Teaching as Art or Science?

Is teaching an art or a science?  I think this centers around the idea – are there natural teachers?  Can you learn to teach?  How does one become an effective teacher?

From Merriam-Webster:

Art (noun)

1 : skill acquired by experience, study, or observation, 2 : a branch of learning, 3 : an occupation requiring knowledge or skill.

Science (noun)

1 : the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding, 2 : a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study, or something (as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge.

So, is teaching an art or a science. I think that when people think of an occupation as an art, they are often thinking in terms of “being born to it” or that “it comes natural”. However, when you look at the definition of “art”, it is really skill born from study or observation. However, to me this does not negate the fact that there are some people who have an innate ability or desire to teach, so the acquiring of the skill necessary to be a good teacher comes more easily. It’s the same with “science”. It’s learned skills, the knowledge of said skills which can be used to teach others.

I think anyone can learn to teach, but the real question is whether they can be good teachers? Any skill can be learned. However, it not only takes knowledge and desire to teach, but it also takes an ability to be a good listener and communicator. As we’ve discussed in previous lessons, collaboration and interaction are essential to learning, and on the flip side is also essential in teaching. Students are more likely to be open to learning and sharing of ideas when their teacher is also open to sharing ideas and is as willing to learn from the students. Learning occurs on both sides and is a life-long process. A teacher just starting out in teaching still has the opportunity to continue learning a throughout their career in teaching, not only from books and their own study, but also other teachers, and as I mentioned their own students.

Another aspect of good teaching is the teacher’s willingness to change. Over the years, different generations of students will have many different learning styles. It’s important for a teacher to be willing to adapt to these differences. A way to do this is through observation, almost like a scientific study of the students. Knowing what makes the next generation of students “tick” is a way to better communicate with them and foster a community of learning.

I’m not sure that I could be considered a natural teacher. I like to learn, and I do like to share my thoughts and ideas with others, but I’m not sure that the desire is in me. However, until I’ve tried it someday, I won’t rule it out.

References

“Art.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 12 May 2011 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/art

“Science.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 12 May 2011 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/science

Collaboration in Understanding

What is the role of collaboration in understanding?  This question reveals my social constructivist nature - how much do we build understanding through collaboration, interaction, etc.  And if it helps increase understandings and knowledge then what is the responsibility, and how do we build in collaboration in learning particularly in virtual environments?  And if it helps in learning, how can it help in teaching?  As librarians we are often collaborators in teaching, so it helps to understand or at least consider its role in teaching and learning.

Most people think of collaboration only in the terms of group projects, which can be frustrating sometimes, especially in an online environment. However, collaboration “in the classroom” is more than just group assignments or projects. It’s also interaction between the students and between the student(s) and instructor. It’s these interactions, whether they be discussion or Q & A, that can be key factors in understanding.

I think that many of us do build understanding through collaboration and interaction. There have been many times I have felt confused or unsure about instruction, a lesson, or a reading, but then suddenly feel like a light bulb goes off over my head after discussing with a classmate or participating in a Q & A session. It’s a great way to bounce ideas, thoughts and interpretations off one another, which is what contructivism is all about. We don’t just learn from our instructor and our texts, but we learn from one another. In The Perfect Online Course, Liu, Magjuka, Bonk and Lee quote Wilson, et al. (2004), “A positive and collaborative culture can provide a community with opportunities to learn from each other, accommodate diverse membership, contribute to others’ learning, and nurture the authentic expression of multiple perspectives”(2009, p. 525).

But how to do it effectively in an online environment? There are always the group assignments and projects, but sometimes these type of assignments aren’t really a good fit for the course material, or lesson. Group discussion forums and blogs are a good way to foster interaction, as well as Q & A sessions, whether in a forum or through some form of online conferencing (ie: Elluminate). These types of sessions get everyone together, and allow them to create a “classroom” environment, where ideas can be exchanged and dissected. Some online classes I’ve seen also require face-to-face orientation at the start of the semester, so that instructor and students can all meet in person, and will often follow up by setting up an online “café”, which allows students to interact off-topic. One of my SLIS instructors had a forum like this on ANGEL one semester, where we could go and start off-topic discussions or share information (ie: articles, web sites, etc.) that weren’t particularly relevant to the week’s discussion topics, but relevant to the course or program. These off-topic forums actually got a lot of traffic, and I picked up a lot of interesting sources from fellow classmates. I think that it is important for students to interact “off-topic”, in order to build camaraderie. This is particularly important in the online environment, where you only know your instructor and classmates through words on a screen.

