Learning Team Coaching
Imke Buß; Jutta Rump; Janina Kaiser; Melanie Schiedhelm; Petra Schorat-Waly
a) Description of the method (abbreviated presentation)
Learning Team Coaching is a teaching/learning format that can be combined with guided and autonomous self-study. The focus is not on the transmission of knowledge by the teacher, but on guidance in the acquisition of learning content by providing well-prepared materials as well as feedback on the learning process. The format can completely or partially replace face-to-face events such as lectures.
What is it good for?
Learning team coaching supports independent learning. Experience shows that self-learning accompanied by coaching can lead to the best study results. Success depends largely on the preparation and attitude of faculty and students for the new role of coach or self-learner. In addition, group size and frequency of coaching meetings are critical to success.
Procedure
The learning team coaching consists of three recurring phases that repeat every 2-3 weeks:
1stphase: individual self-learning (individual work)
The students work on the content independently, solve exercises, clarify what is understood and not understood, and formulate questions. The role of the teacher here is to provide reading notes, comprehension questions as well as integrated exercises.
2ndphase: self-organized learning in a team
The work in the learning team serves the students to discuss the text and the tasks together with fellow students. In this phase the students should bring in questions, discuss the content (critically), support and query each other.
3rdphase: accompanied learning in the team with the professor
In this phase there is a joint meeting between the learning team and the professor. Here, what has been learned is to be deepened and consolidated and there is the opportunity to discuss open questions and close gaps in understanding. Coaching in this context means the support of the professor for the learning process and the development of knowledge and skills. The lecturer moderates the session, clarifies questions, contributes supplements and discusses individual learning issues.
Through the various passes of the three phases, students should reflect on the content from phase to phase as well as analyze and discuss improvements in learning strategy, meeting preparation, and group collaboration.
Group size and time required
With a group of 40 students and a teaching time of 2 SWS (total attendance time 18 hours), the lecturer can coach 10 teams of approx. 4 persons during 30 minutes in a three-week cycle. Interim face-to-face sessions may be useful to discuss complex issues with the entire group.
Room equipment
No special requirements. Ideally, group workstations should be available to the groups or a seminar room should be booked to provide a space for the group meetings.
Materials
The instructor will provide students with understandable learning texts, reading notes, and integrated exercises.
b) How does learning team coaching promote/challenge the following diversity dimensions?
Prior professional experience & Prior knowledge
Prior experience and prior knowledge can be queried in advance. Their consideration can result in an adapted group formation for the second phase. Through the acquisition of knowledge in individual work and in teams, an individual learning speed is possible, which accommodates different levels of prior knowledge. Especially with interdisciplinary questions, different prior knowledge is advantageous and helps the discussion in the team. Very large differences in the level of professional and social skills within a team can be problematic. In such cases, success depends to a large extent on the coaching provided by the teachers.
Core competence independent work & Learning
Independent work is demanded and promoted most strongly in the self-learning phase and to some extent also in the team learning phase, since the independent organization of one's own knowledge acquisition is in the foreground here. Learning objectives and required activities must be transparent so that students can plan their learning process. In the third phase, teachers can monitor students' understanding and competence gain by asking appropriate questions.
Study motivation
The self-learning phase in particular demands self-motivation and independent work. The format encourages and challenges students' ability to motivate themselves and later the team to complete a task. Feedback should be given in the third phase. In order to address intrinsic motivation, it is helpful to allow students to shape the learning content according to their own interest and pace and to additionally deepen and focus it.
Academic & social integration
Student integration is greatly enhanced by learning team coaching. Social integration is fostered by working as a team (peer-to-peer). Exchanges and feedback with the instructor are encouraged during the coaching phase. If necessary, it makes sense to support the group formation process as a teacher in order to reduce social exclusion processes.
Time & local restrictions
The time and local restrictions are less than in weekly face-to-face courses. In the self-study phase, students can organize themselves independently; in the group phase, suitable appointments can be made with the group members. It can be challenging to coordinate the different time requirements of the students. Overall, regular self-study is necessary. Through online communication (telephone conference, chat, virtual classroom, document discussion), the group phases can alternatively be organized independent of location.
Literature
Fleischmann, P.; Geupel, H. (2003): Learning team coaching. Office of the Study Commission for Higher Education Didactics at Universities of Applied Sciences in Baden-Württemberg. Nürtingen. Available online at www.hochschuldidaktik.net/documents_public/
5._TdL_2003_-_Procedure_94.pdf, last checked 19.05.2016.
Grundert, C. (2014): Planning and designing guided independent study. In: Research Project "Open University Upper Bavaria".
Pfäffli, B. (2005): Teaching at universities. A university didactics for building knowledge and competencies. Bern, Stuttgart, Vienna: Haupt Verlag.
Citation
Buß, Imke; Rump, Jutta; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra (2017): Learning team coaching. In: Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra: Toolbox for good teaching in a diverse student body. Working Papers of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, No. 6. www. hwg-lu.de/arbeitspapiere
Use according to Creative Commons under attribution (please use given citation) and for non-commercial purposes.