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Thought Question—Discussion Technique in Teaching Introductory Poultry Husbandry
Thought Question—Discussion Technique in Teaching Introductory Poultry Husbandry EDMUND HOFFMANN AND ROBERT S. WHEELER
Poultry Department, University of Georgia, Athens (Received for publication October 25, 1948)
HE introductory course in poultry husbandry at the University of Georgia is required of all freshman students in the College of Agriculture. It is an intensive course which meets five days a week f oreleven weeks (one quarter). Since this is the first and last poultry course that many students will take, it must be primarily a survey of poultry production; and, since most of the students have not had much background in biology, this course must also present sufficient information in poultry biology to give the student an insight into the fowl as a living organism. The objective of this course, then, is to develop some of the most important aspects of poultry culture together with some of the fundamental biological principles which are necessary in order to understand the reasoning behind recommended poultry practices.
In the past the traditional approach to this problem has been used. A group of 75 to 150 students met four days a week for lectures and the group was divided into classes of 30 students for one twohour laboratory per week. For some time, however, it had been realized that a prosaic presentation of facts for memorization, whether by textbook or lecture, is decidedly unpalatable to freshmen in agriculture, most of whom
consider the chicken somewhat beneath their dignity. In the fall of 1946, a careful reexamination of the objectives of this course was made which resulted in a general reorganization of content as well as method of presentation. To a considerable degree, the changes followed the program developed at the Ohio State University in the departments of Zoology and Botany. The revision included three major changes: (1) class size was limited to 30 students; (2) conventional laboratory periods were eliminated in favor of laboratory demonstrations of 50 minutes; (3) the subject matter was divided into 13 units which were presented in a work book-laboratory manual. It was also thought that by frequent shifting of methods, the element of change in the presentation of material would, in itself, make the course more interesting or at least less tiresome. Under the new plan the instructor may lecture at times, conduct a laboratory demonstration, may referee a discussion, or may hold a convential laboratory—whichever seems advantageous. In practice, several instructors whose interests lie in different fields have taught the various units. In other words "change" in itself is considered to be a major weapon against ennui. Perhaps the most valuable feature of
446
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T
THOUGHT QUESTION TEACHING TECHNIQUE
As a background for the reorganization, a study was made of the available research on the merits of the several methods of teaching. Perhaps the most convenient compilations of these materials may be found in two books, An Open Letter to College Teachers, by Fernandus Payne (1935) and The Background for College Teaching, by Louella Cole (1940). The outstanding conclusion to be drawn from a review of the literature on methods of teaching cannot be mistaken. In so far as mere mastery of elementary subject matter is concerned, the lecture method is as good as any other. In these studies, however, the methods of teaching were evaluated by the efficiency with which students recalled the facts presented. Thus we have no information on the value of the personal relationships that obtained between the teacher and his students where informal discussions are carried on largely by student initiative. This deficiency exists because measures of teaching efficiency that consider general intellectual and personal development are not available. The mechanics by which the reorgani-
zation will fulfill the new objectives of the course in Introductory Poultry Husbandry are beyond the scope of the present paper. Instead, an effort will be made to show how one part of the plan, the thought question—discussion technique, is used within the general reorganization. The thought question is a device which adapts the problem solving method (held by some to be the most effective method of teaching) to a situation in which time does not permit the full development of each problem. In other words the importance or practicability of each problem is frequently not established. The thought question merely presents an opportunity for the student to use whatever facts he may have at hand (or any he may be inspired to ferret out) in a process of deductive reasoning to solve the problem. In the subsequent class discussion other points are raised and considered in relation to the problem and a great deal of evidence is often accumulated, but in every case its value for use in solving the problem is emphasized. This breaks down the isolation which frequently characterizes those "highlights" of subject matter that are commonly memorized by the student for subsequent reproduction on examination papers. The thought questions are presented in a work-book type of manual (Hoffmann, 1946) together with space in which the student may write in his own answers. In no case are these answers checked nor are the notebooks turned in for grading. Questions are usually assigned on the day preceding the last day of the unit; after the students have had a background of lecture, demonstration, and/or laboratory work. The students are expected to come to class ready to recite. One of the drawbacks to this system lies in the carryover of answers between sections and from quarter to quarter, but this can be
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 23, 2015
the new scheme is the opportunity it creates for a more individualized approach to the teaching of poultry. The philosophy of the present authors has been that the student rather than poultry is being taught. This necessitates a more personalized approach in order to achieve the desired liaison between the student and the teacher. As a result of this individualized approach, we anticipate not only a beneficial effect on the intellectual development of the student, but also an improvement in the integration of the subject matter, since it provides the opportunity to encourage the student to think in terms of poultry rather than to memorize a more or less unrelated assortment of facts.