If collaboration is important for understanding in students, it can also be equally important for understanding amongst faculty, especially in our field. Librarians should collaborate with instructors from other disciplines in order to foster understanding of the importance of library skills. Sure, English instructors usually “get it”, because they often overlap in teaching the skills needed for research and reference. However, in other disciplines it’s not so well defined. Students have to turn in research projects in other disciplines besides English. However, instructors in these other disciplines may not recognize the importance of library skills. It’s a very good idea for librarians to collaborate with these other faculty members and help them to understand the importance of the skills needed to be successful in good research and reference. If they cannot provide information literacy courses, then at least work with the other faculty in designing “one-shot” classroom sessions or online tutorials, that are geared towards the subject of instruction (ie: Health Occupations, Science research, Historical research).  This type of collaboration will not only help the faculty in their understanding, but it will also help the students learn how to transfer their skills from one subject to another.

Online Learning

In what ways is online learning qualitatively different than face to face learning?

I know that since the beginning of online education there have been the rumblings that online education does not provide the same quality of education you can find in the traditional classroom. There are pros and cons to both. 

In online education assumptions are often made that students have prior knowledge of the technologies required to take the online class. However, this is not always the case. Some may enroll because it’s their only option. For instance, I’ve been wanting to work towards my MLIS degree for almost 10 years, and even though I lived close to two universities with MLIS programs (UNC Chapel Hill and UT Austin), these were classroom programs only (at the time) and I couldn’t find the time to take day classes with a  full-time job.  Now, I’m in a program that is completely online. At the time I joined this program, 2 years ago, I knew many of the technology tools available but had no experience with ANGEL and some of the databases used in many of my classes. The LIBR203 course, which was implemented by the program around the time I first enrolled, was a good course to take. All online education programs should incorporate something similar for students new to online courses. Though it can be tough for newbies to online education, getting the hang of the new technologies, it can also be a blessing. Not only are they learning a subject of interest or satisfying a degree requirement, they can also be learning how to use new technologies, which can only enhance their skills in other areas of life (ie: helping their own kids with homework, advancing in their jobs, seeking information for their own personal interests or needs).

 

Another assumption that can be made comes from the side of the student and the nay-sayers who may consider online education the “easy way out”. However this can actually be the exact opposite. In a classroom setting, students can sometimes “get by”, letting other students answer questions and also can get participation points by just showing up for class. In the online environment, students have to actively participate through online discussion in order to be “heard” and “seen” by the instructor. I personally feel that online education is a great way to get otherwise silent students to “speak up”, especially when there is the anonymity of sitting behind a computer, instead of raising your hand in front of a whole classroom of people or having the instructor call your name and you feel like you’ve been pinned to the board.

Another factor in successful online learning is the instructor. There must be a good instructor, just like any type of classroom setting. However, the instructor can be faced with similar challenges as the students. The instructor must have some technology savvy in order to organize an online course so that students can learn from it. The instructor must also be “present” in the class, providing good opportunities for discussion, with feedback, whether they are inside forums or using conferencing technology. In the end, students don’t want to simply learn from a computer screen. They still want to feel that there is an actual someone who is teaching them or guiding them through their education.

In the end, just like traditional classrooms, the real qualitative measure comes from good teaching and a student’s willingness to learn.

Assessment

What is the role of assessment in learning?  Is assessment a tool for the teacher or student? How can assessment be both?

Assessment is important to the process of learning because it is the tool used to determine whether learning is actually taking place. Most people think that it is a tool that can only be used by the teacher, and is only important to the student in that they "need a certain grade". However, I think that it is important that students understand how assessment can be more than a means to a grade and that it can also be a tool for them to gauge their understanding in the learning process.

Many instructors (some of which I have encountered myself) use only summative assessments, which come at the end of the lesson (and sometimes the end of the semester). This behaviorist approach to teaching has its place in assessing the knowledge gained by students in the course, but doesn't give the students much to learn from the assessment process itself. It just gives them a grade and some possible feedback, but coming at the end of the lesson (or semester), it doesn't give the students opportunity to go back and learn from their mistakes or misunderstandings, and doesn't give the instructor the time to address these same things before either moving on to the next lesson or the next semester.

I like the idea of formative assessment, which can take place all through the semester and doesn't necessarily have to be a quiz or traditional short-answer/multiple choice format and is more constructivist by nature. By doing this type of assessment all along, students can gain feedback to determine if they should be asking questions or changing their study habits in order to improve their understanding of the lesson. It's also a great tool for the instructor to determine if all students are "getting it", and if not, allow time to re-visit lessons before moving on to the next. In previous discussions, we've talked about how instructors can go about determining the different levels of background/knowledge of students. Formative assessments can be useful to an instructor for helping to determine which students need more help than others. I like the idea of the "one-minute essay" as described by Wiggins and McTighe (p. 169). This is a simple assessment tool that can be utilized to determine levels of understanding and offer each student the opportunity to ask questions that they may not be willing to raise their hand to ask in front of everyone for fear of embarrassment in front of their peers. The instructor can look at the essays and then address the questions in a way that the questioner(s) remain anonymous.

