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WHAT EXPERT TEACHERS DO: SYNTHESISING (CH. 8)
Synthesis is the process of putting all the component parts of a larger concept together to create an intelligible whole, much like assembling a puzzle pieces together. Â In bringing the component parts together, the student creates a new idea and extends his or her knowledge. Â
Teaching procedures that Loughran suggests to encourage synthesizing that we have explored already in CURR 303 include the jigsaw groupwork method, and the postbox procedure. Â Procedures presented in this chapter that are of particular interest to me and that I would like to try to incorporate into my future teaching practice include: learning from discussion, and design and create a learning artifact.
In the learning from discussion procedure, students keep a running list of issues raised during a class discussion and then analyze that data to form conclusions. Â They can also keep a list of questions that they feel were not addressed by the discussion that they think are important to reaching a logical conclusion.
In my past teaching experience I have had some success with class discussions, but, as Loughran mentions, I have worried that the students have not linked those discussions with learning. Â The learning from discussion procedure provides a simple way to consolidate students learning after a class discussion, as well as encourage synthesizing, and is something I am eager to try with my future students.
In the design and create a learning artifact procedure, students are tasked with creating their own representation of their learning as a summative unit assessment (similar to this blog!). Â Students are then asked to present and defend their artifact to a small group of peers. This learning procedure interests me because not only does it promote synthesizing of information, but it also aligns with the practice of offering students choice in how they demonstrate their learning.
