Creating Independent Learners

These slides accompanied a mini-workshop that I co-ran at Northern Arizona University's Fall 2014 Tutor Training with Ellie Kennedy.

1. Claim If I were to teach you all known information, it wouldn’t last the year.
2. Question How does a person learn something new?
3. Question What do you reasonably expect you will remember from your courses in 20 years?
4. Question What is the value of making mistakes in the learning process?
5. Claim “Any creative endeavor is built on the ash heap of failure.” – Michael Starbird
6. Activity Scenario A student walks in, sits down, and raises his/her hand. When you visit the student, he/she indicates that they have no idea how to start any of their homework. Task Discuss some strategies for dealing with this student. What are some things not to do?
7. Activity Response “Take a guess. How can you check to see if you might have guessed right?” Task Discuss some scenarios under which this would be an appropriate response.
8. Activity Response “Why? I’m sure you are right, I just don’t see it.” Task Discuss some scenarios under which this would be an appropriate response.
9. Activity Response “What would a harder problem be?” Task Discuss some scenarios under which this would be an appropriate response.
10. Activity Response “You and Sarah over there are working on the same problem and Sarah has a good start. Sarah will you please share what you have done so far with Matt?” Task Discuss some scenarios under which this would be an appropriate response.
11. Activity Response “Whats a way to be systematic in exploring this?” Task Discuss some scenarios under which this would be an appropriate response.