Regarding Technology in Undergraduate Teaching

I had no opportunity to attend last class; therefore, I have no idea which were the specific points covered regarding the use of technology in undergraduate teaching. However, there is one question that comes to my mind when I think about the topic. Can the use of technology in teaching be excessive? The question arises because of previous experiences. I have had the luck to attend courses in which the teacher simply does not like using technology and, at the most, uses projections of his hand-written material. Opposite scenario has been when the teacher loves using technology and brings iPad, iPod, videos, animations, different format presentations, applications for iPhones, and more; on top of that, the teacher wants to take notes on the tablet which simply destroys hand-writting and it is impossible to read. How much technology is enough? When is it too much? Is there an inflection point on improving teaching and the amount, and quality, of the technology being used?

Reflection on Formative Assessment Activity

On last week's exercise we were asked to apply the Backward Design framework to create a unit on formative assessment. Later, we were asked to post in our blogs how, if at all, did this activity change and/or deepen our understanding of formative assessment, and how would we describe to one of your science colleagues what the most salient features of formative assessment are.

The exercise simply showed me how it is always easier to speak, than to act. We only had fifty minutes to design the learning unit; as much as we tried to use the Backward Design, always thinking first on what the students, our clients, needed to learn and how the would learn it, it was complicated. From my point of view, it is complicated because you have a definite, specific objective given to you by your superiors. Sometimes we forget the most important objective, which is for the student to truly understand the concept.

The activity did not change my understanding on formative assessment; for me, it is crucial to keep verifying if your students are getting the concept; you need to build on a solid base, and for that you have to make sure constantly. It is also important to notice the difference with an evaluation. I would let my colleagues know that the formative assessment need to be continous during the teaching and learning process; it also needs to serve as a practice. Even though you can evaluate during your assessment activity, this is not the main goal. It is also important to notice that, the amount and quality of assessments will depend in the teacher. I believe that the most concerned teachers, those who actually care about their students, will assess better and more often.

Practice Interview Reflection

My practice interview from last week went simply as the comments published on this blog regarding the pertinent questions anticipated. As expected, the questions were too narrow and focused on single facts of carbohydrate chemistry. I believe the single thing that went well was the interest my interviewee showed to the functionality of different carbohydrates in the food industry.

The outcome of this practice interview is a complete change of my interview questions and protocol. I believe I have to introduce my interview with a scenario. Given that the interview is on carbohydrate chemistry, this scenario can be that the interviewee is the Manager of R&D for a multi-national food company; the interviewee will be presented with a real-life problem on carbohydrate functionality and presented with possibilities to solve the problem. It is really important to guide your interviewee through this process. The example that would most likely end in my interview is the uses of brown algae cell wall polysaccharides in th food industry (for example, in pimento-stuffed olives).

The trick I learned and that I liked the most was on what to do when your interviewee responds to the question with a: "I don't know". This could represent the end of the interview. By giving the person a package of hints you can trigger the response (correct or incorrect) to your questions. Also, giving different scenarios or examples help in the process.

In the end, it is how the interviewee applies the concept what matters the most, and not only if she or he can write down the fact as it is given in the textbook.

Interview Tentative Questions

Questions on Carbohydrate Chemistry:

1.- Mention common sources of starch
2.- What is the difference between amylose and amylopectin
3.- What is the difference between starch and cellulose
4.- Mention two applications of corn starch
5.- Which are the most important hydrolytic enzymes in cereal chemistry?
6.- Are all starch granules the same?
7.- What is a reducing sugar?
8.- What is the difference between an aldose and a ketose?
9.- Draw the basic structure of an arabinoxylan.
10.- Other than food, explain other applications of carbohydrates

About Learning (Revisited)

After the class discussion, I would add to my definition/description the fact of practicing. Practice, being before or after the "click" or "ahh" in your brain, is needed. If it is before, practice helps you get to the "ahh" is a shorter time; if it is after the "ahh", it helps you to perfect the skill or knowledge, and keeps you thinking that perhaps the "ahh" you had was not an actual "ahh" and that you still need to comprehend the topic.

Reflections on Others' Teaching Philosophies

In short, the next bullet points summarize the new insights I gained:

- To emulate those professors that made us feel great in the classroom; think about the positive experiences. I believe this point is great. Typically, we think about our bad experiences and then state what we would change.

- To be always updated; provide them the newest information.

- To be aware of the time that a student pays attention to you; typically is about 15-20 minutes. Your activities should not be longer than this time.

- Critical thinking; teach them to evaluate new information. This complements the "provide them with the newest information". Not only provide, but teach them to evaluate, or discern, good from bad information.

-  Teach persistence. Try, then try again. There is no better way.

Great things to add to my own Teaching Philosophy; I thinkg they complement it very well.

(as a side note, I would like to add that for teaching, a difference in race or ethnicity should not make a difference; it is what we can learn from different cultures what makes a difference, not their capability or style of learning. Teach everyone as if they were your own kids. There is no need to accomodate.)

About Learning

learn (verb): to gain knowledge or understanding of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience.
This is the dictionary definition.

