Workshop on

Enhancing Teaching Effectiveness:

Foundations

Hue, June 11 – 12, 2007

Danang, June 14 - 15, 2007

Presenter: Prof. Tung Bui - University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Assistant: Ky Nguyen - University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Workshop Goals:

To introduce new teaching methods

To improve participants’ teaching skills

To encourage the use of IT & Multimedia

in teaching practices

To create a discussion forum for teachers

to share their experience and expertise

Enhancing Teaching Effectiveness

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 This morning we’ll discuss

1. The need for teaching methodology

renovation in Vietnam
2. Major differences between US and
Vietnamese pedagogies
3. Some popular theories in higher
education
4. Bloom’s Taxonomy
5. Ways to improve the lecture method
6. Some popular teaching approaches in
higher education
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Teaching methodology in Vietnam

Why is it time to reconsider?

1 2 3

To narrow To meet To lay

the gap the need ground for
between for high- inter-
theory and quality university
practice workforce education
worldwide

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 American vs. Vietnamese pedagogies

Differences in culture, philosophy,

and way of thinking
TRÊN TRỜI

DƯỚI NƯỚC

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 American vs. Vietnamese pedagogies

Differences in culture, philosophy,

and way of thinking

- Vietnamese say: TRÊN TRỜI

DƯỚI NƯỚC

- But Americans say: IN THE SKY

IN THE WATER
Why?
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Differences in culture, philosophy,
and way of thinking

affect
pedagogies

Vietnamese American
education is education is
more directed toward
learners,
teacher- knowledge, and
centered community

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Some popular theories
in higher education

1. Essentialism

2. Existentialism

3. Objectivism

4. Constructivism

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 Essentialism in education

Essentialists claim that

 the teacher is the authority in the classroom
and the mastery of content
 subject matter should be the center of the
curriculum
 greater educational opportunities have
lowered standards in the schools
 discipline in the classroom is essential to
learning

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 Essentialism in education

1-minute discussion
(in pairs)

What positive and/or negative qualities do

you see in Essentialism as an educator?

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 Criticism of Essentialism

It is a static philosophy of education

which provides for few dynamics or
educational change?

In this age of the

computer, it is more
important to think, to
know how to use the data
that one has at his/her
disposal than to attempt
to amass it mentally.
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 Existentialism in education

Existentialism stresses the importance of

individual responsibility
The students must be "true to
themselves”
Existentialists argue that persons are not
only mind, but also feeling – emotions
The teacher must encourage the
students’ creativity, their discovery, their
inventiveness
There should be no imposition

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 Criticism of Existentialism

Carried to extremes, existentialism is a

companion of anarchy
It is not possible to individualize the work
of the school to provide specifics for each
student
External controls must exist and are part
of the socializing process through which
all must go

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 Objectivism in education

An objectivist educator believes that

 There is a mind-independent reality
 The real world is fully and correctly
structured so that it can be modeled
 There is one true and correct reality, which
we can come to know following the objective
methods of science

Objectivism stresses the acquisition of

already-existed knowledge
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 Constructivism in education

Key claims:
Galileo: “You cannot teach a man
anything; you can only help him find it
within himself”
 Knowledge does not exist independent of
the learner, knowledge is constructed
 Students create concepts rather than simply
memorize them
 People learn to learn as they learn
 Learning is a social activity
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 Constructivism in education

Key claims:
 John Dewey: “Education is a constant
reorganization or reconstructing of
experience”
 Learning is an active process
 Constructivism focuses our attention on how
people learn
 Testing should be integrated with the task,
not a separate activity

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 Role of Constructivism in education

Most advanced
education
models today
are based on

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 Discussion

In groups of 4 or 5, please discuss

the following questions:

1. Which of the above theories of

education (Essentialism, Existentialism,
Objectivism, and Constructivism) do you
advocate as a university teacher? Why?

2. How does your teaching philosophy

reflect the principles of Constructivism?
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 Bloom’s Taxonomy

What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?

 Bloom's Taxonomy defines six
different levels of thinking:
• Knowledge => Remembering
• Comprehension => Understanding
• Application => Applying
• Analysis => Analyzing
• Synthesis => Creating
• Evaluation => Evaluating

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 Bloom’s Taxonomy

ASSUMPTION

Abilities can
be measured
along a
continuum
from plain
and simple to
rather complex

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 Bloom’s Taxonomy

The role of Bloom’s Taxonomy in education

It can stimulate It provides a
teachers to help basis for
students acquire
skills at all of
developing
these various measurement
levels, laying the strategies to
proper assess
foundation for student
higher levels by
first assuring
performance
mastery of at all these
lower-level levels of
objectives learning

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 The Lecture method: Strengths

Conveys large amounts of information

Communicates to many listeners

Covers material not readily available

Reveals lecturer's interest in the subject

Maximum teacher control

Minimum threat to student

Cashin, W. E. (1990). Improving lectures. In M. Weimer and R. A. Neff (Eds.) Teaching

College: Collected readings for the new instructor (pp.59-63). Madison, WI:
Magna Publications. 22
 The lecture method

 Typical students patterns

 Take notes during lecture
 Open book to problems
 Look for equations
 Turn in problems
 Cram for test
 Take test
 Forget

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 The Lecture method: Weaknesses

Emphasizes listening only

Students are passive
Attention wanes quickly
Information is quickly forgotten
Little feedback to instructor
Requires an effective speaker
Not well suited for higher-order thinking
Not well suited for complex material
It promotes only lower-level thinking
Cashin, W. E. (1990). Improving lectures. In M. Weimer and R. A. Neff (Eds.) Teaching
College: Collected readings for the new instructor (pp.59-63). Madison, WI:
Magna Publications. 24
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 1-minute paper

In one minute, list as many

lecturing techniques you have
used in your class as possible.

