| Dr. Edward Desmarais | Management
Department School of Business |
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Courses
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| Teaching Philosophy and Methods |
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"all learning is contextual in at least three senses: new knowledge is acquired by extending and revising prior knowledge; new ideas acquire meaning when they are presented in a coherent relationship to one another; and knowledge becomes usable when it is acquired in situations that entail applications to concrete problem-solving." The learning process is a joint responsibility between the instructor and each student; the instructor and the teams; and between the members of each team. The instructor is responsible for providing and facilitating an environment in which each student can learn. These methods include discussion, lectures, exercises and opportunities to apply the concepts to real situations. "A skilled teacher recognizes that all significant learning can only come from creative efforts of the learner. That's another way of saying learning is personal. You cannot learn from anybody.... Essentially the student must be the one to raise the significant problem for you to help him find the answer." And as Emerson wrote in his journal, a wise person "must feel and teach that the best wisdom cannot be communicated [but] must be acquired by every soul for itself.1" Therefore, each student is accountable and responsible for his or her learning and the instructor is responsible for being the guide or coach. This also means that learning is fundamentally different from memorization and rote application. Given the contextual nature of learning, I use discussion and application as the primary methods of instruction. I believe that student learning includes the course's academic concepts, how to ask informed questions and make decisions, drawing conclusions and making recommendations, and how to interact with other business professionals. The case method of instruction (primarily in class discussion) and application work best to meet these objectives. The following quotes explain this approach. "Business people must be able to meet in action the problems arising out of new situations of an ever-changing environment. Education, accordingly, would consist of acquiring facility to act in the presence of new experience. It asks not how a man may be trained to know, but how a man be trained to act."2 "The case method of business training is deemed the best preparation for business life, because the discussion of questions .... consists in discerning the essential elements in a situation and applying to them the principles of organization and trade. His most important work consists of solving problems and for this he must have the faculty of rapid analysis and synthesis." "One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning."3 From these perspectives, I use case discussion (nearly every class) and application (case analyses, presentations, and projects) as the two principal methods for guiding learners through the material. I believe that all of us are learners and teachers simultaneously. The extent of our learning and what we learn depends on our willingness to engage the material, know ourselves, listen to others, pose questions to others and ourselves, and to risk failure by trying. Through these behaviors, we examine our lives and come to a better understanding of who we are, the roles we want to play, and the contributions we want to make to our families, friends, community and society. To paraphrase Socrates, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Continued personal growth relies on a lifelong pursuit of learning. Levels of Learning Goals With this as a foundation, we should understand that there are levels of learning. These levels correspond with the determination, dedication, commitment and goals you set for your own learning. The following are one approach at an outline of the levels of learning goals we each set. "Goals in education are not hapharzardly piled up on top of each other with no particular order or sequence. Learning is a developmental process which becomes more complex at it grows, and builds on what has already been learned. Learning goals should reflect this development." Please note that these levels deal with acquiring mastery over a period of time. In some instances the period is one course, and in other instances, the period applies to your complete academic program. The following (Bloom's Taxonomy4) is one set of guidelines for the learning goals that apply to college level material and coursework. Each student should work beyond basic comprehension and strive towards more advanced degrees of uderstanding that inlcude application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The performance measurement criteria listed for each course reflects the incorporation of the following guidelines. Level 1: Knowledge Knowledge is reflected in a student's ability to perceive or remember facts or information. Behaviorally, knowledge is manifested when the student is able to label, recognize, list or recall material. For example, the first step in learning to read is the ability to recognize letters. Typical verbs used when testing knowledge include: define, repeat, record, list, recall, name, relate, underline, recognize, identify. Level 2: Comprehension Comprehension is a higher form of learning than knowledge because it requires not only that a student memorize but also understand information. Understanding is seen in behaviors in which the student is able to summarize, paraphrase, restate, explain, interpret, illustrate, demonstrate, or convert information he has learned. The short essay question is the typical testing method for this level of learning. Typical verbs used when testing comprehension include: translate, restate, discuss, describe, articulate, explain, express, interpret, locate, report, review, tell. Level 3: Application When the student is able to use information and concepts in new situations about which he has not been specifically taught he has reached the application level. It is reflected in behavior of modifying, using, relating, applying, changing or extending information or principles in new circumstances. Essay questions can be used to elicit application learning. Application can also be exhibited in a whole array of simulated or real-life situations. Typical verbs found in measuring application level learning include: implement, apply, employ, use, demonstrate, dramatize, practice, illustrate, operate, schedule, sketch. Level 4: Analysis Analysis rests on the student's understanding of the organization or structure of the material he has learned. He is able not only to relate to individual facts as required by level two comprehension, but because he understands the organization of the material, he is able to distinguish between elements that are important and those that are irrelevant, between facts and inferences. He is able to pick out key ideas and distinguish them from perhaps interesting but less central concepts. Analysis is reflected behaviorally in the student's ability to distinguish, differentiate, discriminate, describe differences between, select parts of, divide, diagram, outline material, appraise, calculate, experiment, test, contrast, compare, criticize, inspect, debate, inventory, question, solve, categorize, or examine. Level 5: Synthesis Synthesis requires that the student understand the organization of the material (level 4) and to then produce or create organization of a myriad of discrete elements or facts. Any production in which the student creates a new concept, theory, a new composition or work which is different from anything he has been explicitly taught. It reflects not simply his ability to understand, apply, and analyze the work or thought of others but actually to create he own individual contribution. It is reflected in behaviors of organizing, designing, arranging, classifying, planning, combining, composing, putting together, relating, formulating, managing, or proposing. Level 6: Evaluation Evaluation is the process in which the student is able to judge the logic, usefulness, validity, or accuracy of concepts, policies, construction, or arguments. Criteria for measuring evaluation level learning include the verbs: judge, appraise, evaluate, rate, compare, value, revise, score, select, choose, recommend, assess, estimate, measure, or forecast.
1. Richard F. Elmore in Education for Judgment: The Artistry of Discussion Leadership. 1991. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, MA. (p.xiv) 2. Louis B. Barnes, C. Roland Christensen, and Abby J. Hansen in Teaching and the Case Method. 1994. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, MA.(p. 38) 3. James Russell Lowell, Shakespeare Once More, Among My Books, Fields, Osgood and Co. Boston. 1870. 4. Herman, T.M. 1977. Creating learning environments. Ally |
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Dr.
Edward Desmarais
352 Lafayette Street |
Phone:
(978)542-7304 Central Campus Room 230 edward.desmarais@salemstate.edu edesmarais@comcast.net |