We learn by instinct first, and later we add the choice of what to learn. A baby will learn, incredibly fast, that if s/he cries Mom or Dad will come and see what is going on. On the other hand, this Mom or Dad will learn, sometimes incredibly slow, that their baby cries because s/he is uncomfortable (name it hungry, sleepy, dirty diaper, sick).

Later in life we learn what we want or need to learn. We learn to walk, to hold the spoon, to tie our shoes, to read. We learn things in different ways: by observing, listerning, reading, and finally doing those things. But the learning process does not finish at the doing stage. The complete learning experience is when you actually comprehend the big "why". No matter what it is. You can learn how to fly a kite, and you may learn this when you are four years old. But in future years you should keep thinking about that kite and why it flies. It is only then that you will be able to understand the concept completely, and later teach others. I believe this is, in part, why people keep attending school to study a specific topic for many, many years.

External factors have a tremendous impact on our learning process. Typically, it is harder to learn something when we have to and easier when we want to. It is easier to learn when you do not have a clue about the topic or you click delete and unlearn to start the process fresh. Our mood and self esteem also play an important role in the learning process. Thinking that you will never understand something makes it harder.

The question might seem to have a concise answer, but I guess it does not. We'll see how discussion goes at class tomorrow.

Teaching Philosophy

We start learning by instinct; even before we realize we are learning we are already doing so. This means that since the day we are born we are learners. We start teaching once we have learned. In other words, we are more experienced learners than teachers. However, in order to teach we must first understand how each student learns. There are people that learn by reading, others by listening; some people learn by doing things with their hands, others by observing. I believe that, to be successful in teaching we need to teach to small groups of people. We need to learn what type of learners we have in the classroom before we can approach and teach them.
 
My specific objective while teaching a class is for the students to learn the fundamental content of the course. If somebody takes a class in malting and brewing, I expect that by the end of the course that person understands the fundamentals of how malt and beer are produced. However, the core objectives of my teaching go beyond and apply to any topic being taught. My objective is to teach the students a critical thinking, and especially how to effectively find and use information. The teacher can explain the facts in the classroom, but the teacher will not follow the student wherever she/he goes after the course is over; teaching where to find reliable information and how to interpret it is crucial for success in professional life.
 
The student in my class should expect to learn, other than the concepts of the topic being taught, the following principles; they are crucial for a proper learning experience in my classes.

·         To give credit to others when they have earned it.

·         To never make fun of others.

·         To be respectful.

·         To be polite.

·         To be on time.

·         To not alter the truth.

·         To express concisely.

·         To be sure to enjoy what you do.

·         To be dedicated to what you do.

·         To choose the analysis before a hunch.

  
The approach I like to use is to teach the way that students like to learn. I like using technology in my classes, and having interesting presentations with animations and videos. I like my students to feel that they are not in a classroom. I encourage them to discuss the topic between them, and share their point of view. I suggest them to teach others what they have learned. I try to keep the communication the way they communicate now. If you write the homework on the blackboard, only a few will notice it; if you send a text message, or e-mail, most of them will pay attention. Field trips, hands-on demonstrations, and challenging tasks complete a typical course with me. The evaluation of what students learn is assessed by problem-based tests that can be in the form of a presentation.

On Getting to Know Your Students

After I finished reading Markwell and Courtney's article, it was time to go through Chapter 8 of the handbook "Science Teaching Reconsidered" (http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5287.html). As Dr. Offerdahl mentioned last tuesday morning, this reading is "an oldie, but a goodie". The chapter condenses in seven pages why it is important to know your students; not only their names but their backgrounds. A fact that I related to our classroom was that the text states: "male students are more likely to be vocal in class". Last tuesday there were four round tables with students at class (I believe one table had only female students), and from each table it was a female student who took the lead of talking about the topics discussed.

I found interesting that the chapter gives hints on how to get to know your students, and by doing so helping them achieve their goals. We need to elucidate why each student is perfoming like they do. If they are performing well at class, there is no problem. But if their performance is poor, we may need to ask why. We need to do everything that is possible for each student to succeed. Maybe the student is extremely tired because s/he just became a parent; maybe the student feels isolated in a different culture, among other possible reasons. The thing that we should not do is to place a tag on the student without knowing her. This is highly detrimental for the learning process.

On Cognitive Development and Undergraduate Learners in Science

Last night I read the article "Cognitive Development and the Complexities of the Undergraduate Learner in the Science Classroom" (Biochem. Mol. Biol. Edu., Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 267-271, 2006). Markwell and Courtney's goal is to increase awareness on us (in my case, a potential teacher) about how undergraduates develop their "capacity for reasoning, problem solving, and critical thinking" and why it is important to adjust the teaching methods from an entry-level class to a senior class. It was quite interesting for me to read the paper and stop once in a while to think in which level of cognitive development I was when I took my first college class. Moreover, I found extremely interesting to think if my teachers were aware of these changes students go through this time of life.

I believe that, in order to be a good teacher, you must have passion about teaching, and passion about your field of study. I think some teachers like feeling recognized and respected by their students, and by doing this, they send a message to the student that they are dealing with a higher, unreachable character. A student should respect the teacher, but the teacher should be more than a lecturer; s/he should try to be a person at the same level of the student, but one who has already understood the fact and theories that will be thaught in the class. The teacher should know how to handle a group, one individual at a time.