using clickers in teaching chemistry both from research studies and publications on their practical implementation. The benefits identified are mostly in agreement with my own experiences and thoughts on clickers, such as provision of formative feedback. However, one key benefit identified by the review was the use of clickers in facilitating student collaboration. This surprised me because I’ve not seen clickers used to facilitate student collaboration before.
In my experience as an undergraduate and a demonstrator in lectures this year, clickers were used to poll students for answers to relatively simple questions during lectures. The expectation was students could answer quickly, without much discussion afterwards, fitting seamlessly into the lecture. There may be benefits of this simple use of clickers, such as breaking up passive listening and allowing students to test their understanding. However, it is similar to the early use of clickers, which showed no measurable learning gain, perhaps on account of being used only to quiz students without any discussion involved (MacArthur and Jones, 2008, and references therein). Conversely, MacArthur and Jones (2008) note that student collaboration was always involved in studies where reported student learning gains were significant.
One way to use clickers to foster student collaboration is documented in Crouch and Mazur (2001). They suggest posing a question to students to which they provide an initial response, such as through use of clickers. Students then discuss their answers and provide another response afterwards. The question is then discussed as a class. The idea is to get students to engage with the question both individually and then through interaction with peers. This approach seems like it would be a lot more engaging for students than simply adding clickers into lectures, and Crouch and Mazur (2001) do report student learning gains.
So, while clickers are perhaps reliable tools for improving student learning and which I am keen to use in my own future teaching, it is important to consider their implementation more carefully, ideally using them to facilitate student collaboration such as through the approach outlined here.
References
Crouch, C. H. and Mazur, E. (2001) ‘Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results’, American Journal of Physics, 69(9), pp. 970–977. doi: 10.1119/1.1374249.
MacArthur, J. R. and Jones, L. L. (2008) ‘A review of literature reports of clickers applicable to college chemistry classrooms’, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. The Royal Society of Chemistry, 9(3), pp. 187–195. doi: 10.1039/B812407H.
Misconceptions about Inquiry-Based Instruction in Science: a first-hand experience (Seehapol Utitsan)
I am an advocate of John Dewey’s idea that science should be taught as a way of thinking, not as a subject with facts to memorize. So, when I demonstrated for a structural geology practical session, I thought that adopting an inquiry-based instruction would be a good approach. However, the students’ reception was exactly the opposite of what I imagined. They were upset, and sometimes confused, as I probed them with more questions. A similar occurrence was also reported by Wheeler et al. (2016).
I did some research into the process of scientific inquiry (Bybee et al., 2005) and found out that I was under a misconception all along. Firstly, I misunderstood the aim of practical exercises, which is to teach students scientific methods used in structural geology. The session aims to reinforce concepts taught and to introduce students into learning to follow standard procedures.
Secondly, I was too rigid in relying on just one method. As mentioned by Bybee et al. (2005), there is no form of inquiry that suits every situation and not all sciences should be taught through inquiry-based instruction. This approach is suitable for teaching concepts that do not conform to common preconception and should be combined with other teaching methods.
To fix my mistake, I switched to traditional instruction whenever I found an open-ended inquiry ineffective. A confirmation inquiry (Banchi and Bell, 2008) from students, such as “am I right?”, which is the most common type of question asked in the class, was answered clearly with either “yes” or “no”. After all, 'intrinsic feedback' is important (Gormally et al., 2016). Sometimes, students were asked why they think they were right or wrong to extend their understanding.
The students’ reception improved after the fix. However, I am certain that a year-long demonstrating experience was not enough to set me on a right paradigm. Perhaps, there are still some misconceptions in my style that I am not aware of. Would you be able to point out some?
References
Banchi, Heather, and Randy Bell. "The many levels of inquiry." Science and children 46.2 (2008): 26.
Bybee, Rodger W., et al. "Doing science: the process of scientific inquiry." National Institute of General Medical Sciences (2005).
