Thought vectors and nuggets – Patch 21

A response to the Thought Vectors and Nuggets Activity
created by Sam Gennidakis (@SGennidakis)

Number of views: 154

  • Patch #21: Just listen:  Empathy and Science Pedagogy.  Chuck Pearson, Tusculum College, Tennessee (July 20, 2017) (https://openfacultypatchbook.org/classroom-skill/patch-twentyone-just-listen/ )
  • Passage: “The goal is not for the student to mimic your own explanation; the goal is for the student to arrive at their own accurate explanation. That’s not something that happens without intention. That’s something you can make specific plans to develop in the way you organize a class meeting or an assignment. But that requires listening to students in the moment. Feedback isn’t just helpful with a graded report or exam; feedback is useful in the moment, in dialogue with the student where you say as little as possible and you put the student in position to say the most.”
  • Why this resonates with me?
    • In my teaching, I work hard to ensure I try and accurately explain concepts so students understand quickly but I’m cognizant that students may need multiple explanations or approaches to understand.
    • I’ve learned over time that students need to make their own connections but they need guidance to do so hence my interest int his passage as I have witnessed it directly and agree with the notion that there must be intention behind the development of material, exercises, or discussion such that students can work through the information or problems in a way that helps them arrive at their own explanation and understanding
    • Often, I work with students in lab sessions and they have difficulty recalling previously learned concepts. I use guided questions starting with their basic knowledge about the topic and use their explanations and discussion to help to guide them to the answers.  I try and keep my responses and questions succinct and brief and get them to think aloud or work with their pears to think through the process and understand the path to the correct answer rather than just receiving the answer.
    • I generated an image in Canva using media maker
    • This image I think illustrates the experience and joy I get when I take this approach with student and the equivalent joy they experience when they’ve realized they knew the information but had to work through the process in their mind to get to the answer. More so I love the questions and discussions that arises thereafter from their realisations and that energy and excitement that flows.  The knowledge obtained by the student and the joy and energy of realizing they can work through the problem is represented by the light depicted in the image as it shines on both teacher and student in their work together.  As noted previously, and reiterated by the passage, “feedback is useful in the moment, in dialogue with the student where you say as little as possible and you put the student in position to say the most.”