| U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Volume IX, Number 2 |
March
2004 |
| U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Volume IX, Number 2 |
March
2004 |
David DeJong, EconomicsActive application of new concepts is particularly valuable in helping students identify subtle aspects of the concepts that too easily pass as unappreciated or unrecognized when presented exclusively in lecture format.
My teaching objectives are centered on the goal of equipping students with a set of tools useful for conducting policy analysis; the tools involve the formal analysis of mathematical models of the macroeconomy. Through the early stages of my teaching experience, I learned the hard way that lectures don’t always work well for understanding. My “straight-lecture” format wasn’t a particularly effective means of achieving the student understanding necessary for this goal. In particular, although students would walk out of my lectures thinking they had a grasp of the concepts I had presented, when it came time for them to put the concepts into practice in various policy analyses, they often found themselves incapable of doing so. In response, I now routinely interrupt my lectures with small-group, interactive sessions in which students are challenged to collaboratively apply newly introduced concepts in problem-solving exercises. Students thereby process information presented in class and re-present it in another context. This shift from the passive absorption of facts and figures to the active application of new concepts and theories is particularly valuable in helping students identify subtle aspects of the concepts that too easily pass as unappreciated or unrecognized when presented exclusively in lecture format. The active learning aspects of these small-group sessions adds depth and breadth to students’ learning. By struggling with their peers in the active application of new concepts; by being prompted to explain the “why” behind the steps taken in the application process; by being pushed away from a relatively comfortable note-taking mode towards a more challenging presentation or note-giving mode, the learning process is enhanced. At least, that’s been my experience; considering the principles presented in this article from Change magazine, I see I’m not alone. | ||||
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