Session F2C TEACHING TEAMWORK COMMUNICATION ... - ICEE

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31st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference. F2C-1 ... 1 Julie E. Sharp, Vanderbilt University, Engineering School, Nashville, TN 37235, [email protected] ... theory in the technical communication classroom and in the.
Session F2C TEACHING TEAMWORK COMMUNICATION WITH KOLB LEARNING STYLE THEORY Julie E. Sharp1 Abstract  This work-in-progress presentation discusses rationale and techniques for using Kolb learning style theory in the technical communication classroom and in the engineering classroom to train students in teamwork skills. Specifically, the speaker presents Kolb learning style theory and offers practical suggestions for applying it with emphasis on the advantages and challenges to students and instructors. Although not an empirical study itself, the presentation describes a few pertinent preliminary results from a ten-year, on-going study of engineering students' learning styles and relates them to classroom teaching. Index Terms  Communication, Kolb Learning Style Inventory, learning styles, teamwork. Engineering educators in the last few years have increasingly explored applications of various learning style theories in the classroom. [1] The importance of working successfully in groups in engineering education has also been studied. [2]-[3] Teaching students about learning styles can enhance students' abilities to communicate in teams, whether they are writing as a team, giving oral presentations as a team, or performing experiments in the lab. Team communication also includes occasionally functioning in a leadership role. Learning styles can affect not only how our students communicate and lead but also how professors teach. This presentation discusses using Kolb learning style theory to train student teams and suggests planned exercises for students, techniques for preparing instructors to use the Kolb model, and sources for more information. The learning style theory of David Kolb has been recommended and used successfully by engineering educators. It is effective because it is manageable to learn and explain, backed by research and experience with students, and easy to use in class. Kolb's four learning styles, based on how people perceive and process information, are designated diverger, assimilator, converger, and accommodator. Divergers are oriented toward feelings and people. Their favorite question is "Why?" as in "Why should I learn this?" Assimilators are oriented toward rational, logical thinking and analysis. Their favorite question is "What?" as in "What are the facts?" Convergers are oriented toward action and practicality. Their favorite 1

question is "How?" as in "How does this work?" Accommodators are oriented toward exploration and risk taking. Their favorite question is "What if?" as in "What happens if I change this?" [4]-[6] Although this presentation itself is not an empirical study, I refer to selected preliminary results pertinent to this topic from a ten-year work-in-progress study of engineering students' learning styles. (The thorough analysis of this tenyear data is still to be completed and reported in a future paper.) Using this preliminary data, I address the following questions affecting the challenges of using Kolb theory to teach teamwork. What is the number of engineering students in each of the four Kolb learning style categories? What learning styles in engineering classes are most and least represented? How do these results affect teaching teamwork skills to engineers? How can engineering educators effectively use Kolb theory to teach teamwork skills? The data analyzed thus far indicates that engineering students fall in all four Kolb learning style categories, showing that engineering attracts all styles. The greatest number, however, are convergers and assimilators. Throughout the ten-year study, the number has switched from convergers to assimilators and back to convergers as being the slightly larger of the two groups. Accommodators have consistently been in third place and divergers last. At this writing, the 1013 engineering students currently counted in the study are 40 percent convergers, 39 percent assimilators, 13 percent accommodators, and 8 percent divergers. This information can help instructors tailor teaching strategies. For example, grouping students in small classes according to learning style for a problem-solving exercise is not feasible because of the relatively small numbers of divergers and accommodators. Some classes have no divergers at all. In addition, using learning style to form mixed teams in a lab of 30 to 40 students will result in only a few teams with members from all four categories. Most teams will consist of convergers and assimilators. Furthermore, teamwork training may be more difficult for many engineering students than for some other majors since groupwork is not a favorite method of assimilators and convergers.

Julie E. Sharp, Vanderbilt University, Engineering School, Nashville, TN 37235, [email protected]

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Session F2C Analysis of excerpts from teamwork logs kept by students in the chemical engineering laboratory illustrate that students can relate Kolb theory to their lab group interactions in a useful way to analyze group interaction problems. Methods for improving students' application of Kolb theory to teamwork skills include instructor written feedback on the logs and discussion with individual students or small groups to monitor team function. The conference presentation of this work in progress presents an overview of Kolb theory, the rationale for using the Kolb model, and the benefits and drawbacks of using Kolb. It also describes suggested lesson plans for using Kolb theory to train students in teamwork skills, giving ideas from a freshman course and from a chemical engineering laboratory. Suggestions include tips for administering the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, possible homework assignments, group activities, and general guidelines for brief lectures, such as applying Kolb theory to leadership and presentations. Recommended sources for professors include the Smith and Kolb quick-reference guide for strengths and weaknesses of mixed and matched group members. [5] Students can use Kolb learning style theory to analyze and target the audience, enhance communication strategies, and improve teamwork. Classroom experience shows that students can improve teamwork skills with Kolb theory by recognizing and capitalizing on their strengths, respecting all styles, sending messages in various ways, and analyzing style differences to resolve conflict and communicate effectively with team members.

REFERENCES [1]

Felder, R.M., "Matters of Style," ASEE PRISM, Vol. 6, No. 4, December 1996, pp. 18-23.

[2]

Brickell, J.L., D.B. Porter, M.F. Reynolds, and R.D. Cosgrove, "Assigning Students to Groups for Engineering Design Projects: A Comparison of Five Methods," Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 83, July 1994, pp. 259-262.

[3]

Hunkeler, D., and J.E. Sharp, "Assigning Functional Groups: The Influence of Group Size, Academic Record, Practical Experience, and Learning Style," Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 86, No. 4, October 1997, pp. 321-332.

[4]

Kolb, D.A., LSI Learning Style Inventory: Self-Scoring Inventory and Interpretation Booklet, McBer and Co., Boston, 1985.

[5]

Smith, D., and D.A. Kolb, User's Guide for the Learning Style Inventory, McBer and Co., Boston, 1986.

[6]

Samples, B., B. Hammond, and B. McCarthy, 4MAT and Science: Toward Wholeness in Science Education, EXCEL Inc., Barrington, IL, 1985.

0-7803-6669-7/01/$10.00 © 2001 IEEE October 10 - 13, 2001 Reno, NV 31st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference F2C-2