Effective Teaching at Bilkent

University to Engage Learners

A workshop developed for
Bilkent University by
Gordon Suddaby

Gordon Suddaby -
g.t.suddaby@massey.ac.nz
 Rationale
If students are to learn desired outcomes in a
reasonably effective manner, then the teachers
fundamental task is to get students to engage in
learning activities that are likely to result in their
achieving those outcomes...It is helpful to remember
that what the student does is actually more important
in determining what is learned than what the teacher
does.
Thomas J. Shuell (1986) cited in Biggs and Tang (2007)
Overview
This workshop will focus on developing and
enhancing approaches which engage students in
the Teaching Learning relationship that you, as
Bilkent teachers are responsible for.

The workshop will draw from research-based theory,

including John Biggs notion of constructive alignment, to
explore how the elements that go to create effective
university learning i.e. curriculum design, assessment,
teaching approaches, learning resources, motivation,
relevance, and relationship development may be brought
together to achieve successful outcomes to provide a
range of strategies able to be used in your teaching.
Programme for the workshop
9.00 Setting the Scene
9.20 Evaluating and improving Teaching
10.30 Break
10.40 Assessing Student Learning
11.40 Break
11.50 Active Learning
13.00 Lunch (provided)
13.30 Motivating Students
14.00 Academic Integrity
14.30 Close
Your Expectations
On the paper provided, please indicate your
reason for attending this workshop.
Also list up to 5 expectations that you have
arising from your attendance;

NB this will be collected in at the end of the

workshop, but will be anonymous and will
be used for my purposes of evaluation and
improvement.
 Intended learning outcomes
Participants will be able to:
articulate an understanding of student learning and
how this relates to effective teaching practice;
identify and implement effective teaching and learning
strategies;
identify and apply key assessment concepts;
establish and maintain productive student-teacher
learning relationships
Identify and implement a range of strategies that will
enhance student engagement, motivation and success
identify and use a variety of strategies for gaining
feedback on teaching
 Setting the Scene

Introducing the assumptions,

theory, research evidence and
principles that underpin effective
university teaching and learning
Is this how we feel after a
semester of teaching?
Activity 1:
What are the teaching and learning
issues that are foremost in your
minds?
In Departmental/Faculty pairs identify as
many teaching and learning issues as you
can which affect your Department/Faculty
Combine with another pair, compare your
list and identify the top four issues
Be prepared to discuss these with the whole
group

Think about how these impact on the

quality of teaching!!!
What are Bilkents views of
teaching...
The Bilkent website states that;
Good teaching is essential for all.
The website goes on to define quality teaching when it
states:
Quality means making the students learn by
stimulating their interest in the topic, by challenging
their capabilities, and by encouraging active
participation and doing
The website also stresses that;
Learning means more than rote memorization of
facts; hence teachers are expected to enhance
students analytical, critical, and independent thinking
abilities.
What are the implications of this policy?
What does the literature say
about good teachers?
Good teachers are;
Knowledgeable about their subject
Adopt an organised and systematic
approach to their teaching
Are enthusiastic and interesting
Respect their students
Have high expectations of their
students performance

From: Prebble, Hargraves, Leach, Naidoo,

Suddaby and Zepke (2005)
Activity 2: What is teaching all
about?
All teachers have some theory of what
teaching is when they are doing it,
even if they are not explicitly aware of
that theory...
Gow and Kember, 1993 cited in Biggs
and Tang, 2007, p.15.
Task (from Biggs and Tang, 2007, p.16)
What are your theories of
teaching and learning?
Learning is........

Teaching is.......
Activity 2: What is teaching all
about?
All teachers have some theory of what
teaching is when they are doing it, even if
they are not explicitly aware of that
theory...
Gow and Kember, 1993 cited in Biggs and
Tang, 2007, p.15.
Task (from Biggs and Tang, 2007, p.16
What are your theories of teaching and
learning?
Learning is........
Teaching is.......
Share your ideas with the person next
to you and identify common points
Some assumptions about
teaching
Teaching is a process not an event
There is no one right way to teach, but there
are many ways to teach better
Both teachers AND students are responsible
for learning
Learning is more likely to occur if the process
has been planned
Assessment drives learning
Learning occurs best in a relevant context
And most importantly...
Teachers want to teach better
 Some assumptions about
learners?
Learners are individuals needing to be engaged
through approaches that support interactivity,
collaboration, reflection, critique, and personalisation
and;
normally start with high motivation to succeed
learn quickly when new learning is linked to prior knowledge
may have to unlearn some things
like to see the relevance of what they are learning
learn best when they are physically and mentally
comfortable
like to be actively involved and engaged
like to contribute to the learning journey
need to experience success
Are usually good judges of their own competence and
performance
Thinking about teaching
Biggs has suggested that there are
three levels of thinking about
teaching
Level 1 focus: What the student is
Level 2 focus: What the teacher does
Level 3 focus: What the student does
Biggs and Tang, (2007) chap. 2
Activity 3:
Models of Teaching (Biggs and
Tang)groups of 3
Form
Members of each group will be given an
extract from Biggs and Tang (Chap 2)
to read and discuss (either the extract
on Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3)
Task:
Your task is to become an expert on
the material in your extract so that
you are able to explain it to others.
Models of teaching
Reform in groups of 3 with a level 1, 2, and 3,
reader in each group.

In turn each group member will explain their

extract to the other two group members.

Then the whole group will discuss the 3 models.

