Not directly about TBL by name, but the principle is what they are talking about. No surprise to us, but nice to see the ideas are getting out there.
ABSTRACT
Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions
M. K. Smith,1* W. B. Wood,1 W. K. Adams,2 C. Wieman,2,3 J. K. Knight,1 N. Guild,1 T. T. Su1
When students answer an in-class conceptual question individually using clickers, discuss it with their neighbors, and then revote on the same question, the percentage of correct answers typically increases. This outcome could result from gains in understanding during discussion, or simply from peer influence of knowledgeable students on their neighbors. To distinguish between these alternatives in an undergraduate genetics course, we followed the above exercise with a second, similar (isomorphic) question on the same concept that students answered individually. Our results indicate that peer discussion enhances understanding, even when none of the students in a discussion group originally knows the correct answer.
1 Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
2 Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
3 Department of Physics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/323/5910/122
-M
Michael Sweet, Ph.D.
Faculty Development Specialist
Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA)
University of Texas Austin
MAI 2206 * (512) 232-1775
"Teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible." - Todd Witaker
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