Pedagogical Practice: The Basics
Of Construction Higher Ed
Overview
The broader landscape of teaching and learning continues to evolve; and graduate-level (or professionally oriented) programs have been an important part of that evolution. The combination of market driven demands for skills and knowledge coupled with emerging best-practices in teaching and learning for adults makes this an exciting time to be a part of the faculty at Columbia University and the School of Professional Studies (“SPS”).
Students at SPS and the Construction Administration (“CNAD”) program tend to be pursuing graduate level education in order to continue developing in their career fields and/or to change into a new one. The common goal is professional relevance, engaging in a community of practice, and the development of capabilities that are applicable in a variety of institutions and work situations — including entrepreneurial ones.
With this in mind, my teaching objectives are to promote a nuanced learning that is applicable, adaptive, and life-long. It reflects an interdisciplinary approach (both theoretical and applied) to a discrete series of fields in the built-environment; specifically, project management, operations, real estate economics, and comparative policy analysis in the context of construction, and it’s adjacencies of urban planning and real estate development.
Stakeholder Centered
Effective teaching comes from understanding our students — not just their goals and hopes but also their knowledge bases and backgrounds. The design, development, and delivery of a course should be informed, attuned, and calibrated (in situ, if needed) to these particular settings. I view the classroom as a dynamic system; a collaborative interchange and learning experience that should be co-authored by all participants. In this regard I try to ensure that the classroom is a safe place where everyone is treated with respect. The material and the character of the interactions should sustain and promote a sense of access and inclusion. The content and energy should be inspired and compelling, not offensive or exclusive. And, implicit bias(es), often the most challenging elements to recognize and manage, are kept front of mind and addressed.
Lastly, students engage in a broader eco-system of structured and casual learning. The stakeholder group extends beyond just our faculty and alumni, and includes our visiting guest lecturers and the events, conferences, and work-related meeting that they attend. As a teacher, I try to incorporate the greater information environment by drawing attention to the broader communities of practice, learning events, and modalities (trade-press, on-line offerings, etc).
Collectively, this eco-system can be a powerful agent that reinforces and informs how our students digest and incorporate lesson insights.
Teaching Style and Approach
My teaching style engages students with different modes of instruction by incorporating active learning styles. I try to provide a method of delivery that responds to kinesthetic learning in order to illuminate and reinforce traditional lecture content. Kinesthetic learners prefer hands-on experiential learning.
A 2013 Cal Poly study examined preferences of students in architecture, engineering, and construction management (90% of our student’s come from these educational backgrounds) and compared their preferred delivery methods against the VARK model (visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic). There was a strong preference in all three communities of practice towards kinesthetic methods, which suggests a small mis-match to traditional, lecture-only based instruction.
In general, this is not all that surprising. We tend to remember our level of involvement. Therefore, I rely on the Edgar Dale’s cone of learning as a first order framework that informs how I structure and delivery my courses.
Whether in a physical or virtual classroom, I use the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to promote fundamental and applied knowledge. By offering students multiple means to represent, express and engage with their coursework, my classes are more interactive and effective for everyone.
Like all inter-disciplinary courses, the Construction Administration program provides its own unique pedagogical challenges. For a student body comprised of diverse disciplines (architecture, engineering, finance, law, and project management), some of the most effective learning objectives are those that aim to inform and reveal the linkages of the subjects and fields being discussed as it introduces new information while laying bare insight that draw on students existing knowledge bases.
In the classroom, I reveal the links between theory, policy and practice and illustrate examples through case studies and real-world experience. I stress applied theory, critical thinking, and practical understanding. To cultivate collaborative and critical analysis skills, I assign spontaneous writing prompts and discussions. Students have five minutes to relate concepts covered in the course through words, frameworks, or flows; the latter being atypical, but effective pedagogy. A balance of theory, frameworks and case studies drive my process and method of instruction. Exposing how the different theories, means/methods, and subjects related to each other can activate a deeper a more nuanced understanding of the subject matter and highlight the critical vector between concept and theory formation, and just as important — practice.
I find that using a blended learning approach in delivering my classes allows for the most effective and engaging learning experience and exchange of ideas and information. I rely on the following guiding structure and flow:
- communicate the lesson, display the information, explain the concepts and connections
- engage and educate by promoting interaction and discussions through questions
- storify the information, tie the lesson concepts in narrative structure in order to activate the limbic part of the brain (the emotional center)
- invoke experiential learning by gamifying the lesson in order to crystalize the learning objective
At the class session, or tactical, level, I usually break up the 2–3 hour lecture into a three-part lesson. I rely heavily on black/white-board writing during the class to process map the discussion. An adaptation on the Japanese Bansho technique for teaching maths (see scholarly article by Akihiko Takahashi from De Paul University). Japanese structured problem solving was built on the firm foundation of emphasizing story problems in mathematics teaching and learning.
In Japan, teachers appear to take a less active role, allowing their students to invent their own procedures for solving problems. And those problems are quite demanding, both procedurally and conceptually. Teacher[s], however, carefully design and orchestrate lessons so that students…use procedures that have been developed recently in class. An appropriate motto for Japanese teaching would be “structured problem solving” (J. Stigler & Hielbert, 1999, p. 27)
The method allows us to keep a record of the lesson, show connections and progression, contrast and discuss ideas or solutions, and organize thinking and idea development. It is an effective method for querying and stimulating thought through teacher coordinated sharing, analysis, and discussion — and ultimately, summarizing key ideas from the lesson.
Three stages:
- Revisit prior knowledge problem and ideas from previous lessons and how they related to the learning goals
- Introduce new concepts and ideas, storify the problem sets and engage students to solve or discuss the problem individually and in teams
- Consolidation of concepts, theories, ideas and experiences: (i) consolidation and summarization of class discussion and student analysis, (ii) highlight and summarize strategies and goals, (iii) practice solving or discussing similar problem and practice with new ideas. The added benefit of this last point is to develop effective communication
Put together, I believe that my general approach and style coupled with a measure of structured and unstructured methods of delivery promotes the sort of nuanced learning I discuss above. A set of techniques, concepts, and practices that build on each other. A comprehensive exploration of varied knowledge domains and bodies of work that are inter-linked and reinforce theoretical and practical value.
Ultimately, my goal is to leave our students inspired, connected, and help them develop a deeper level of understanding and consolidation of material for higher-order thinking skills of analysis, evaluation, synthesis, and communication. And, most importantly, a sense of confidence and empowerment that come from a sense of community, discussion, respect, and development of personal knowledge and capabilities.