Now exchange your paper with

a partner.

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 Tips for lecture skills improvement

- Environment aids learning

- An introduction perks interest
- Outlining a lecture helps clear thinking
- Nonverbal behavior increases learning
- Organized lecture fits the time available
- Visual aids used should be clear and
understandable
- A summary helps to retain what is learned
- Closure should restate objectives
- Questions should be answered succinctly

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 More tips for effective lectures

Fit the lecture to the audience

Present more than one side of an issue
and be sensitive to other perspectives
Repeat points when necessary
Be aware of your audience - notice their
feedback
Be enthusiastic - you don’t have to be an
entertainer but you should be excited by
your topic
Keep your students busy!
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Tips for effective lectures

KISS

Keep It Short and Sweet

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 The Lecture method

1-minute discussion
(in pairs)
How much lecturing do you use when
teaching a typical lesson? Why?

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 Some popular teaching approaches
in higher education

The teacher-centered approach

The knowledge-centered approach

The assessment-centered approach

The community-centered approach

The learner-centered approach

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 The teacher-centered approach

 Knowledge is transmitted from teacher to

students
 Students passively receive information
 Emphasis is on acquisition of knowledge outside
the context in which it will be used
 Professor’s role is to be primary information
giver and primary evaluator
 Teaching and assessing are separate
 Emphasis is on right answers
 Only students are viewed as learners

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Adapted from Barr and Tagg (1995) 32
The teacher-centered approach : Pros

® Large volume of information is shared in a

short amount of time
® Teacher has total control of organization,
pacing, and content
® It provides forum for expert experience and
testimony
® It can inspire and stimulate students when
done well
® It accommodates large numbers of students
® Quick and easy assessment methods
can generally be employed

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The teacher-centered approach: Cons

® Knowledge is controlled by the instructor

® One-way communication
® Not necessarily conducive to critical
thinking
® Promotes passive learning
® Not an optimal way to learn for many
students
® Planning and assessment is conducted
solely by the teacher

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 The knowledge-centered approach

 focuses on the question: What to teach?

 strengthens the ability to think, reflect, and
solve problems by access to ideas, assumptions
and conceptions of others arranged in
meaningful ways
 highlights the important role of the teacher in
setting the "course" of learning
 rigorous content and focus on comprehension
 encourages integrated knowledge of a specific
subject matter
 is supposed to meet the demand of the
knowledge-based economy
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 The knowledge-centered approach

The threefold distinction in terms of

knowledge genesis

1. knowledge deriving from primary

research
2. knowledge deriving from scholarship
and review
3. knowledge embedded in materials and
procedures

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 The knowledge-centered approach

Not widely discussed: Why?

- It lacks focus on activities to promote

critical thinking and learning skills due to
too much emphasis on knowledge

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 Discussion

In groups of 4 or 5, discuss and then report

on the following question:

How appropriate is the knowledge currently

taught at higher education institutions in
Vietnam?

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 The assessment-centered approach

Major claim: knowing what students are

learning and what they need to know is
critical information for shaping learning
environments

This method encourages self-assessment

Frequent opportunities for feedback,

reflection, and revision

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 The assessment-centered approach

 Two major components:

 Formative assessment
 Summative assessment
 Traditional forms of assessment:
 Tests/ exams
 Projects
 Alternative forms of assessment :
 Peer assessment
 Self-assessment
 Portfolios
 Online assessment
 Anything else?
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 The assessment-centered approach

Discussion (in groups of 3)

How appropriate are current forms of

assessment in your institution? Justify
your answer.

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 The community-centered approach

 Definition: Teaching approach that promotes a

sense of connectedness among students,
teachers, homes, and the larger community

Education mantra:
“Tell me and I forget,
show me and I remember,
involve me and I understand.”

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 The community-centered approach

 Learning in community-centered classrooms is

enhanced by social norms (John Dowey, 1916)
 Learning is an integral and inseparable part of
social practice
 CCA increases opportunities and motivation to
interact, receive feedback, and learn
 CCA concerns the whole person acting in the
world
 CCA acknowledges important relationships
between personal and social well-being
 CCA can create an osmosis of knowledge
between school environment and non-school life
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 The community-centered approach

Intent participation (Rogoff et al. 2003):

 Roles: Experienced people guide while participating.
Learners take initiative.
 Source of learning: Observation during
participation in shared endeavors.
 Motivation: Focuses on importance of activity and
relation of steps to purpose.
 Forms of communication: Communication happens
through joint action.
 Method of assessment: Assessment happens
through shared endeavors to aid learning.

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Imagine you’re teaching a class
of 20 foreigners who want to
learn about Hue’s history,
culture, and tradition. In
groups of 4 or 5, design a short
lesson plan basing on the
principles of Cooperative
Learning.

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 The community-centered approach

In line with Vietnam’s Education Law

(2005), which states that

“Learning goes hand in hand with

practice; education is combined with
production activities; theories are
attached to practices; and education is a
joint effort between school, family, and
the society”.

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The community-centered approach

Caveats:

Egalitarianism
Dependence
Demotivation
…
Anything else?

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 The community-centered approach

Discussion (in groups of 4)

Have you ever used the community-

centered approach before? If yes, how?
If no, do you plan to use it in the future?
Why/why not?

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 What have we discussed so far?

Some popular education theories

Essentialism

Existentialism

Text

Constructivism
Objectivism

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Some popular teaching approaches

Teacher-centered

Knowledge-centered

Assessment-centered

Community-centered

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 Before lunchbreak…

Are there any questions or ideas you want

to share with fellow participants?

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See you again this afternoon