Nurses are taught to base their practice on evidence, i.e. current research. In the past, practice was often based on tradition - we do it this way because its always been done this way.
Is the 80:20 principle underpinned by research? I've just looked on the ERIC database, and so far I haven't found anything on the subject.
Jane commented in her email (see my first post) that the 80:20 principle is consistent with "constructive alignment," when applied to education. Maybe I'll find some research based on this term?
I keep thinking that if there isn't any research on the 80:20 approach, then how do we know that this approach is the best way to guide our students?
I'm not saying that the principle is wrong, it seems sensible to let students take more responsility for their learning, and I can see that they are most likely to learn more deeply by doing this.
It would be reassuring to have evidence to back this up, however.
Anybody else have any views on this?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Working towards putting the 80:20 rule into practice
"effective teaching and learning activities comprise 80% student activity, 20% teacher activity"
On 11th August, the Nurse Assistant students had access to the computer learning suite in A302.
They were able to take more responsibility for their own learning.
The topic we were looking at was "Respiratory conditions." They were divided into groups of three. Each group was given a respiratory condition to research, e.g. asthma, emphysema. They were asked to find information on the condition, using computer websites. They needed to research the topic under the following headings: a definition of the condition, its pathophysiology, signs & symptoms, and treatment.
They then presented this information back to the class. A couple of the groups even did powerpoint presentations. One of the groups had found an excellent animation of the lungs from "you tube," to illustrate what happens in a pneumothorax:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMRdAhPLWQ4
At the end of class, one of the students commented to me that she enjoyed learning like this.
I was intrigued by a couple of students' creativity. They had made a pair of lungs out of two empty coke bottles rubber banded together. One bottle was half filled with water, to demonstrate fluid in lungs. The other one had little balls of polystyrene, to demonstrate alveoli.
Also, because students have to present back to class, it gives them a chance to have practice at talking in front of people and presenting something. The quiet ones who don’t usually participate in class are propelled along to take part.
When the students are using the computers, they seem very focussed and to be interested in what they are doing. So far, they have researched and presented back to the class on respiratory, cardiac and nervous system conditions.
On 11th August, the Nurse Assistant students had access to the computer learning suite in A302.
They were able to take more responsibility for their own learning.
The topic we were looking at was "Respiratory conditions." They were divided into groups of three. Each group was given a respiratory condition to research, e.g. asthma, emphysema. They were asked to find information on the condition, using computer websites. They needed to research the topic under the following headings: a definition of the condition, its pathophysiology, signs & symptoms, and treatment.
They then presented this information back to the class. A couple of the groups even did powerpoint presentations. One of the groups had found an excellent animation of the lungs from "you tube," to illustrate what happens in a pneumothorax:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMRdAhPLWQ4
At the end of class, one of the students commented to me that she enjoyed learning like this.
I was intrigued by a couple of students' creativity. They had made a pair of lungs out of two empty coke bottles rubber banded together. One bottle was half filled with water, to demonstrate fluid in lungs. The other one had little balls of polystyrene, to demonstrate alveoli.
Also, because students have to present back to class, it gives them a chance to have practice at talking in front of people and presenting something. The quiet ones who don’t usually participate in class are propelled along to take part.
When the students are using the computers, they seem very focussed and to be interested in what they are doing. So far, they have researched and presented back to the class on respiratory, cardiac and nervous system conditions.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Reflections on ideas from Certificate in Tertiary Teaching course
My definition of the aim of this course is as follows:
To develop my teaching skills, especially as far as learning, teaching design and delivery is concerned.
My goals are:
The 80:20 rule
I asked Jane for help, because I couldn't find a definition of the 80:20 rule.
From: Anita Divers [mailto:Anita.Divers@manukau.ac.nz]
Sent: Sunday, 8 August 2010 12:22 a.m.
To: Jane.Terrell@manukau.ac.nz
Subject: 80:20 concept
Hi Jane,
Could you recommend some reading around the idea that teachers direct learning for 20% of time with students?