Gormally, Cara, Carol Subiño Sullivan, and Nadia Szeinbaum. "Uncovering barriers to teaching assistants (TAs) implementing inquiry teaching: Inconsistent facilitation techniques, student resistance, and reluctance to share control over learning with students." Journal of microbiology & biology education 17.2 (2016): 215.
Wheeler, Lindsay B., et al. "Do teaching assistants matter? Investigating relationships between teaching assistants and student outcomes in undergraduate science laboratory classes." Journal of Research in Science Teaching 54.4 (2017): 463-492.
Rain and Shine – Teaching in the field (Samuel Melia)
One of the first questions I was asked when interviewing for my current position as a PhD researcher of Structural Geology in RHUL’s Research Department was “Do you eat chicken?”
Fieldwork in the study of the Earth Sciences is a necessity – providing an opening to test and prove concepts learned in the classroom in the varied and often chaotic landscape of the ‘real world’ (Dummer et al., 2008). Such fieldwork often presents a variety of requirements and challenges. For example – if you do not eat chicken, you do not eat while on fieldwork in Southeast Asia, where the subject of my project was to take place. While conducting fieldwork in SE Asia (where the two dominant food groups are chicken and rice) I also encountered a variety of heat and terrain-related obstacles that hindered my progress… but never rain.
While on a fieldwork day demonstrating for a subdivision of the class numbering around fifteen in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire, my task was to demonstrate a variety of mapping and observation techniques. We were to spend the day trekking over hilly and wooded terrain looking for outcrops of rock with which to map the underlying geological structures. On a sunny day the task can be hugely enjoyable. This was not a sunny day. Group morale plummeted as we had to stand in knee-deep wet grass observing rocks covered in water while the heavens opened around us.
My usual techniques of asking the group to spend time making their own observations was failing and some students weren’t working at all. It was time to change the scene. In order to keep warm, I asked students to run quickly between the different outcrops to gather information as quickly as possible and to return the information and compare it with their classmates. I also frequently took videos with the team to later share them with the larger class or be made available for the students’ social media: my idea was that the students would perform better under the observation of others, as well as using the narrative and social assumption that bad days are the ones stories are told about. The videoing technique worked surprisingly well – often eliciting cheers from the group (despite all being soaked to the skin) whenever the camera was raised for a greeting. Keeping the students active, moving, cooperating, and willing to perform to an audience of friends/colleagues enabled the team to complete our learning objectives and return in good time to shelter.
I learned that the challenges presented in fieldwork may often require a little innovation; from simple exercises to keep warm, to encouraging some learning-based peer pressure for increased morale. All learning outcomes were achieved upon reviewing their completed (if rather soggy) fieldwork diaries.
Dummer, T. J. B., Cook, I. G., Parker, S. L., Barrett, G. A., and Hull, A. P., 2008, Promoting and Assessing ‘Deep Learning’ in Geography Fieldwork: An Evaluation of Reflective Field Diaries: Journal of Geography in Higher Education, v. 32, no. 3, p. 459-479.
Response:
This is similar to an experience I have had whilst working with undergraduates during ecology field practicals. Bad weather (wind, rain and mud) stopped students from learning and instead they rushed through in an attempt to finish as quickly as possible. I really like your idea of filming to keep students cooperating and motivated. It also gives them something to look back on and a sense of achievement that even through terrible conditions they were still able to carry out good science. (Tamsin Williams, Biological Sciences).
Stuck in the Dark Ages (Alex Hughes, Earth Sciences)
For the past three years I have been demonstrating on practical sessions for a first-year undergraduate module. Practicals are good for initiating discussion between students and reducing the impact of cognitive load limitations imparted from purely lecturing. However, for a lot of students, the only question they ask about the sample they are given is ‘what is it?’; there is a distinct lack of linking what they are observing into the bigger picture.