447
448
EDMUND HOFFMANN AND ROBERT S. WHEELER
1. How much feed does a 4 pound White Leghorn hen require per year for maintenance? A 6 pound White Leghorn hen? 2. How does increase in body weight affect efficiency of production—other things being equal? 3. How can you explain this effect?
Or: 1. How much feed does it take to raise a New Hampshire pullet to maturity? 2. On the average, how long will a New Hampshire hen be out of production when she molts? 3. How much feed does it take to feed a New Hampshire hen through the molt? 4. At what season of the year do hens normally molt? . .. 5. What effect does molting usually have on egg production? 6. At what season of the year is the price of eggs highest? 7. Discuss the feasibility of keeping hens for a second year of production as compared to 100% replacement of the flock with pullets each year.
This is the most elementary use of the thought question. It is quite effective especially with freshman students. An alternative procedure is to pose questions which require one or more of the following steps for solution: 1. Requires a reorganization of knowledge. 2. Requires a search for new and supplementary material. 3. Requires an integration of all these materials (evidence). 4. Often requires the use of reasoning processes in order to arrive at a satisfactory answer. Typical examples:, 1. A poultryman complains that his White Wyandottes produce a number of single comb birds each year. How can you account for their appearance? What program would suggest to remedy the situation? 2. Decrease in the amount of light to which hens are exposed from 13 to 10 hours a day usually results in lowered egg production. What physiological evidence (sequence of physiological events) can you cite to account for this effect? 3. Studies show that the use of green pasturage will reduce the amount of feed required to rear a pullet by 5-19 percent. From your knowledge of anatomy and physiology, explain why greater savings are not likely.
It will be noted that in every case the thought questions require something more than a simple memorization of the subject matter in the form in which it has been taught. If they achieved nothing more than to teach the student to use his textbook rather than to read it, their Use would be justified. But the major advantages lie in the development of the student's ability to think in terms of poultry (the integration of subject matter) and in the personal relationships between the student and the teacher, (which permits the teacher to better meet the needs of the individual student). These are, in our opinion, ample justifications for the reduction in class size with its
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 23, 2015
partially offset if the instructor makes slight changes in the questions as they are discussed. In this way the student who prefers to copy his answers rather than to reason them out can be accurately identified. An alternate method of presenting thought questions is to publish a collection of them and then make regular assignments in this book. (See Thought Questions for the Introductory General Course i i the Biological Sciences. University of Chicago Press). No matter which method of presentation is used, it is advisable to leave space between questions for the student's notes, comments, and answers. Thought questions may be divided into two general types. One procedure is to use a series of rather simple questions to lead the student through the processes of gathering the evidence and the process of deductive reasoning to arrive at a logical conclusion. For Example:
N E W S AND NOTES
the native talents and the preparatory schooling of the students. The best way in which these varying needs of individual students can be met is to stress the use of the problem solving method and to encourage the student to develop the habit of logical thinking. We believe that the thought question—discussion technique is a suitable approach to this problem. REFERENCES
Cole, Luella, 1940. The background for college teaching. Farrar and Rinehart, New York. Hoffmann, Edmund, 1946. Lessons in poultry husbandry. The University of Georgia Press, Athens. Payne, Fernandus, 1935. An open letter to college teachers. The Principia Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
News and Notes (Continued from page 405)
staff in 1922 as Professor of Poultry Husbandry. He became Head of the. Department of Poultry Husbandry in 1940, upon the retirement of Dr. W. R. Graham, and was also Acting Head of the Department of Animal Nutrition from 1941 to 1945. Ill health brought about his retirement in July, 1948. Dr. Marcellus was a Poultry Science member of long standing, serving as Di-
rector and Vice-President and in 1936 as President of the Association. He was a Canadian Director of the World's Poultry Science Association, a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada, and a member of various Agricultural and Veterinary organizations. He was particularly active in the work of the Poultry Industry Committee of Ontario, especially during the war years.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 23, 2015
attendant chore of meeting more sections. We do not consider this technique a panacea for the ills of poor teaching. Payne (loc cit.) has written, "the importance of methods fades before the necessity for skill on the part of the teacher in the methods used." Moreover, we must recognize that teachers vary in their ability to exploit the various techniques, and some may find other techniques better suited to their talents. The argument has been advanced that good students learn no matter how they are taught. On the other hand, we have been committed in the land grant colleges, at least, to a policy of mass education. This fact in itself implies a wide range in
449
Poultry Department, University of Georgia, Athens (Received for publication October 25, 1948)
