Letting Inmates Run the Asylum: Student Engagement in the Progressive Classroom

1. Letting Inmates Run the Asylum:Student Engagement in the Progressive Classroom Tracey Mayfield Katy Farrell French LOEX Encore

2. What did you want to learn from us? • Past session agendas have included: • How to keep students awake, engaged, off Facebook • Learn how to feel empowered about what happens in the classroom • How to let students set the agenda • How to orchestrate the class while still letting the students set the outcomes • Create a deeper learning experience • De-emphasize what the instructor feels is critical LOEX Encore

3. Motivation Theory Tells Us Extrinsic Motivation • Using external incentives & rewards to get students to act • Grabs student’s attention as long as the reward/incentive is valuable to the student. • Forces the student to act if reward/incentive is valuable to the student, e.g. grades. • Promotes poor quality work. Students will do the least amount of work necessary to get the reward. • The goal becomes the reward, not learning. LOEX Encore

4. Motivation Theory Tells Us • Intrinsic Motivation • Students’ internal desire to learn • Promotes active engagement and enjoyment of the learner. • Leads long-term learning: The desire to learn does not disappear along with the reward/incentive. • Creates an environment for meaningful learning. LOEX Encore

5. Tapping into Student’s Intrinsic Motivation • Factors that Decrease Intrinsic Motivation • Feeling controlled • Competition with pressure to win • Rewards intended to control or motivate behavior • Feelings of incompetence Deci, 1995 LOEX Encore

6. Tapping into Student’s Intrinsic Motivation • Factors that Increase Intrinsic Motivation • Autonomous support • Choice (e.g. set student goals) • Rewards and recognition to acknowledge behavior • Feelings of competence • Connection between behavior and desired outcomes (e.g. student driven goals) Deci, 1995 LOEX Encore

7. Our Approach: Letting Students Set the Agenda   How do we promote student autonomy and choice while avoiding chaos and departure from the originally intended goals and learning outcomes? Allow choice while setting limits on the choices students can make in “autonomy supportive way” (Deci, 1995). Allow choices within boundaries LOEX Encore

8. Who Has Ultimate Control? • The Librarian - we’ve never been stumped, student outcomes are predictable, and the librarian has the right to defer outcomes to the course instructor. • Student driven learning outcomes help the students feel empowered and help the librarian understand which outcomes need special emphasis and attention. LOEX Encore

9. How did we do it? • We started small. We tested the exercise in classes held in summer session 2006 to get comfortable with it. • No special equipment or tools necessary. Just an open Word window or even a sheet of paper will work. • Always review student research assignment or purpose of library visit first. • Have students brainstorm in groups no smaller than 2 and share one thing they would like to learn or be able to do (know, think or do) by the end of the session. LOEX Encore

10. How did we do it? (Continued) • After each group has shared their learning outcome, ask the class if there are any more that they would like addressed. Ask in a fun, non-threatening manner. • Write student outcomes in word document and leave it on the screen throughout the class. Organize the outcomes to create session outline. • Refer back to the list of outcomes after each has been taught or at the end of the session. Ask the students if this item has been covered. Check for questions. • Review all outcomes at end of class. Poll students to see if we addressed each outcome sufficiently. LOEX Encore

11. Teaching using this method: Katy • Open session using the exercise • Then utilizes a data bank of many exercises that tie into items on the student-set agenda • Tailors the exercises based on agenda and outcomes she wants to cover • Can be done individually or in groups • Allows much variation, freedom LOEX Encore

12. Teaching using this method: Tracey • Open session using the exercise • Guide session using a PowerPoint set up based on most used outcomes • Finding books, finding articles, proper searching, citing, etc. • Integrate active learning exercises • Searching exercise • Comparison matrix • Formulating search string exercise LOEX Encore

13. Teaching using this method: Tracey II • Open session using exericse • Teach class using only student set agenda (no ppt, no handout, no nothing!) • Still utilize active learning exercises where appropriate LOEX Encore

14. What did we learn? • Students were more responsive and eager to participate in the library instruction session when they set the learning agenda. • When incorporated with other active learning exercises, the librarian “lectures” less and students walk away with more. • Students’ perceptions of their learning needs are not always congruent with librarian/course instructor perceptions. • A true collaboration occurs when students feel ownership of what they are learning. LOEX Encore

15. What did we learn? Continued • This strategy works even for students who have multiple library instruction sessions in a single semester. Each class has its own “personality,” and therefore each agenda has its own “personality.” Some view subsequent sessions as the chance to ask follow up questions from a previous session. • Course instructors are often surprised at what students want to know. LOEX Encore

16. Top 5 Student Driven Outcomes: Community College LOEX Encore

17. Top 5 Student Driven Outcomes: Four Year College LOEX Encore

18. What are we doing with our data? • Shared the positive experience with other librarians. Many other librarians adopted this exercise and were thrilled with the results. • Share with stakeholders (librarians, faculty, administration, students, etc.) to support information literacy curricula • Used data to develop and assess student learning outcomes for the library’s instruction program. • Used data to set librarian/course instructor learning outcomes for a library instruction session. • Presented at LOEX! • Will be submitting as a peer-reviewed journal article LOEX Encore

19. A Couple More Things • References • Deci, E. (1995). Why We Do What We Do: The Dynamics of Personal Autonomy. New York:Putnam's Sons • Stipek, D. (1998). Motivation to Learn: From Theory to Practice. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon • For Further Discussion • Brainstorming Activity: At your table, discuss other methods for allowing student choice within the boundaries of a library instruction session, a semester-long course, or another type of learning environment. • Active Learning Exercises: During the presentation and in the other handouts, several active learning exercises are mentioned. Contact Katy and Tracey for further information, examples of the exercises, or with any questions! LOEX Encore

20. Contact Info Katy Farrell French Palomar Community College 760-744-1150 ext. 3640 kfrench@palomar.edu Tracey Mayfield California State University, Long Beach • 562-985-8877 • tmayfiel@csulb.edu LOEX Encore