One issue may be that they are often bombarded with new information in the form of core concepts (Biggs and Tang, 2011) during a lecture, then sent straight into a practical where the information is to be used to solve problems. Speaking from personal experience, this can be quite daunting sometimes, with particularly complex lectures leaving you feeling lost as to what you are supposed to do or achieve. One solution may be to use flipped lectures, then students would have ample time to read through the material in their own time and solve any difficulties in understanding (either through their own further reading or speaking to the lecturer prior to the class). Flipped lectures would also be invaluable to those who may have disabilities or extenuating circumstances that make consistent attendance of lectures difficult.
Alternatively, the monotony of practical sessions, which run in near identical formats, could be broken up by introducing variation; for example, the ‘Smiley Model’ (Weitze, 2016), is a structured approach where the framework and learning goals are tailored around the prerequisite knowledge, developing a game on the subject matter.
Observing your students when teaching- Map reading (Salim Ayomaya)
As seen in Noddings (1995), education philosophy corresponds with the field of education and applied philosophy. A good teaching philosophy was displayed when I taught a first year Geology undergraduate student map reading technique in relation to forthcoming examination in Nigeria. I noticed the student was not responding to my teaching style. Afterwards, I introduced humour, applied pause procedure and organised the scheme in a logical and systematic manner to develop the basic map concepts and improve his understanding. I interpreted abstract ideas clearly to make him understand better. Yet, there was not significant improvement in his learning.
Because, I believe excellent teaching involves effective communication suitable to the student understanding and identifying the student weakness, I had to go the extra mile to find a way to make him learn. I noticed that he does not have full grasp of English language and has colour eye deficiency affecting his map interpretation. I thereafter changed my teaching language which is English into a Nigerian indigenous language and informed his parents of his sight deficiency. I simplified the jargons in the clearest definition as possible as my aim is for him to understand the concept. Months after, I received a message from the student of his success in the course with an A grade. There is no better feeling than that.
Reference
Noddings, Nel (1995). Philosophy of Education. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-8133-8429-X
Response: You highlight the importance of not making assumptions about why students are not managing to complete tasks. Your careful attention to the student meant identification of language and visual difficulties, which you were then able to work with. It reminds me of a time I was teaching English as a Second Language and a student continually told me she couldn't work from the book as her eyesight was very poor and her spectacles needed changing. At the end of the year she told me she had never been able to read in her own language either but didn't want to say. She must have been very intelligent as she learnt to read during our course as I taught her in a purely oral way and she related it to what she could, in fact, see on the page. (Adele Ward, English)
Adapting practical sessions to online teaching and learning (Ceres Woolley Maisch)
This term I have been demonstrating on the physics module for first year undergraduate Earth Science students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching has been online. This has proven to be a challenge for problem sheet classes; it is easier when you are able to show your workings on a piece of paper to the student, face to face. To overcome this, I had started sharing the screen of my iPad and writing on Microsoft Whiteboard, since from my observation students tend to learn much better visually. Also, it can improve students’ high-order thinking skills (J Raiyn · 2016).
One session required working with tracing paper and other printed pieces of paper, a more practical session compared to the usual mathematical questions. The use of webcam was not helpful in this situation due to small details on the printouts and the problems were not solvable with written calculations. The task involved moving one layer of paper over another, recording points and drawing corresponding lines to calculate certain values.
Kolb’s Experiential learning cycle (1984) states that students need concrete experience as the first step to learn. Without some sort of visual explanation for the problem in this class, this necessary experience might not be possible, especially when sat alone at home attempting to do the work.
Additionally, Illeris (2009) says there are three dimensions of learning, one of which is social, therefore I thought it would be very important to be able to share my screen and talk through the problem.
Also, instructional materials are vital to the students learning (https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/245/efficiency-in-e-learning-proven-instructional-methods-for-faster-better-online-learning). Hence, I needed to be able to change the material in order for it to work via online learning.
After much consideration I came up with the idea to try and remake the exercise on photoshop instead of on physical pieces of paper. I also wanted to make something that the students could access if they didn’t have a printer available. I ended up with a fully functioning, completely computer based way to show the students what they needed to do with their paper via my screen.
