When I began the FACETS program I was overwhelmed with pessimistic feelings about education in general, and specifically public higher education. I had read A Nation At Risk and No Child Left Behind, as well as numerous other articles on how education in the United States is deteriorating. Weekly periodicals, newspaper articles and television media have routinely pointed out that the educational delivery system in America is not functioning properly. For the past twenty years, education has been paralyzed by public demand for accountability on standardized tests, the yardstick. The result of this political/social trend has been an increased focus on teaching to the yardstick, which leads me to question how much students actually learn. If we are going to change the educational delivery system, we need to focus on how students are learning. By changing the paradigm, we will see greater student achievement and success in our rapidly advancing society. There are two blatant factors that are holding education back in America. One is the 1950’s model of education and the other is the stifling focus on accountability. As a result of these two forces, education has been puttering along and faltering at keeping pace in a 21st century learning environment.
FACETS—An Inroad into SoTL
When I applied to be a participant in the FACETS project, I outlined my interest in the program and indicated that I would implement what I had learned in my classes. I was very excited when I was accepted as a FACETS participant and happy to be included in a program that focused on university level methodologies. I felt like I had made the cut and was being admitted into the major league.
As I did the readings for the first session, and then during the first seminar I was pleasantly surprised that I heard some of the same concepts that were in books and articles I had previously read. I found that the FACETS program reinforced what in the University of Wisconsin Colleges is titled the “scholarship of teaching and learning. ” I could see where the articles I had read by Randy Bass, L. Dee Fink and others gave me a foundation for changing my teaching to be more student-oriented.
As I participated in the FACETS sessions, I found that I became more comfortable in expressing my thoughts and reflections on education. In fact as I look back on the last six months, I can see that the changes I was experiencing were activated by the fact that I had attended a number of seminars on teaching strategies that emphasized student learning and multiple learning styles, and I had read dozens of articles and a number of books on the scholarship of teaching and learning. It made a lot of sense to me that active learning was a more pleasurable form of learning.
As I “reflected” on my readings, and then
actually tried different strategies, I found it especially easy to
discuss with my fellow FACETS participants how I was making changes
to my classes to make them more student oriented and found the
feedback from the FACETS participants to be valuable.
During the second FACETS seminar, which focused on how the brain learns and learning styles, I was startled by the concepts presented, especially in the physical changes that take place in the brain during learning. I was excited to see that MRI technology had progressed to be able to show in a quantitative way how people learn. After the FACETS session I read the book, Changing the Brain by Zull, given to us by FACETS, and could see where some of the learning strategies being presented were verified. It made a lot of sense to me that if we implemented more student-centered learning methods, not only would our students retain more information and make greater academic strides, but they would also derive more pleasure from learning. As I “reflected”on my readings, and then actually tried different strategies, I found it especially easy to discuss with my fellow FACETS participants how I was making changes to my classes to make them more student oriented and found the feedback from the FACETS participants to be valuable.
It made a lot of sense to me that if we implemented more student-centered learning methods, not only would our students retain more information and make greater academic strides, but they would also derive more pleasure from learning.
The following comment by Zull reinforces the importance of student-centered learning methods, “Specifically, any learning that involves some sense of progress and control by the learner might be expected to engage the basal structures. This would be learning that is pleasurable. On the other hand, learning that involves recall of associations would be more connected with the back part of the cerebral cortex, the receiving part of the brain. This learning might be less pleasurable and require more effort.” 1
These qualitative generalizations fit our general experience. We know that memorizing associations is hard work. The payoff is that we gain specifics and details because the associations are precise. There are right answers!
“On the other hand, active learning that involves choices and actions by the learner is pleasurable, and effective for developing concepts and applications. This type of learning gives the learner an understanding of the big picture and the relationships in a topic.” 2
I also learned the value of reflection in learning. As one reflects he/she is taking a concept and searching for the many ways that it can be connected to other thoughts, memories and/or ideas in the brain. During the process of reflection, one is actually increasing the useable size of the brain. “The art of directing and supporting reflection is part of the art of changing the brain. It is the art of leading a student toward comprehension.” 3
A Structure to Increase Learning
The FACETS experience forced me to think about my classes in a new way. I know what the content of my classes should be but I am not proficient in designing classes that aid in student learning. I had to look at how much I wanted the students to learn, not how many chapters I covered. I could see that the content had to be there, but I found the harder part of the job was how I could increase the student learning.
I found that I did have to design classes in a rather structured way. The design process itself forced me to take the content and figure out student activities that would take advantage of different learning styles, and motivate the student to work with and reflect on the content to build the long-term memory connections where the content will finally reside. However, this idea is much easier said than done. I took advantage of professional development activities to get as much information as I could about class design. The most structured activity I engaged in was a weeklong class for faculty, put on by our local technical college that taught us how to use the “World Wide Instructional Design Software” to design curriculum. The WIDS software is one big template that takes a bit of time and effort to learn. Once you learn how to use it, you use backward design to shape the curriculum. The template can be saved and it certainly offers a cookie cutter approach to curriculum design. The second source I found was the book by L. Dee Fink Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. This book gave me more in-depth information on the process of designing classes that emphasized student learning.
The second concept that I had to deal with was to determine how I would know if student learning is increasing in my classes. The FACETS experience made me realize that I had to use assessment to measure what was happening in the classroom. Instead of looking at assessment as a waste of time, I could see that the proper role of assessment was to provide me with feedback about the design of curriculum. The FACETS experience made a lot of sense when I tied it to the integrated course design that Fink describes in his book.
