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Saam, Sigler to research teaching methods as Mack Fellows
January 6, 2005 | |||||
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KOKOMO, Ind.—Indiana University's Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning has named IU Kokomo faculty members Ellen Sigler, Ed.D., and Julie Saam, Ph.D. as 2005–2006 Mack Fellows. The center has presented each a $1,000 stipend to support their joint research this spring. Saam is an assistant professor of science education, and Sigler is an assistant professor of educational psychology; both teach in the Kokomo campus' Division of Education. They will research the potential benefits and limitations of constructivist teaching and learning, a line of inquiry that Sigler said they “have been following for a long time.” In constructivist, or “discovery,” learning, students discover knowledge through activities such as experiments or interactive sessions, Sigler said. “They 'construct' their own meaning. In expository teaching, more commonly called 'lecture', the teacher is the holder of knowledge and presents the knowledge to the students. For example, when teaching the judicial system with an expository strategy, the teacher would explain to the students how the judicial system operates. In a constructivist classroom, the teacher would allow the students the opportunity to discover the operations of the judicial system by conducting a mock trial.” Proponents of constructivist learning maintain that it “promotes more meaningful learning,” Sigler said. However, “its critics feel that students might not be able to regulate their learning as well in this format, as they do in a more structured lecture environment.” Sigler and Saam will attempt to evaluate the research subjects' “metacognition,” that is, their ability to monitor, regulate, and control their own learning processes within the two formats. Educational psychology students at IU Kokomo will be team taught by Saam and Sigler using both the constructivist and expository strategies. IU Kokomo students will then take an exam covering the material taught and judge their own learning of the material. The pair will present a poster of their work at the 2005 IU Faculty Colloquium for Excellence in Teaching (FACET) Retreat in May. Saam said being named Mack Fellows allows Sigler and her “to join together with professors in FACET, to receive mentoring, gain expert assistance, and promote scholarly partnerships with our colleagues from all across IU.” Margo Sorgman, Ed.D., professor of education at Indiana University Kokomo, was appointed a Charter Fellow of the Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning when it opened in 2002.
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