Panelists
Kerry Mandulak, PhD, CCC-SLP, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Allison Sauerwein, PhD, CCC-SLP, Pacific University
Facilitators
Karla Washington, PhD, CCC-SLP, S-LP(C), University of Cincinnati
Jennifer Friberg, EdD, CCC-SLP, Illinois State University
Description
As part of the year-long teaching symposium, seven synchronous online peer discussions were held. In the first session, the panelists were asked to address active student learning, and attendees were encouraged to engage with the panelists. Below is a summary of the discussion.
QUESTIONS/TOPICS DISCUSSED
- What is a teaching problem you encountered in one of your classes that you solved by
incorporating active learning techniques into your classroom? - What types of processes do you use to assign grades to students’ work, particularly work
that was done in group-based active learning? - Where do you go for ideas about student engagement or active learning? What are
your go-to resources?
What is a teaching problem you encountered in one of your classes that you solved by incorporating active learning techniques into your classroom?
Each panelist identified two methods of addressing challenges related to incorporating active student learning:
Classroom Assessment Techniques (Dr. Sauerwein)
Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are generally simple, non-graded, anonymous, in-class activities designed to give you and your students useful feedback on the teaching-learning process as it is happening.
Iceberg Metaphor (Dr. Mandulak)
Create a one-page assignment based on the readings and classroom content. The assignment includes a reflection on the content that mirrors the Iceberg Metaphor (e.g., what foundational knowledge is needed vs. what represents surface knowledge).
Some info about “one-pagers”: www.cultofpedagogy.com/one-pagers/
What types of processes do you use to assign grades to students’ work, particularly work that was done in group-based active learning?
Grading Group Work (Dr. Sauerwein)
Dr. Sauerwein chooses to complete most of her group work as a pass/fail, which reflects formative assessment (a.k.a., lower stakes).
She also includes summative assessment (a.k.a., higher stakes), as described below:
- Groups assessed in class representing formative assessment (e.g., speech sound disorder [SSD] productions evaluated as correct, errored, or dialectal variation, and evaluated as a pass/fail vs. letter grade).
- The assessment that follows once students are comfortable with making these judgments is the summative assessment (i.e., individual performance, higher stakes).
Group Work (Dr. Mandulak and the Group)
- Allowing students to fail in order to succeed
o After initial exposure, give an evaluation that matches the learning level.
o Ensure that students understand that making mistakes is a powerful
motivator. - Framing how the learning process proceeds
o Low-stakes assignments (e.g., homework, in class discussions to engage
with the materials without pressure to have to perform)
o Higher stakes at the performance level (e.g., individual exam/quiz) - Modeling the collaborative elements of learning
- Interweaving accountability as part of the summative evaluation
o Formative component is submitted (e.g., the group project)
o Reflective feedback on individual member group performance (self and
peer) - Encouraging student to learn from their mistakes with the use of exam or
paper wrappers: www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/
examwrappers/.
Where do you go for ideas about student engagement or active learning? What are your go-to resources?
Classroom engagement strategies for large-enrollment classes
- Jigsaw and other techniques are used for new information:
o K. Patricia Cross: kpcrossacademy.org/
o Apply Jigsaw across course content areas (SSD, developmental language
disorders [DLDs], voice, etc.) - Make use of infographics created as a group, and then have a discussion. The
infographic is used to illustrate the topic, and then the discussion is the proof
that there was [a] contribution. - Use of technologies—like Top Hat, Padlet, or Nearpod—to increase student
engagement.
Additional Resources
In addition to the resources suggested above, other suggestions included the following:
Books
- Geeky Pedagogy
geekypedagogy.com/ - Evidence-Based Education in the Classroom: Examples From Clinical Disciplines (2021) by Jennifer Friberg, EdD, CCC-SLP; Colleen Visconti, PhD, CCC-SLP; and Sarah M. Ginsberg, EdD, CCC-SLP
slackbooks.com/evidence-based-education-in-the-classroom-examples-from-clinical-disciplines/ - Small Teaching by James M. Lang, PhD
jamesmlang.com/books
Podcast
- Teaching podcast (e.g., Twenty Thousand Hertz is a great podcast to generate interest in
acoustics)
Journals
- Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders
ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd/ - Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups (specifically, the issues published by SIG 10) perspectives.pubs.asha.org/sig10