Write down and be prepared to report on:
Comments the group has about the three models?
How valid are these as representations?
Where the groups theories of teaching and learning
(noted earlier) agree/disagree with those of Biggs
and Tang?
What further questions are raised
Model 1: Focus on what the
student is
Teachers tend to look at the student differences,
i.e. the good students and the bad students
The teacher is responsible for the content so in
order to learn the students must;
Attend lectures/classes
Listen carefully
Take full notes
Do the reading
Regurgitate the information in exams and
assessments
It is a blame the student approach based on
student deficits including; motivation,
intelligence, attitude, study skills and aptitude etc
Biggs and Tang, 2007
Model 2: Focus on what the
student does
Teachers try to manage learning by using
a battery of strategies (a how to
approach) by;
Establishing procedural rules
Ensuring clarity voice, visuals, board
work, ...
Establishing eye-contact
Using a wide variety of strategies
Its a blame the teacher approach as it
assumes that teaching involves the
application of a range of strategies and
competencies which are easy to quantify.
Model 3: Focus on what the
student does
This is a student-centred approach. The
focus is on approaches that cause and
support student learning and it will include
a range of strategies which are integral to
the approach by;
Assisting students to understand facts,
concepts and principles
Using appropriate teaching/learning
activities
Engaging students on tasks focused on the
learning outcomes
Some thoughts on teaching and
learning...
Clearly, not all learning is dependent on
teaching...However, all teaching regardless of
quality is predicated on learning. (Brown,
p.223 in Ellis, 1993)

Teaching makes learning possible. Ramsden,

p.114, 1992)

Instructional difficulties do not occur because

faculty are inept, or students capricious, they
occur because components of the activities
dont fit the instructional circumstances in
which they are used. Menges and Weimer,
p.151, 1996.
What is learning?
Criteria that indicates learning
has occurred involves;
A change in a persons behaviour
or ability to do something
A stipulation that this change
must result from some sort of
practice or experience
A stipulation that the change is an
enduring one
Approaches to Learning
Learning as a Process which
involves;
Constructivism
Deep and surface learning

These in turn involve;

Authenticity
Activity
Engagement
The constructivist approach
Learning is an active process
New knowledge is linked to existing knowledge
Knowledge is developed in an organised
manner
There are multiple forms of knowledge
Learning is a social act
Learning is context dependent
Learning focuses on cognitive processes and
strategies
Intrinsic motivation is critical
Surface Learning
Motivation is extrinsic (either +ve or ve
Involves rote learning and memorisation
Only what is necessary is done
Focuses on material delivered in
lectures
May not see connections or
transferability
Shortcuts are used
Little engagement with the content
Surface learning-type courses
involve;
A heavy workload
Long class hours
Excessive course materials
Lack of opportunity to pursue
subjects in depth
Lack of choice over topics
Lack of choice over study methods
A threatening testing system
 Deep Learning
Intrinsic motivation
Learners seek meaning and to satisfy curiosity
Learners develop much content knowledge
Learners operate at a high level of
conceptualisation
Learning is enjoyable
Time and effort is put into learning (sometimes
too much)
Learner reflects on learning and thinks about
how to learn
Encouraging deep learning
Emphasis on the knowledge base
Learner is interested in the field
high motivation
Interaction between learner, learners
and teacher, and learner and content
Learner actively participates
(The learner is more than a
spectator)
Effective learning occurs
when;
What is already known is accessed
New learning builds on what is
already known
The lecturer engages the learner
(minds on)

Learning occurs not by recording

information, but by interpreting
it and making it ours. Resnick
The Bottom Line: The six
characteristics of teaching and
learning
1. Entails encounters with challenging ideas
and people
2. Requires active engagement with those
challenges
3. Occurs best in a supportive environment
4. Involves real-world activities
5. Is a relational, social activity
6. Is unbounded by time or place
P. T. Terenzini and E. T. Pascarella (2004)
The Challenges Ahead
Align what we do with what we know.
In looking to improve forget about Silver
Bullets.
Think systemically.
Think collaboratively.
Use the 6 characteristics of learning and
development as touchstones in program
planning, development, and evaluation
Focus on first-year students.
2004 P. T. Terenzini and E. T. Pascarella
Some questions for you as a
teacher to consider
What is your teaching philosophy?
What are your teaching goals ?
What do you know about your students ?
How does your course fit with previous courses?
How does your course link with subsequent courses?
How does your course fit into the overall programme
being offered?
What do you want your students to learn?
How can you give them the best chance of learning
this?
How can you find out if they have learned it?
How can you judge the effectiveness of your
teaching?
What do you know about yourself as a teacher?
Activity 4: Reflections
Take any three of the questions listed on
the previous slide and;
1.Provide brief responses that answer each
question
2.Show how the answers link together
3.Identify where there are gaps or
disjunctions
4.Write down what you might do about these
5.Write down a question that remains in your
mind.
Activity 4: Reflections
Take any three of the questions listed on the
previous slide and;
1.Provide brief responses that answer each question
2.Show how the answers link together
3.Identify where there are gaps or disjunctions
4.Write down what you might do about these
5.Write down a question that remains in your mind.
6.Share your responses in a small group and
identify any points of interest/concern that
you are happy to share with the whole group
So
It would seem that one of the
big questions might be;
How do I know how well I am
teaching?
How can I ensure my students
learn what they should learn?
AND
How can I continue to improve?