Diagram from A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning4
As is displayed in the diagram above, assessment is not the end in itself but a structured way to gather feedback that I could reflect on and use to make modifications to my course design to increase student learning! I could also see that increased student learning would help me answer what is happening in my classes, when questioned by parents, administrators and students. I am sure that this process will make me a more effective educator in the 21st century.
The Turning Point
Now, when I try a new teaching activity I have actually been known to run down the hallway to a FACETS colleague to discuss how well it worked. I am beginning to feel like a real professional educator.
The FACETS experience has been a turning point in my professional career as an educator. The sessions brought together many of the concepts that I have learned about while doing my graduate work, and had shown me how those concepts are applied in the classroom. The interaction with other faculty on my campus has made me feel part of a teaching team. In the past I did not participate in discussions about classes and how we teach. Now, when I try a new teaching activity I have actually been known to run down the hallway to a FACETS colleague to discuss how well it worked. I am beginning to feel like a real professional educator.
The FACETS experience has made me aware of the fact that my students are not well prepared for the university environment. As I reflected on the situational factors involved in my course design, it struck me that our campus and specifically my classes serve a large number of students who are in the bottom half of their high school class. I have decided to design my classes so that the necessary content is delivered in a manner that enhances their individual ability to succeed. I do not expect my students to become computer science degree candidates but I do aim to make them citizens who read and express themselves intelligently.
I decided that since I was more comfortable in my position on campus I should become more active in U.W. governance. This would be a way for me to repay the system for giving me the opportunities like the FACETS experience and other U. W. seminars. So, I ran for a Faculty Senate position, a statewide office, which I won. I was also asked by my campus faculty to take the job as Campus Assessment Coordinator. As I stated above, I would never have had the nerve to become so active if it hadn’t been for my FACETS experience.
Over the summer I was asked to attend the University of Wisconsin’s Faculty College. I had four days with two authors and was really fired up when I found out that L. Dee Fink was one of them. For four days I was immersed in discussions on how to enhance student learning. Thanks to my preparation from the FACETS seminars I found that I could intelligently discuss teaching strategies and other topics with Dr. Fink, and the other presenters. I also learned a lot about instructional design from the other Faculty College participants.
I have been doing a small scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) study on one of my classes for the last two years. and was apprehensive to mention it to others in our department. Thanks to my FACETS experience I was confident enough to mention it during a department meeting in the spring of 2005. Later, one of the tenured faculty called to ask if she could participate in the study. We both taught a class called Introduction to Word Processing. Since so many incoming students are familiar with computers and have been using technology throughout their K-12 careers, we wondered if any learning did take place in that class. The study utilized a pre and a post survey to get the students’ feedback on their skills before and after the class. We also obtained the services of a statistician to make sure we were using the correct statistics to quantify the results. We decided to see if any other word processing faculty wanted to join us to make this a departmental assessment project. We received a small grant to fund a meeting with a half a dozen other department members who were interested in being included on the formal project during the fall of 2005. It was very rewarding to see a small personal assessment project evolve into a departmental project, and it showed how sharing ideas with other faculty can lead to more student-centered learning. I thank the FACETS experience for giving me the confidence to discuss the project with others in my department.
Before I participated in FACETS, I questioned the value of a Masters in Education, and I now know that this is where I want to be. I can see that in my own small way, I can shape the educational delivery system on this campus and maybe in the state UW System to be an effective system in the 21st century. I can see that for me to be a change agent I will have to keep learning, and just as important, to practice what I preach. I am convinced that if I can implement changes in my own classes that are effective, the other faculty will take note and slowly implement changes in their own teaching techniques. The FACETS experience has been the catalyst in my life that has focused me on becoming a change agent in my own classes, on my campus, and within the UW Colleges. I will be actively advocating system changes that will lead to more effective teaching in the 21st century.
Afterthoughts—Looking Backward
Looking back at 2005 at the beginning of the spring term for 2006, I have a couple of thoughts. First, I have learned it is easier to read and discuss the concepts involved in student-centered learning than it is to implement them concepts in the classroom. The process has been very rewarding, but it is very easy for me to slip back into the sage on stage mode. In the process of sharing what worked and what didn’t with other faculty, we are practicing true SoTL, enhancing the students’ ability to learn, as well as making sure we stay focused on enhancing student learning with student-centered activities.
Second, I am seeing more and more educators becoming interested in finding out what this stuff called student-centered really is. It seems to me that by celebrating what works and retooling what doesn’t, while focusing student-centered learning we are attracting converts. What has started as a ripple on the surface of a large ocean will hopefully end up being a tsunami of change in our educational delivery system.
Brief Bio: Mike Theiss, the grandfather of eight, attributes his knowledge of teaching and learning to grandkids -- they have taught me more about how learning takes place then most books. At UWMC he is the team leader for an online course Freshman Seminar. He also conducts an online class in Computer Literacy for Wisconsin Colleges Online. Mike came to higher education via the world of corporate training where he had his own network consulting and training company. Mike’s B.S. is from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and he has a Masters Degree in Teacher Leadership from Silver Lake College. Contact Mike at: mtheiss@uwc.edu
1 Zull James E., The Art Of Changing The Brain (Stylus Publishing, LLC, 2002), 62.
2 Ibid., 62
3 Ibid., 165
4 Fink L. Dee, A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning, a handout from Dr. Fink’s May 31-June 3, 2005 seminar on an integrated approach to designing college classes.