Technology-enhanced active learning, or TEAL, is an alternative method of teaching that
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
pioneered. Led by Professor John Belcher, the TEAL approach showed that it was possible to challenge the passive or recitation style of teaching, common in large classes and re-enforced by lecture halls architecture. Despite having excellent math results, many first-year students had not transitioned across to the way lecturers teach and 40% of students dropped out of first year physics education at MIT. The TEAL approach set out to assist students to "visualize, develop better intuition about, and conceptual models" of scientific concepts.
A situated model for teaching with technology
The TEAL approach, alternately referred to as Studio Physics,
eschewed the traditional university lecture, which encouraged passivity. Using a collaborative active learning approach, students would sit in groups of nine around 13 tables, where they were expected to complete problem-solving activities, refer to laptop computers and then project their own solutions on a screen and compare the results with their peers.
History behind TEAL
The TEAL alternative was based on a pedagogical model that was instituted at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...
by
Jack Wilson in 1994. Since the TEAL approach had a robust assessment component, the implementors were able to understand the students perspective on the learning environment. Class attendance was a key component of the course, and students had to see this as a profitable use of their time.
Current Use and Future Directions
In 2014 TEAL+x, emerged, a combination between the TEAL format with MITx. The TEAL approach is currently in use at the
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...
,
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
,
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...
,
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, and the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
. The biggest lesson from this model is that robust assessment effort need to accompany educational innovations right from the start, and that all academics need to be inducted into the methodology. Studies have shown that TEAL significantly improves student learning outcomes. For instance, assessments comparing TEAL students to those in traditional lecture-based course revealed that TEAL students achieved approximately twice the average normalized learning gains across various academic levels. Additionally, failure rates dropped from about 13% in traditional formats to less thatn 5% in TEAL classes.
See also
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Active learning
Active learning is "a method of learning in which students are actively or experientially involved in the learning process and where there are different levels of active learning, depending on student involvement." states that "students particip ...
*
CDIO Initiative
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SCALE-UP
SCALE-UP, Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-Down Pedagogies, is a classroom specifically created to facilitate active, collaborative learning in a classroom. The spaces are carefully designed to facilitate interactions betwe ...
References
Teaching
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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