The Tribalism of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Scholarly research focusing on teaching and learning has experienced extraordinary growth in the last 20 years. Although this is generally good news for the profession of teaching, a troubling form of tribalism has emerged that inhibits the advancement of teaching practice. In this essay, we trace the development of scholarly inquiry into teaching and learning and the emergence of different ''tribes'' within the movement, each with its own outlets, goals, and methods. Finally, we discuss how these tribes can bridge their differences and work together to advance teaching effectiveness.

Adapting implementation science for higher education research: the systematic study of implementing evidence-based practices in college classrooms

“…Science of learning. Within the realm of cognitive science, the Science of Learning encompasses both basic cognitive science and efficacy research, with an emphasis on the application of cognitive theory to educational settings (Daniel and Chew 2013 ; Rowland 2014 ; Science of Learning, National Science Foundation n.d.).…”

“…Despite the tremendous advances in basic and applied research in cognitive psychology, educational psychology, and the learning sciences, few evidence-based practices have been taken up by college professors into routine practice in college classrooms, while ineffective practices stubbornly remain (Chew et al 2018 ; Daniel and Chew 2013 ; Dunlosky et al 2013 ; Dunlosky and Rawson 2019 ; Halpern and Hakel 2003 ; Kirschner and van Merriënboer 2013 ; McDaniel et al 2007 ; Pashler et al 2008 ; Roediger and Pyc 2012 ; Sumeracki et al 2018 ). To help address this “research–practice gap,” the current tutorial has three aims: (1) introduce cognitive scientists (specifically those with an interest in higher education outcomes) to the interdisciplinary field of implementation science, which originated in public health and has grown quickly, (2) propose a framework to summarize the current research in cognitive science (broadly speaking) that supports evidence-based practice and integrates implementation science into existing models of basic, applied, and translational research, and (3) provide concrete suggestions for researchers on how to get started with implementation science in their own programs of research.…”

Utility value interventions: Why and how instructors should use them in college psychology courses.

“…For example, Gurung and colleagues (2010) found that students reported using application behaviors (e.g., creating quiz questions about the material) with a low frequency but reported organizational behaviors (e.g., writing down due dates) with a high frequency. Slow or minimal uptake of evidence-based practices, by instructors and students, has also been noted consistently in the scholarship of teaching and learning literature (e.g., Chew et al, 2018;Daniel & Chew, 2013;Dunlosky et al, 2013;Dunlosky & Rawson, 2019). What leads a student to engage meaningfully with course materials in a way that supports learning and achievement?…”

Implementation of the utility value intervention: An adaptation of implementation science frameworks for higher education teaching and learning research

“…Implementation of the utility value intervention 3 There are a number of targeted interventions, based on social-psychological, cognitive, and motivation theories, that have been developed for use in educational settings . Despite a history of empirical evidence from both laboratory and field studies demonstrating the effectiveness of these interventions, few of them have been implemented in college classrooms at scale (Daniel, 2012;Daniel & Chew, 2013;Dunlosky et al, 2013;Dunlosky & Rawson, 2019;Roediger, 2013;Roediger & Pyc, 2012). There are also concerns about the general replicability of these findings and it has been noted that more specific attention should be paid to the "how, where, who, and why" of how these interventions are implemented .…”