Response:
Your post resonates with my own experience as a demonstrator on a first year statistics module, and having to make the change over to online teaching. It was lovely reading about how you had put so much thought into adapting your classes to make them accessible to all students, even thinking about individual circumstances such as whether the student had a printer, whilst retaining the integrity of your teaching by considering learning theories (providing concrete experience and visual aids to improve higher-order thinking). - Lucy Gallagher (Department of Psychology)
Virtual Palaeontology as a tool for teaching (Joshua Smith)
It is undeniable that since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, unprecedented changes have occurred in nearly every aspect of our lives. Higher education institutions have not been immune to this upheaval, with almost all teaching transitioning online. This rapid deployment of online learning has brought many challenges, particularly in my field of study, palaeontology, where hands-on interaction with hand specimens and fossils is essential to the learning process. However, virtual palaeontology could prove valuable to mitigate the shortcomings of distanced learning in the earth sciences and provide another tool for teachers once face-to-face teaching sessions resume.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, computer-aided 3-D reconstructions of fossils known as virtual palaeontology have revolutionised paleobiology and palaeontology (Sutton et al. 2012). These fossil reconstruction techniques have innumerable benefits; but most saliently, they allow for the wide dissemination of reconstructions, which are rotatable and can be digitally dissected and manipulated (Rahman et al. 2012, Sutton et al. 2012). Using these virtual specimens as teaching aids instead of purely as a research tool could allow students to interact with specimens anywhere they wish, meaning that they do not need access to laboratories or fossil collections to analyse fossils. Further to this, virtual specimens could also facilitate the use of rare or fragile specimens that would not traditionally be used within undergraduate courses. These specimens could be studied in three dimensions instead of purely from two-dimensional photographic data as would traditionally be the case for rarer or more challenging to access material. Such an approach would emphasise student-centred constructivist learning whilst still using online/remote teaching. Students would be able to manipulate and research the fossils themselves and become active participants in the learning process (Bada 2015).
Bada, S. O. (2015) ‘Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning, Journal of Research \& Method in Education, 5(6), pp. 66–70.
Rahman, I. A., Adcock, K. and Garwood, R. J. (2012) ‘Virtual Fossils: A New Resource for Science Communication in Palaeontology’, Evolution: Education and Outreach, 5(4), pp. 635–641. DOI: 10.1007/s12052-012-0458-2.
Sutton, M. D., Garwood, R. J., Siveter, David J. and Siveter, Derek J. (2012) ‘SPIERS and VAXML; A software toolkit for tomographic visualisation and a format for virtual specimen interchange’, Palaeontologia Electronica, 15(2), pp. 2–14. DOI: 10.26879/289.
Response (Daniel Parkes)
This is really interesting. I spend a lot of time ID'ing foraminifera (and previously Diatoms). A lot of the guides/online photos are either (1) incorrect or (2) difficult to decipher. We have some 3D prints of forams which is much easier to use when explaining how to ID different species. There's a website here: https://sketchfab.com/tags/foram. That said - how do we get around morphological variations in palaeontology?
The utilisation of Virtual Reality (VR) within hybridised lectures (Peter A.B. Krizan)
The postgraduate involvement in teaching within the Earth Sciences department has always been unique when compared to other departments throughout the college. Typically, postgraduate students here tend to have purely demonstrator-based roles, with little involvement in lesson delivery or planning. Nonetheless, their involvement is integral to successful teaching as they are a vital learning tool that the students can utilise to advance their learning within the classroom. They provide a unique 1:1 environment, within which the student can receive personalised support based on their particular issue - a novelty often not available to other students from different disciplines.