I don't think that there is really one perfect way to assess student learning, and that all instructors have to follow the same way. However, I do feel that assessment isn't just about the grade, and instructors should try to instill an understanding of this to their students in order for the students to be successful in understanding what they learn and how it will help them beyond just getting the grade and passing the class.

P.S. This is just something I wanted to mention. It's relevant to the topic, but didn't really fit into my post. I've always preferred the essay examination to the multiple choice/true and false/short answer type of exam. I seem to perform better and walk away knowing I really understand the material when I'm given the opportunity to write essays for assessment. Maybe because it's easier to approach the big idea of the lesson when discussing it in essay form. I also like to be able to explain my thoughts and understanding, which you can't really do in a multiple choice format. Granted the essay exam isn't the right format for every subject (ie: Math), but I always seemed to do better in classes that assessed in this manner.



 

Inform(ed)ation Literacy or Learning? The same concept?

What are the key understandings in teaching about information?  Think about how information is conceptualized, both within popular consciousness, and academia.  Using Bruce's informed learning, as well as standards what do we think is important in understanding information? 

I’m not really sure that information literacy as a term or the concept we in academia think of has really reached popular consciousness yet. I know that the academic world of people like Bruce (and us) have been talking about information literacy, and now informed learning, since the mid-1990s. The idea of information literacy, according to Bruce, began to emerge in the early 1970s with the “advent of information technologies [and has] grown, taken shape and strengthened to become recognized as the critical literacy for the twenty-first century” (Bruce, 2002). However, until I began working in academia and studying Information Science, I had not heard the term “information literacy”, and I still think that the term itself has not reached popular consciousness even today.

I mean, sure most Millennials (or Gen-Y’ers) know how to look up information on the Internet, and many of them even know how to find information on an e-database. However, I’m not too sure that most of them know that what they are doing has a name…information literacy. They not only need to be taught all of the different ways they can determine information needs and how to access the information, as well as evaluate and use it, but they also need to understand the importance of these skills and how they may be used in all facets of life. Not just to finish their homework or do a research paper. According to Bruce, and others, information literacy is the “key to lifelong learning”, which is why I feel that even Bruce’s conception of information literacy has changed over the years.

I found, and read, a paper from 2002 and a Powerpoint presentation from 2003, in which Bruce refers to her Seven Faces of Information Literacy. However, in 2008 she began to call them the Seven Faces of Informed Learning. Over time we, as teachers, have come to see that we do not need to teach information literacy so that students can simply know how to find information, but that we need them to understand how the skills they learn can affect all aspects of their lives and to motivate them to continue developing their information skills all their lives long. I also feel that our conceptions will continue to change as information sources continue to evolve.

References:

Bruce, C. S. (2008). Informed Learning. Chicago: American Library Association.

Bruce, C.S. (2002, July). Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Education Change: A Background Paper. White Paper prepared for UNESCO, the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy, for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts, Prague, The Czech Republic.

Bruce, C.S. (2003). Seven Faces of Information Literacy: Toward inviting student into new experiences. Powerpoint presentation, retrieved March 10, 2011, from http://www.bestlibrary.org/digital/files bruce.pdf

Literacy or Learning? (Big Idea #2)

Before I began studying in the SLIS program to become a Librarian (or Information Specialist) I can't really remember hearing the term "Information Literacy" very often. I'm not even sure the term existed back when I was an undergrad. Until now, five semesters into the SLIS program, I've only considered information literacy to be the ability to find needed information. Upon further consideration I think that information literacy can be considered a tool which is necessary for learning. It also spans more than just finding information.

Merriam-Webster defines information as:

1. the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence, or 2a. knowledge obtained from investigation, study, or instruction.

 And it defines literacy as:

knowledge that relates to a specified subject.

Bruce's (2008) definition of informed learning [my emphasis] is "using technology for awareness or communication, identifying sources of relevant information, organizing information, developing...personal knowledge bases, and using the information acquired with wisdom or professional judgment." (p. 1) The ALA states that information literacy is "a set of abilities requiring individuals to 'recognize when information is needed and to have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information'"(ACRL, 2000). These two definitions sound very much alike, but one refers to learning while the other refers to literacy. The two go hand-in-hand, and one cannot exist without the other.