HE introductory course in poultry husbandry at the University of Georgia is required of all freshman students in the College of Agriculture. It is an intensive course which meets five days a week f oreleven weeks (one quarter). Since this is the first and last poultry course that many students will take, it must be primarily a survey of poultry production; and, since most of the students have not had much background in biology, this course must also present sufficient information in poultry biology to give the student an insight into the fowl as a living organism. The objective of this course, then, is to develop some of the most important aspects of poultry culture together with some of the fundamental biological principles which are necessary in order to understand the reasoning behind recommended poultry practices.
In the past the traditional approach to this problem has been used. A group of 75 to 150 students met four days a week for lectures and the group was divided into classes of 30 students for one twohour laboratory per week. For some time, however, it had been realized that a prosaic presentation of facts for memorization, whether by textbook or lecture, is decidedly unpalatable to freshmen in agriculture, most of whom
consider the chicken somewhat beneath their dignity. In the fall of 1946, a careful reexamination of the objectives of this course was made which resulted in a general reorganization of content as well as method of presentation. To a considerable degree, the changes followed the program developed at the Ohio State University in the departments of Zoology and Botany. The revision included three major changes: (1) class size was limited to 30 students; (2) conventional laboratory periods were eliminated in favor of laboratory demonstrations of 50 minutes; (3) the subject matter was divided into 13 units which were presented in a work book-laboratory manual. It was also thought that by frequent shifting of methods, the element of change in the presentation of material would, in itself, make the course more interesting or at least less tiresome. Under the new plan the instructor may lecture at times, conduct a laboratory demonstration, may referee a discussion, or may hold a convential laboratory—whichever seems advantageous. In practice, several instructors whose interests lie in different fields have taught the various units. In other words "change" in itself is considered to be a major weapon against ennui. Perhaps the most valuable feature of
446
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 23, 2015
T
THOUGHT QUESTION TEACHING TECHNIQUE
As a background for the reorganization, a study was made of the available research on the merits of the several methods of teaching. Perhaps the most convenient compilations of these materials may be found in two books, An Open Letter to College Teachers, by Fernandus Payne (1935) and The Background for College Teaching, by Louella Cole (1940). The outstanding conclusion to be drawn from a review of the literature on methods of teaching cannot be mistaken. In so far as mere mastery of elementary subject matter is concerned, the lecture method is as good as any other. In these studies, however, the methods of teaching were evaluated by the efficiency with which students recalled the facts presented. Thus we have no information on the value of the personal relationships that obtained between the teacher and his students where informal discussions are carried on largely by student initiative. This deficiency exists because measures of teaching efficiency that consider general intellectual and personal development are not available. The mechanics by which the reorgani-
zation will fulfill the new objectives of the course in Introductory Poultry Husbandry are beyond the scope of the present paper. Instead, an effort will be made to show how one part of the plan, the thought question—discussion technique, is used within the general reorganization. The thought question is a device which adapts the problem solving method (held by some to be the most effective method of teaching) to a situation in which time does not permit the full development of each problem. In other words the importance or practicability of each problem is frequently not established. The thought question merely presents an opportunity for the student to use whatever facts he may have at hand (or any he may be inspired to ferret out) in a process of deductive reasoning to solve the problem. In the subsequent class discussion other points are raised and considered in relation to the problem and a great deal of evidence is often accumulated, but in every case its value for use in solving the problem is emphasized. This breaks down the isolation which frequently characterizes those "highlights" of subject matter that are commonly memorized by the student for subsequent reproduction on examination papers. The thought questions are presented in a work-book type of manual (Hoffmann, 1946) together with space in which the student may write in his own answers. In no case are these answers checked nor are the notebooks turned in for grading. Questions are usually assigned on the day preceding the last day of the unit; after the students have had a background of lecture, demonstration, and/or laboratory work. The students are expected to come to class ready to recite. One of the drawbacks to this system lies in the carryover of answers between sections and from quarter to quarter, but this can be
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 23, 2015
the new scheme is the opportunity it creates for a more individualized approach to the teaching of poultry. The philosophy of the present authors has been that the student rather than poultry is being taught. This necessitates a more personalized approach in order to achieve the desired liaison between the student and the teacher. As a result of this individualized approach, we anticipate not only a beneficial effect on the intellectual development of the student, but also an improvement in the integration of the subject matter, since it provides the opportunity to encourage the student to think in terms of poultry rather than to memorize a more or less unrelated assortment of facts.