Thanks,
Anita
Hi Anita
Thanks for your question. The library staff and I spent a considerable amount of time following up on this question and came up with these meagre references:
Reference Notes for use
80/20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle The origin of the “80/20 rule”
http://www.ielts.school.nz/ideas.htm The only education-linked ref we've
been able to find for the 80:20 rule
Sue Roylance found some other articles which she sent to me – can’t locate them just now, but have copied Sue in to continue tis conversation if you wish!
And below are my own thoughts about this – before delivery of the course began..
Kind regards
Jane
“80:20 Rule” at MIT:
Origin of rule
This is a business model – see these quotes from wikipedia..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule,[1] the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.[2][3] Business management thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population; he developed the principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.[3] It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., "80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients."
80:20 and constructive alignment
Applied to education this is often taken to mean that effective teaching and learning activities comprise 80% student activity, 20% teacher activity.
This is consistent with the principles of constructive alignment as outlined in Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for Quality Learning at University (3rd ed.). Berkshire, England: Open University Press:
Learning takes place through the active behaviour of the student: it is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does (Ralph W. Tyler, 1949, in Biggs and Tang 2007).
If students are to learn desired outcomes, then the teacher’s fundamental task is to get students to engage in learning activities that are likely to result in their achieving those outcomes… what the student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does (Thomas J. Shuell, 1986, in Biggs and Tang 2007).
So, I will be working by the following definition of the 80:20 rule, as explained above by Jane.
To develop my teaching skills, especially as far as learning, teaching design and delivery is concerned.
My goals are:
- To become a competent and inspiring teacher, so students and I can enjoy the teaching process (this sounds very earnest, doesn't it?)
- To learn how to ask the students good questions, i.e. questions which encourage the best learning possible
- Reflect on lessons, change method/content if they haven't worked or could be improved
- Learn how to carry out this assessment
- To get to the bottom of this 80:20 idea
The 80:20 rule
I asked Jane for help, because I couldn't find a definition of the 80:20 rule.
From: Anita Divers [mailto:Anita.Divers@manukau.ac.nz]
Sent: Sunday, 8 August 2010 12:22 a.m.
To: Jane.Terrell@manukau.ac.nz
Subject: 80:20 concept
Hi Jane,
Could you recommend some reading around the idea that teachers direct learning for 20% of time with students?
Thanks,
Anita
Hi Anita
Thanks for your question. The library staff and I spent a considerable amount of time following up on this question and came up with these meagre references:
Reference Notes for use
80/20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle The origin of the “80/20 rule”
http://www.ielts.school.nz/ideas.htm The only education-linked ref we've
been able to find for the 80:20 rule
Sue Roylance found some other articles which she sent to me – can’t locate them just now, but have copied Sue in to continue tis conversation if you wish!
And below are my own thoughts about this – before delivery of the course began..
Kind regards
Jane
“80:20 Rule” at MIT:
Origin of rule
This is a business model – see these quotes from wikipedia..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule,[1] the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.[2][3] Business management thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population; he developed the principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.[3] It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., "80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients."
80:20 and constructive alignment
Applied to education this is often taken to mean that effective teaching and learning activities comprise 80% student activity, 20% teacher activity.
This is consistent with the principles of constructive alignment as outlined in Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for Quality Learning at University (3rd ed.). Berkshire, England: Open University Press:
Learning takes place through the active behaviour of the student: it is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does (Ralph W. Tyler, 1949, in Biggs and Tang 2007).
If students are to learn desired outcomes, then the teacher’s fundamental task is to get students to engage in learning activities that are likely to result in their achieving those outcomes… what the student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does (Thomas J. Shuell, 1986, in Biggs and Tang 2007).
So, I will be working by the following definition of the 80:20 rule, as explained above by Jane.
"effective teaching and learning activities comprise 80% student activity, 20% teacher activity"
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