Just as we discussed earlier this semester, knowing is part of learning. However, understanding is, in my opinion, the ultimate goal of learning. The real goal of information literacy is not just that someone "know" how to find information, but that they also "understand" how to use it effectively. Someone can be shown how to find information on a database, on a web page, or in an index, but do they understand how to use the information that is found? Knowing how to find the information is only the first step in learning, or becoming literate. The ultimate learning outcome is not just to know when we need information and how to find it. It's also understanding how to use it. An assumption made by some instructors is that a student will understand how to use information. But do all instructors know the Standards set forth by the ALA? There are still schools that do not require that students take information literacy courses, nor do they incorporate these Standards into other courses. For instance, at the college I work for, the English 1A curriculum states that:

Students will also be expected to locate and effectively evaluate sources used to write essays and the research paper, whether the sources are print sources, online database sources, or Internet sources. Students will also be able to precisely document outside sources in the essays and the research paper using current MLA form.

However, the college does not require that students take the information literacy (LIBR10) course before taking English. Do the instructors of the English courses really have the time to incorporate information literacy into the semester in a way that students will not only know how to find information they need, but also understand how to use it? I used to work closely with the English department, and I would often hear instructors talking about how students still plagiarized, even at the college level. So, I think that by the time students reach college-level, it is assumed that they have learned enough to understand how to use information in completing their assignments. I'm not so sure about that.

If I was teaching a course focused on information literacy, I would want my students to know how to identify their information need and how to locate the information. I would also want them to understand how and when to use the information in order to enhance their own thinking and communication of ideas. But, most importantly, I would want my students to also understand how being information literate not only will help them in school, but also help them in life. I would want them to understand how to transfer the concepts learned in my class to all areas of their lives, be able to seek information anywhere and anytime to satisfy any question or enhance any idea they may have, whether it be in future classes, their careers or even their personal lives.

Bruce (2008) states that "if we understand information literacy as being about using information to learn, we can draw on information use or information practices to help secure the learning outcomes we seek." (p. 15) To me this can refer to the learner as well as the teacher.

References:

Association of College & Research Libraries (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm#f1

Bruce, C. S. (2008). Informed Learning. Chicago: American Library Association.

"Information." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 26 February 2011 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/information

"Literacy." Merriam-Webster's Learning Dictionary. 2011. Merriam-Webster Online. 26 February 2011 http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/literacy

Knowledge is Power?

Many of us have heard the quote, "knowledge is power", which has been attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, though no one really knows where it originated. It's a quote that has been used for many years to equate learning with the acquisition of power, whether it be in the classroom, the military or in a career. Knowledge is defined by Merriam-Webster as 

the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (2010).

The more I think about it, I begin to wonder if knowledge is really power. Is simply knowing something really powerful? When compared to understanding, I'm not sure that simple knowledge is where the power lies. Merriam-Webster defines understanding as

the power to make experience intelligible by applying concepts and categories (2010).

Our readings in the Wiggins and McTighe text discuss understanding as the ability to transfer something we know or have learned to new settings (p. 40). When I think of knowing something, it's like knowing that E=mc2 and that a man name Albert Einstein came up with this equation. This is something my science teacher told me. However, do I understand E=mc2? Can I actually describe the concept or apply it in the "real world"? It's knowledge I have, but I haven't been taught how to use it, so I don't really understand it. Therefore it might be useful as an answer on Jeopardy or a quiz question that asks "What is Einstein known for?", but in answering I would just be reciting a fact I learned without having any real understanding of it's importance.

I feel that learning is a two-phased process. The first phase comes when the student is told a fact which is committed to memory through note-taking or reading (knowledge). The second phase comes when the student takes this fact and  applies it, or uses it, in other situations or tasks (understanding). In one of the articles I read on Situated Learning theory, there is discussion about learning mathematics in the classroom and how it can also be learned or used in the "real world". One example discusses how students used problem solving methods they invented or brought into the classroom in order to complete daily practice assignments versus the methods taught by the instructor. Students got the right answers, but they didn't arrive at them using the knowledge as exactly taught by the instructor. Many of them got to the correct answers by applying different techniques from their own experiences. The fact that they could do this, to me, shows understanding of the concepts they've been taught.

By truly understanding something we've learned and then begin about to turn around and use that understanding to apply what we've learned to another aspect of our lives, we then have a sense of empowerment. Simply repeating a fact may show that we are knowledgeable, but being able to use what we know to show someone else how to do something or make something happen because of what we know is real power.

References

Greiffenhagen, C., Sharrock, W. (2008). School mathematics and its everyday other? Revisiting Lave's 'Cognition in Practice'. Educational Studies in Math, 69, 1-21.

"Knowledge." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 12 February 2011 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knowledge

"Understanding." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 12 February 2011 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/understanding

Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.