PHYS245 Electricity and Electronics Syllabus - Classes - Assignments - Laboratory - Resources Teaching Philosophy

14 Useful Findings from Research on Higher Learning

1. Active learning is more effective than passive learning.
2. Learning can take place through several channels; the more channels engaged in learning, the better.
3. Focused attention is necessary but not sufficient for learning.
4. Unlearning what is already known is often more difficult than learning new information.
5. To be remembered, new information must be meaningfully connected to prior knowledge, and it must be remembered in order to be learned.
6. New information organized in personally meaningful ways is more likely to be retained, learned, and used.
7. The ways in which learners are assessed and evaluated affect the ways they approach learning.
8. Mastering a skill or body of knowledge takes great amounts of time and practice.
9. Prior knowledge and experience generally make more difference than intellectual ability in learning success.
10. Differences in intellectual ability usually make more difference in "speed" than in "power" of learning.
11. High expectations encourage high achievement.
12. To be most effective, teachers must balance levels of intellectual challenge and instructional support.
13. Motivation to learn is alterable; it can be affected by the task, the learning environment, the teacher, and the learner.
14. Interaction among teachers and learners is one of the most powerful factors in promoting learning.

From Angelo, Thomas A. "A Teacher's Dozen: Fourteen General, Research-based Principles for Improving Higher Learning in Our Classrooms." AAHE Bulletin, 45(8), April 1993, pp. 3-7 & 13.