Example Choice
Encyclopedia
Example choice is a teaching method
that has been developed and explored at the University of Bergen
. The main objective is to make mathematics and science teaching
more interesting and relevant to the daily life of students. One study by Perkins, Gratny, Adams, Finkelstein, and Wieman found that interest in physics declined during a semester-long introductory calculus-based mechanics course. Whereas 19% of the students reported increased interest in physics, 45% reported that their interest in physics decreased. When interest increased, the leading reason was that students reported to see a connection between physics and the real world. Example choice aims to highlight the connection between formal principles and their relevance for everyday life in order to make school instruction a relevant experience for the child, as already John Dewey called for in his book "School and Society". For him, connecting instructional content to everyday life was the only legitimate way to make things interesting, as noted in his essay "Interest and Effort".
In traditional teaching, formal principles (laws, formula, problem solving procedures) in mathematics and science are often taught abstractly and then illustrated by an example. In example choice, by contrast, students are given multiple example tasks that all can be solved using the formal principle. The examples pertain to different topics, and each student is instructed to choose the most interesting example. This example is used to explain the formal principle.
For example, when teaching the joint probability of two independent events, teachers often explain the abstract procedure (p1 * p2) first and illustrate this procedure with an example (e.g., throwing a dice twice). In example choice, by contrast, teachers first collect or construct examples from topics that are of potential interest to high school students, such as contracting hereditary diseases, contraception
, or winning in a two-step lottery to meet one's favorite artist. After the students selected the example that interests them most, they are given a problem related to the chosen example that they have to try to solve. After the solution attempt, the principle behind the joint probability of two independent events will be explained, using the chosen example. Teachers may then use the other examples in order to deepen the understanding of joint probabilities, for example by using worked examples
.
A study observed that example choice increased interest in learning an abstract principle, and participants in the study invested more time to learn.
Example choice is difficult to use in traditional teaching because teachers often do not know the interests of their students. Even if they know these interests, a teacher would need much time and effort to find examples. With new technologies, teachers and students can help build a database of examples that users can retrieve when the formal principle has to be learned.
A pilot version of a database of examples, ExampleWiki, has been built to implement the principles of example choice.
Teaching method
A teaching method comprises the principles and methods used for instruction. Commonly used teaching methods may include class participation, demonstration, recitation, memorization, or combinations of these...
that has been developed and explored at the University of Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
. The main objective is to make mathematics and science teaching
Science education
Science education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises...
more interesting and relevant to the daily life of students. One study by Perkins, Gratny, Adams, Finkelstein, and Wieman found that interest in physics declined during a semester-long introductory calculus-based mechanics course. Whereas 19% of the students reported increased interest in physics, 45% reported that their interest in physics decreased. When interest increased, the leading reason was that students reported to see a connection between physics and the real world. Example choice aims to highlight the connection between formal principles and their relevance for everyday life in order to make school instruction a relevant experience for the child, as already John Dewey called for in his book "School and Society". For him, connecting instructional content to everyday life was the only legitimate way to make things interesting, as noted in his essay "Interest and Effort".
In traditional teaching, formal principles (laws, formula, problem solving procedures) in mathematics and science are often taught abstractly and then illustrated by an example. In example choice, by contrast, students are given multiple example tasks that all can be solved using the formal principle. The examples pertain to different topics, and each student is instructed to choose the most interesting example. This example is used to explain the formal principle.
For example, when teaching the joint probability of two independent events, teachers often explain the abstract procedure (p1 * p2) first and illustrate this procedure with an example (e.g., throwing a dice twice). In example choice, by contrast, teachers first collect or construct examples from topics that are of potential interest to high school students, such as contracting hereditary diseases, contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
, or winning in a two-step lottery to meet one's favorite artist. After the students selected the example that interests them most, they are given a problem related to the chosen example that they have to try to solve. After the solution attempt, the principle behind the joint probability of two independent events will be explained, using the chosen example. Teachers may then use the other examples in order to deepen the understanding of joint probabilities, for example by using worked examples
Worked-example effect
The worked-example effect is a learning effect predicted by cognitive load theory . According to Sweller: "The worked example effect is the best known and most widely studied of the cognitive load effects"The worked-example effect is a learning effect predicted by cognitive load theory (Sweller,...
.
A study observed that example choice increased interest in learning an abstract principle, and participants in the study invested more time to learn.
Example choice is difficult to use in traditional teaching because teachers often do not know the interests of their students. Even if they know these interests, a teacher would need much time and effort to find examples. With new technologies, teachers and students can help build a database of examples that users can retrieve when the formal principle has to be learned.
A pilot version of a database of examples, ExampleWiki, has been built to implement the principles of example choice.