Teaching and Learning

2023-02-27

Inside-Outside (I-O) learning strategy

The Inside-Outside learning strategy intends to emphasize the transformations: from inside to outside and from learning to teaching. Publication ref link [Education 2.0: Student Generated Learning Materials through Collaborative Work]

I-O Strategy

In this learning strategy students do the following:

  • collaborate to create your own learning materials
  • develop memorization questionnaires, discussion topics and questions, summary tables, relation trees and other visualization aids.
  • develop specific problems and exercises that may be included in assessments such as homework or exams

Each learning item developed by students is peer-reviewed before being approved as a learning material.

Everyone hates group work. - Or do they?

  • In college this often typically the case
  • Feelings of workload imbalance, lack of investment from partners, one person “having to do all the work”.
  • Instructors will say “for your own good” because the workplace is collaborative
    • True! But often you don’t deal with free loaders
  • Small group think & collaborative effort always is better than individual efforts
  • Group success is achieved with mutual respect and agreed upon common ground rules.
    • AKA social norms for the group

Elements of Collaborative Learning

  1. Clearly Perceived Positive Interdependence
  2. Interaction
  3. Individual Accountability and Personal Responsibility
  4. Small Group Skills
  5. Group Processing

Full details on page 1840 (pdf page 6) of the [I-O strategy manuscript.]

Establishing Ground Rules and a “code of conduct”

  • We will review each of the 5 aspects listed
  • For each one you are asked to state your personal opinion and suggestions in this google form.
  • Sign in required, but response display is anonymous.
  • As a class we will review responses and come to an agreement.

1. Clearly Perceived Positive Interdependence

In collaborative learning the success of one person is bound up with the success of others. There are a few suggested ways to facilitate this dependency:

  • Goal sharing: shared subject matter, assessment, joint problem solving, creating or discovering something of value
  • Role sharing: Each member has specific roles & responsibilities that contribute to overall task
  • Task interdependence: Division of labor so one member has to complete their task before next member can start

Discuss: Which of these methods would you like to see implemented? AND WHY?

2. Interaction

There is an expectation that students will help each other so that common goals can be achieved. Help may be resources, advice, provision of feedback and challenging conclusions.

Discuss (3):

  1. Give an example of a positive/helpful interaction that will contribute to group learning.
  2. Give an example of a negative/unhelpful interaction that will hinder group learning
  3. What ground rules regarding person-to-person interaction that you would like the class to follow?

3. Individual Accountability and Personal Responsibility

Everyone is expected to do their fair share of work and it is important for all group members to know that they cannot ‘free ride.’

To ensure fairness in effort and responsibility, all graded work will be weighted according to your level of participation and engagement with the material as assessed by the instructor, and your peers.

Discuss: How would you like to ensure accountability from yourself, and your peers?

4. Small Group Skills

Interpersonal skills such as making decisions and solving conflicts are important. In order to achieve these goals students must:

  • Get to know and trust each other
  • Communicate clearly
  • Provide and accept support
  • Resolve conflict constructively

Discuss: What do we mean by each of these? What do positive interpersonal skills look like to you? Provide an example of each listed above.

5. Group Processing

Group work is effective when group participants reflect on how well they function as a group. This reflection assists members to maintain good working relationships.

Shared reflection can be used as a carrot - sharing positive feedback lets us know what we’re doing that strengthen relationships. What should we keep doing.

And a stick - sharing critical feedback lets us know what we’re doing that can harm relationships. Something we should work on changing or doing less of.

Discuss: How would you suggest we collect and share personal reflections on the group as a whole, and specific individuals? What tools or techniques would you suggest?

Other concerns

You will also have the opportunity to share any additional concerns about this approach.

Creating teaching materials

General approach

  1. Create an outline of topics to cover. Won’t include every subsection.
  2. Create a summary of each selected section
    • With an example to go over as a group
    • and a very similar example for individuals to try on their own
  3. Review end of chapter exercises and choose (and write a solution for)
    • 1 memorization question
    • 1 discussion / concept question
    • 1 application question

End of chapter exercises will be used to generate the practice worksheet, homework assignment, and final exam questions.

Dissemination tools

  • Shared notes go into HackMD
    • Format it like a quarto file
    • first level headers for each section, second for subsections etc
  • Fully reproducible, packages and data read in at the top.
  • Questions submitted for consideration for later use in a section at the bottom.

Dr. D will be responsible for the following:

  • Document, monitor, and enforce agreed upon ground rules
  • Set reasonable timelines for completion of work
  • Facilitate logistics of collaborative work activities (modeled off of general algorithm -pg 1841, pdf page 7 of I-O strategy manuscript.)
  • Setup and maintain shared documents such as shared HackMD file, compiled lecture notes, worksheets and assignments
  • Cross-checking materials for accuracy and correctness
  • Setup Canvas module with items for: course notes (creating, presenting, submitting), practice worksheet, homework assignment.

References & Additional reading