The majority of my experience as a demonstrator for the Earth Sciences department has been during the lockdown. A stark difference from my experience as an undergraduate student and demonstrators. As a result of the pandemic, lecture delivery in higher education was forced to adapt by moving fully online, and eventually to a hybridised new 'normal'. As a demonstrator within these new lecture formats, I have found that having a digital aid to help analyse the specimen (particularly in palaeontology) with the class has significantly helped boost the students' individual understanding and interest. Therefore, if I were to be able to do these lectures again - assuming that the logistical and technological requirements were in place - I would utilise/introduce virtual reality (VR) into the lesson delivery. I believe that this would make it easier for the students to grasp concepts and identify the key taxonomic characteristics of fossils. Yildirim et al. (2020) performed a study by introducing VR into lesson delivery, and found that it significantly increased students' technological literacy and motivation, alongside making it easier for them to understand difficult concepts. Similarly, Zhou et al. (2018) found that their proposed VR learning model made the learning more interesting for the participants of their study, helping to foster greater engagement from students and improved construction of knowledge.
I beleive that these benefits prove VR to be a crucial teaching resource; both for teachers and students learning in both a hybridised and purely online teaching manner. In particular when it comes to improving stuent engagement and construction of knowledge in difficult concepts, as I have seen first hand that this is a big problem during online lesson delivery during the pandemic (and beyond).
Yıldırım, B. , Sahin Topalcengiz, E. , Arıkan, G. & Timur, S. (2020). Using Virtual Reality in the Classroom: Reflections of STEM Teachers on the Use of Teaching and Learning Tools . Journal of Education in Science Environment and Health , 6 (3) , 231-245 . DOI: 10.21891/jeseh.711779
Zhou, Y., Ji, S., Xu, T., & Wang, Z. (2018). Promoting knowledge construction: a model for using virtual reality interaction to enhance learning. Procedia Computer Science, 130(2018), 239-246. 10.1016/j.procs.2018.04.035
Response: I think your comments about the unique role of PhD students in the Earth Sciences runs true. It is really nice for there to be a connect between undergraduates and postgraduates so that the whole university experience doesn't seem overwhelming to young students. I can't imagine how it has been for the UG's as a student during covid, so it really felt important to give them a good practical experience in these sessions. Your idea of VR in demonstrating is interesting, I definitely think that photogrammetry is an invaluable tool that should be used more going forward. As fossils are often incomplete it would be very useful for students to see the fragment that they are looking at incorporated on interactive 3-D models of the whole specimens. Ben Redmond Roche (Earth Sciences)
Let's get creative! (Federica Restelli)
In the past two years, I have been demonstrating during the practicals for the courses “Earth Structures” and “Structural Analysis and Remote Sensing”. However, my area of expertise is Geophysics, in particular Seismology, so here I will discuss how I would organise and teach more geophysics-related subjects. Geophysics is about quantifying and analysing the physical processes and properties of the Earth, and human beings have been investigating this from thousands of years - from the development of the heliocentric theory (3rd century BC), to Newton’s gravitational theory (17th century AD), to the more recent discovery of electromagnetism (19th century AD). Therefore, all our current knowledge comes from thousands of years of research and discoveries, and this is something vital to transmit to students. People love to hear stories, and so storytelling would be a great way to get students’ attention in class. My approach would be to divide the students is small teams, and assign to each team a story to tell (e.g. the discovery of the Earth’s internal structure, the path to the detection of earthquakes' hypocentres, etc..). They can choose their favourite way to broadcast their story – for example by giving a recital and impersonating different characters, recording videos, drawing cartoons, etc… A way to represent specific scientific laws instead, could be through role play, always in teams. Students can, for example, play the roles of atoms or molecules to demonstrate chemical reactions or physical properties. I used this approach during the micro-teach session, where I successfully taught “students” about seismic waves' properties by showing this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjRGIpP-Qfw&list=WL&index=5&t=482s (unfortunately I wasn’t able to actually role play as the session was online). The use of different methods would makes information easier to recall (e.g. Baddeley, 2000), and would stimulate the students’ creativity. Moreover, storytelling can link emotions to facts and attach a meaning to the information, which would be retained more easily.
Reference:
Baddeley, A., 2000. The episodic buffer: a new component of working memory?. Trends in cognitive sciences, 4(11), pp.417-423.
