Cognitive Development
I believe that cognitive development is a vital component of any educational endeavor. If students are to achieve cognitive growth, however, I feel that appropriate, structured support is necessary. Many first-year college students present a dualistic stage of development, where they view instructors as keepers of knowledge (Perry, as cited in Nilson, 2010). Though not all of my students exhibit this perspective, those who do are likely unprepared to view themselves as capable of constructing their own knowledge. As a teacher, I want to improve my students’ ability to direct their own learning, and cognitive support can help realize this goal.
To support cognitive development, I have made a concerted effort to introduce scaffolding techniques into my courses. Scaffolding enables students to focus on and master a single aspect of a task, without interference from additional complicating factors (Ambrose, 2010). As students master individual subsets of a task, those facets can be integrated gradually until the students can complete the task in its entirety.
As an example, scientific writing lends itself well to scaffolding. Most of my students have experience with literary writing. Consequently, they often find the concise, straight-forward scientific writing style difficult to master. Lab reports are also meant to mimic the structure of modern scientific articles, and include four sections (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion), each with it’s own set of requirements. For students with minimal science writing preparation, producing a full lab report can be overwhelming.
To reduce cognitive load, recently I have assigned individual sections of a lab report at a time. This enables students to practice mastery of one section alone, without the confusion of additional sections. As students begin to grasp the formatting challenges of each individual section, they write two sections together. Later in their first year, they complete a full lab report with a group, and submit this report for review by their peers. By the end of their first year, most students are able to successfully produce a full, individual lab report.
(Image Credit: Tom Toyosaki, 2015)
As an example, scientific writing lends itself well to scaffolding. Most of my students have experience with literary writing. Consequently, they often find the concise, straight-forward scientific writing style difficult to master. Lab reports are also meant to mimic the structure of modern scientific articles, and include four sections (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion), each with it’s own set of requirements. For students with minimal science writing preparation, producing a full lab report can be overwhelming.
To reduce cognitive load, recently I have assigned individual sections of a lab report at a time. This enables students to practice mastery of one section alone, without the confusion of additional sections. As students begin to grasp the formatting challenges of each individual section, they write two sections together. Later in their first year, they complete a full lab report with a group, and submit this report for review by their peers. By the end of their first year, most students are able to successfully produce a full, individual lab report.
(Image Credit: Tom Toyosaki, 2015)
Personal Development
Support Diverse Learning
Despite the importance of cognitive development, I feel that education falls short if it does not also address a student’s personal development and self-efficacy. If students are to develop as individuals, confident in their role as learners, then learning must occur in an environment where diverse perspectives are respected and encouraged. Educational literature describes a vast array of learning perspectives students students may favor, from active involvement, to quantitative reasoning, to solitary reflection. Though individual learning preferences are not stagnant and students may shift among several learning perspectives throughout a course, I believe that providing students with opportunities to highlight their strengths can improve academic performance and self-efficacy.
A recent push in science education recommends student-driven, process-oriented, inquiry-based learning (Brewer & Smith, 2010). Through inquiry, students are exposed to authentic scientific process, helping them grow better equipped to enter 21st Century science careers. I feel that inquiry-based learning can also address students’ diverse learning perspectives and enable learners to demonstrate their individual strengths.
Inquiry, at least in the setting of my lab, involves team collaboration, critical examination of student derived scientific questions, active experimentation, quantitative analysis and interpretation of results, and both written and oral communication of findings. As a result, learning styles shift throughout each stage of the inquiry process, allowing students with differing preferences to exercise their strengths. Students who prefer to learn-by-doing are supported through the experimental process. Students who need time to grasp concepts or make connections through quiet reflection have this opportunity through written work. Students who feel they communicate best aloud are encouraged through collaboration and oral presentation. Additionally important, however, its that inquiry challenges students to experience new learning styles. Through this experience they may better respect their peers’ preferences, and they may even recognize new preferences or strengths of their own.
Inquiry, at least in the setting of my lab, involves team collaboration, critical examination of student derived scientific questions, active experimentation, quantitative analysis and interpretation of results, and both written and oral communication of findings. As a result, learning styles shift throughout each stage of the inquiry process, allowing students with differing preferences to exercise their strengths. Students who prefer to learn-by-doing are supported through the experimental process. Students who need time to grasp concepts or make connections through quiet reflection have this opportunity through written work. Students who feel they communicate best aloud are encouraged through collaboration and oral presentation. Additionally important, however, its that inquiry challenges students to experience new learning styles. Through this experience they may better respect their peers’ preferences, and they may even recognize new preferences or strengths of their own.
Encourage Trust and Respect
To further enhance students’ self-efficacy and individual growth, I strongly believe that a learning environment must minimize threat and foster mutual respect. Extrinsic motivators like grade rewards may actually reduce students’ intrinsic motivation to learn through interest (Bain, 2004). Further, the sense that one lacks control over his or her learning is another common motivational deterrent among adult learners, and likely college students as well (Illeris, 2003; Case, 2008).
In my classes, I try not to over-emphasize the impact of graded assignments. Instead, I attempt to build a relationship with my students, one where I express genuine interest not only in who they are as learners, but who they are as people. I feel that fostering such relationships helps to encourage honesty, trust, and respect within the learning environment, and creates an atmosphere where students are able to ask questions and receive assistance free of embarrassment. Additionally, in recent semesters, I have begun to offer students a choice of assessment measures so that they may harness their strengths to demonstrate their understanding. By promoting trust and respect and by helping students to feel a sense of ownership over their learning, I hope to encourage positive self-efficacy and individual growth, in addition to cognitive development. (Photo credit: David Miyamoto, 2009).
In my classes, I try not to over-emphasize the impact of graded assignments. Instead, I attempt to build a relationship with my students, one where I express genuine interest not only in who they are as learners, but who they are as people. I feel that fostering such relationships helps to encourage honesty, trust, and respect within the learning environment, and creates an atmosphere where students are able to ask questions and receive assistance free of embarrassment. Additionally, in recent semesters, I have begun to offer students a choice of assessment measures so that they may harness their strengths to demonstrate their understanding. By promoting trust and respect and by helping students to feel a sense of ownership over their learning, I hope to encourage positive self-efficacy and individual growth, in addition to cognitive development. (Photo credit: David Miyamoto, 2009).
Ambrose, S.A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M.C., Norman, M.K. (2010). How learning works. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Brewer, C.A. & Smith, D. (Eds.). (2010). Vision and change in undergraduate biology education: A call to action. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Case, J.M. (2008). Alienation and engagement: development of an alternative theoretical framework for understanding student learning. Higher Education 55:321-332. doi: 10.1007/s10734-007-9057-5
Illeris, K. (2003). Adult education as experienced by the learners. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 22(1), 13-23.
Nilson, L.B. (2010). Teaching at its best. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Brewer, C.A. & Smith, D. (Eds.). (2010). Vision and change in undergraduate biology education: A call to action. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Case, J.M. (2008). Alienation and engagement: development of an alternative theoretical framework for understanding student learning. Higher Education 55:321-332. doi: 10.1007/s10734-007-9057-5
Illeris, K. (2003). Adult education as experienced by the learners. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 22(1), 13-23.
Nilson, L.B. (2010). Teaching at its best. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.