There\u2019s a whole literature on what works. But it\u2019s not making its way into the classroom.<\/p>\n
“A couple of years ago, five faculty members at Harvard University published an intriguing study. They had run an experiment in an introductory undergraduate physics course to figure out why active learning, a form of teaching that has had measurable success, often dies a slow death in the classroom.<\/p>\n
The authors compared the effects of a traditional lecture with the effects of active learning, in which students solve problems in small groups. They found \u2014 to little surprise \u2014 that when students were taught in an active format they performed better on tests. Then they made another, more striking, discovery: Students felt like they were learning more when they sat through a lecture. In other words, though they were very engaged by the talk, it didn\u2019t actually help them understand physics better.<\/p>\n
…As colleges enroll students from a wider range of backgrounds, they are seeing firsthand the unintended consequences of methods such as high-stakes testing, rigid course structures, and lecture-based classes. Such traditional approaches to teaching, reformers argue, disproportionately set up students from disadvantaged backgrounds to flounder or fail. Active learning and other evidence-based practices, such as building more small assignments, or scaffolding, into the syllabus, have been shown to close those performance gaps and help all students succeed.<\/p>\n
The problems go beyond ones of equity. Research has shown that in fields like STEM, traditional teaching can be ineffective at helping students understand complex concepts and develop problem-solving skills. Struggling students often decide early on that science and engineering are not for them.<\/p>\n
…Many professors are open to using evidence-based teaching practices, notes Eyler, director of faculty development at the University of Mississippi, but would benefit from understanding the science behind them. What, for example, makes peer learning an effective technique? What do cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience tell us about how traits such as curiosity and authenticity increase a person\u2019s ability to learn?<\/p>\n
Given all these strands of research and scholarship on teaching and learning, it\u2019s not surprising that your average professor might feel intrigued yet overwhelmed. Much like trying to evaluate studies of diet, nutrition, and exercise, faculty members can struggle to determine what research is relevant for them.<\/p>\n
… Another problem hamstrings the classroom adoption of research on teaching. What feels right to students \u2014 and some professors \u2014 is not necessarily what serves them best. Active learning, as demonstrated by the Harvard study, is one such example. In their analysis, the researchers suggest that faculty members explain in advance to students why strategies such as group work will help them understand the material better, even if it sometimes feels far more difficult and less satisfying. That may increase students\u2019 willingness to try new things.<\/p>\n
…Cleary is among those professors trying to tackle that challenge with strategic interventions. Through an elective called the Science of Learning she hopes that if students read the research on memory and learning they will adopt better strategies. These desirable difficulties include strategies like testing yourself regularly on what you\u2019ve learned, rather than reading the same passage over and over with a highlighter in hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re teaching people doesn\u2019t feel good,\u201d Cleary admits. And the techniques require continual practice to be effective. \u201cIt\u2019s a horrible sales pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cleary also helps other faculty members figure out how to incorporate these strategies in their teaching. Students tend not to like, say, weekly quizzes. And professors often don\u2019t want to stop in the middle of a lecture to ask students to jot down what they\u2019ve learned so far. It makes Cleary uncomfortable, too. \u201cIt feels like I\u2019m not doing anything. I\u2019m just standing there,\u201d she says. \u201dI should be cramming more content into my lecture.\u201d<\/p>\n
…What might persuade more faculty members to dive into the research on teaching and learning? Teaching experts say that professors often act when they feel a gulf between what they\u2019re doing and what they want to achieve in the classroom. The pandemic and related social-justice movements of the last couple of years have led many to re-examine their teaching, because the effect of students\u2019 emotional states and living conditions on their ability to learn became so clear.<\/p>\n
Studies have also shown that faculty members are more likely to try evidence-based teaching practices if they feel they have supportive colleagues and departments. Faculty learning communities can be particularly helpful, teaching experts say, because instructors meet regularly over a series of months to tackle complex challenges, often by exploring the research and experimenting with small changes to their teaching.<\/p>\n