Biology Professor Advises Educators To Change Methods Of Teaching
Methods of teaching need to be changed so students can develop deeper understanding in science education as well as in other courses, said William B. Wood, distinguished professor of biology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, in his seminar Wednesday titled “Changing the Way We Teach: Why We Should and How We Can.”
“Clearly some students manage to do just fine in the way we teach. I think they’re doing it in spite of the way we teach in some cases rather than because of the way we teach,” Wood said. “They learn how to learn on their own and they go out and do what needs to be done and they develop a deep understanding of science, but for most students we don’t do a very good job.”
Wood spoke Wednesday afternoon to a group of mostly biologists and educators about a new teaching method he believes will be more beneficial to the way students learn and retain information past graduation. Although Wood spoke from a science perspective, he said science education applies to other courses as well with what works for students and how teaching can be more effective.
Wood began his seminar by playing a clip from “The Five Minute University”, a 1982 Saturday Night Live clip that comically shows what it would be like to obtain a college degree based on what graduates remember five years after graduation.
“Students don’t retain a lot of what we teach,” Wood said. “And I would say that in general we’re not doing a good job of teaching biology and other sciences to the graduates, particularly in large courses at research universities.”
One of the things that should be changed is to teach from a constructionist view compared to a transmissionist view, Wood said. The transmissionist view is to teach information that students can retain where a constructionist view structures a learning environment where students create the knowledge themselves. This allows students to be more independent and gives them the chance to retain what they are learning.
Another way Wood suggested students can retain information better is through the i>clicker. In simple terms, the i>clicker is an audience response system that applies the technology used on the TV show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” to a learning environment. Students can instantly answer questions posed by their instructors and provide feedback.
Wood said some of the benefits of the i>clickers for students are that the responses are anonymous, there is an instant comparison to their peers, and it allows the students to be actively engaged in the lecture and learning process.
Wood said he understands that this new way of teaching may be hard for students to grasp but students should understand that it will benefit them in the future. Wood said after graduation, most students will be part of a team in their career and will not get a lecture every time they have a project or assignment.
“Work outside of class and school is going to be collaborative and will be for the rest of your life,” Wood said. “This is a good chance to learn some skills that will benefit for the future not only once, but frequently.”
Wood hopes he can continue to share his research and studies on effective teaching with other universities and educators.
“I think there’s a real national imperative to do better at this,” he said.
Wood received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1963. His credentials include an international research award in recognition of a lifetime of scientific achievements as well as becoming one of the youngest members of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his research.
-mackenzie.love@aggiemail.usu.edu
LC