Building Toward Student Ownership

Theron J Hitchman

MAA Iowa 2014 Clarke University

One of these is a lie:

• I am an atheist.
• I am not a religious man.

Inquiry Based Learning

(Moore Method, Peer Instruction, Flipped Learning, Guided Practice, Standards Based Assessment)

Question One:

Why are we here?

Question One (sharper):

From the learner's perspective, what is the point of continuing to study past high school?

Question Two:

What are the goals of a liberal education?

Question Three:

Information is free these days. Given that one can study and read on one's own, what is the point of going to college?

Question Four:

What do you expect a student to remember 20 years after your course?

Question Five:

How does a person learn something new?

Question Six:

How should a course be structured to facilitate learning?

Evidence

Remember that bit about a lie?

A personal story

My conversion

What is IBL?

An ''Active Classroom'' approach to teaching that involves the students in sense-making activities: figuring things out and making arguments.

As much as possible, students engage in research at their own level.

What is IBL?: A test

Do the students own the mathematics? Or do they just check it out and return it?

Thank you

Other Things I should Say

• Role change for instructors, too: mentor, coach, cheerleader, counselor
• Sell it!
• Find support: local (colleagues, admin), national (AIBL, MAA), online!
• Are you willing to fail in order to improve?