Do you practice what you preach?: A look at whether instructors model the process they value most
Session Type
Poster
Room
The Great Hall, Somerville House (room 3326)
Start Date
17-7-2025 4:00 PM
End Date
17-7-2025 6:00 PM
Keywords
Student-Cenetered Teahcing, Evidence-Based Instructional Practices (EBIPs), Teacher Discourse Moves (TDMs), Affective Outcomes
Primary Threads
Teaching and Learning Science
Abstract
Efforts to reform undergraduate STEM education emphasize evidence-based instructional practices such as student-centered teaching, which shifts the focus from instructors to students by engaging in one-on-one, group, and whole-class discussions (Lund & Stains, 2015). These interactions enhance learning by encouraging students to construct knowledge collaboratively (O’Connor et al., 2015). The quality of these interactions can be assessed by examining teacher discourse moves (TDMs)—verbal strategies that guide student understanding of course content (Kranzfelder et al., 2019). Teacher discourse moves can be authoritative, where the instructor's ideas take precedence, or dialogic, which allows students to develop their own perspectives (Kranzfelder et al., 2020). Despite the value placed on dialogic teacher discourse moves, many instructors still rely on authoritative teacher discourse moves to facilitate student-centered activities (Kranzfelder et al., 2020). Additionally, the role of affective outcomes in shaping how students engage with teacher discourse moves remains underexplored.
This mixed-methods observational study explores: What does instructor discourse look like in an introductory biology course? And how do students experience these discourse moves? We analyzed discourse from a diverse group of instructors using the Classroom Discourse Observation Protocol (CDOP; Kranzfelder et al., 2019) and the Follow-up Discourse Observation Protocol (FUDOP; Cen et al., 2024). To complement these data, we conducted student focus groups to understand how students perceive and experience these teacher discourse moves.
Our findings offer a nuanced understanding of instructor discourse and its impact on students. These insights will inform professional development initiatives designed to enhance teaching practices in undergraduate biology and provide a foundation for future research on effective classroom practices.
This study was reviewed and approved by the UBC Behavioural Research Ethics Board (H19-02391).
Elements of Engagement
To engage audiences, this poster will include two interactive sections where participants can place a dot sticker on a continuum from teacher-centered to student-centered to indicate how knowledge is shared or generated in their own teaching/ learning contexts. Participants will also be able to briefly write and place a sticky note on the poster about their intentions in employing certain teacher discourse moves in their classrooms.
Do you practice what you preach?: A look at whether instructors model the process they value most
The Great Hall, Somerville House (room 3326)
Efforts to reform undergraduate STEM education emphasize evidence-based instructional practices such as student-centered teaching, which shifts the focus from instructors to students by engaging in one-on-one, group, and whole-class discussions (Lund & Stains, 2015). These interactions enhance learning by encouraging students to construct knowledge collaboratively (O’Connor et al., 2015). The quality of these interactions can be assessed by examining teacher discourse moves (TDMs)—verbal strategies that guide student understanding of course content (Kranzfelder et al., 2019). Teacher discourse moves can be authoritative, where the instructor's ideas take precedence, or dialogic, which allows students to develop their own perspectives (Kranzfelder et al., 2020). Despite the value placed on dialogic teacher discourse moves, many instructors still rely on authoritative teacher discourse moves to facilitate student-centered activities (Kranzfelder et al., 2020). Additionally, the role of affective outcomes in shaping how students engage with teacher discourse moves remains underexplored.
This mixed-methods observational study explores: What does instructor discourse look like in an introductory biology course? And how do students experience these discourse moves? We analyzed discourse from a diverse group of instructors using the Classroom Discourse Observation Protocol (CDOP; Kranzfelder et al., 2019) and the Follow-up Discourse Observation Protocol (FUDOP; Cen et al., 2024). To complement these data, we conducted student focus groups to understand how students perceive and experience these teacher discourse moves.
Our findings offer a nuanced understanding of instructor discourse and its impact on students. These insights will inform professional development initiatives designed to enhance teaching practices in undergraduate biology and provide a foundation for future research on effective classroom practices.
This study was reviewed and approved by the UBC Behavioural Research Ethics Board (H19-02391).