Having that lightbulb moment (Max Webb)
A key aspect of any Geology or Earth Science education is fieldwork. It is on fieldwork that students learn best how the rocks in the Earth beneath our feet formed. Geological processes can be studied in the classroom, from small-scale hand specimens and microscope thin sections to large-scale computer-based plate tectonic models and geological theories, but there exists an integration gap between these two scales that can only be addressed by observing rocks in outcrop. Taking students on geological fieldtrips allows them to use the knowledge gained in class to decipher the past geological histories of real world landscapes, often resulting in ‘lightbulb’ moments (i.e., the realization that tiny minerals seen down the microscope can tell them the age and formation history of great Scottish mountain ranges). Fieldwork results in more lateral thinking development than in any other teaching medium that I have observed, where students are given the freedom to apply their theoretical knowledge to real world situations.
Fieldtrips are also a demonstrable way of improving students confidence, their student-student relationships, and student-teacher relationships. Earth Science students have their first big residential field trip at the beginning of their second-year and the students regularly come back to classroom teaching more engaged in the subject matter having seen the different landscapes that geological processes can form with their own eyes. These experiences showcase to me how effective geological fieldwork is in providing a ‘place-based education (PBE) to our students (Semken et al., 2017).
These fieldtrips can also greatly improve the student experience and outlook through non-academic ways. When students are in the field, conditions can sometimes be less than optimal, whether it be due to driving rain or the slog of hiking up a mountain, moral can decrease at times. However, despite this adversity, with gentle encouragement from both lecturers and peers teaching by example and thriving in all conditions, the students often gain greater self-belief, confidence, and increased moral. This is a fantastic lesson for students to take forward with them into their future careers as it teaches them that even when things aren’t going their way, they still have the ability and drive to succeed.
Semken, S., Ward, E. G., Moosavi, S., & Chinn, P. W. (2017). Place-based education in geoscience: Theory, research, practice, and assessment. Journal of Geoscience Education, 65(4), 542-562.
Response - James Currie, History; Fieldwork sounds like a great way to get students engaged directly with the subject. In the history department we often want to do that kind of work - I remember being told we might be able to go and look at some medieval stuff in central London when I was doing my masters - but we rarely get the resources to do it. I had one field trip to a Roman villa and that was all, we don't have the money for much else.
Creative questioning (Ben Redmond Roche)
I have been demonstrating for undergraduate students in the modules Introduction to sedimentology and Life through time; introductory modules that are (sadly now was for Life through time) compulsory for first year students. The sedimentology sessions were straight forward as the students all seemed to appreciate how fundamentally important sedimentology is in geology, and no doubt, because an expert knowledge of this field is a prerequisite in the oil and gas industry. However, in the palaeontology sessions it was clear that many of the students were either not interested or did not even bother to show up except for the assessed practicals. Despite having a strong background in palaeoecology, I found these sessions more difficult to teach for two reasons: (1) the disinterest was disheartening, and it proved difficult to elicit much of an intellectual response to the challenges provided; (2) the course leader was very strict in advising what we were allowed to tell the students i.e., ‘you cannot give them the answers; they had to work it out for themselves’.
Of course, I appreciate the importance of this in an assessed environment, but when showing the students samples for the first time in an unassessed practical, surely the most important thing is that they know what they are looking at, gain a deeper understanding (Entwistle and Peterson, 2004) of why they are looking at it, and ultimately have a positive and constructive learning experience? Therefore, I got creative and used modern analogues (e.g., nautilus for ammonites) to enter a dialogue with the students in which I would ask them a set of questions offering a range of answers which included the correct answer. The students were evidently more receptive to this informal discussion, engaged more with the subject, and attained satisfaction by coming to a logical conclusion. Whilst this may have been slight deviation from what was requested by the teacher, the students gained more out of the sessions, and it felt like a learning environment that I would have personally enjoyed learning from too.
Entwistle, N. and Peterson, E. (2004). Conceptions of Learning and Knowledge in Higher Education: Relationships With Study behaviour and Influences of Learning Environments. International Journal of Educational Research, 47, 407–428.