447
448
EDMUND HOFFMANN AND ROBERT S. WHEELER
1. How much feed does a 4 pound White Leghorn hen require per year for maintenance? A 6 pound White Leghorn hen? 2. How does increase in body weight affect efficiency of production—other things being equal? 3. How can you explain this effect?
Or: 1. How much feed does it take to raise a New Hampshire pullet to maturity? 2. On the average, how long will a New Hampshire hen be out of production when she molts? 3. How much feed does it take to feed a New Hampshire hen through the molt? 4. At what season of the year do hens normally molt? . .. 5. What effect does molting usually have on egg production? 6. At what season of the year is the price of eggs highest? 7. Discuss the feasibility of keeping hens for a second year of production as compared to 100% replacement of the flock with pullets each year.
This is the most elementary use of the thought question. It is quite effective especially with freshman students. An alternative procedure is to pose questions which require one or more of the following steps for solution: 1. Requires a reorganization of knowledge. 2. Requires a search for new and supplementary material. 3. Requires an integration of all these materials (evidence). 4. Often requires the use of reasoning processes in order to arrive at a satisfactory answer. Typical examples:, 1. A poultryman complains that his White Wyandottes produce a number of single comb birds each year. How can you account for their appearance? What program would suggest to remedy the situation? 2. Decrease in the amount of light to which hens are exposed from 13 to 10 hours a day usually results in lowered egg production. What physiological evidence (sequence of physiological events) can you cite to account for this effect? 3. Studies show that the use of green pasturage will reduce the amount of feed required to rear a pullet by 5-19 percent. From your knowledge of anatomy and physiology, explain why greater savings are not likely.
It will be noted that in every case the thought questions require something more than a simple memorization of the subject matter in the form in which it has been taught. If they achieved nothing more than to teach the student to use his textbook rather than to read it, their Use would be justified. But the major advantages lie in the development of the student's ability to think in terms of poultry (the integration of subject matter) and in the personal relationships between the student and the teacher, (which permits the teacher to better meet the needs of the individual student). These are, in our opinion, ample justifications for the reduction in class size with its
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 23, 2015
partially offset if the instructor makes slight changes in the questions as they are discussed. In this way the student who prefers to copy his answers rather than to reason them out can be accurately identified. An alternate method of presenting thought questions is to publish a collection of them and then make regular assignments in this book. (See Thought Questions for the Introductory General Course i i the Biological Sciences. University of Chicago Press). No matter which method of presentation is used, it is advisable to leave space between questions for the student's notes, comments, and answers. Thought questions may be divided into two general types. One procedure is to use a series of rather simple questions to lead the student through the processes of gathering the evidence and the process of deductive reasoning to arrive at a logical conclusion. For Example:
N E W S AND NOTES
the native talents and the preparatory schooling of the students. The best way in which these varying needs of individual students can be met is to stress the use of the problem solving method and to encourage the student to develop the habit of logical thinking. We believe that the thought question—discussion technique is a suitable approach to this problem. REFERENCES
Cole, Luella, 1940. The background for college teaching. Farrar and Rinehart, New York. Hoffmann, Edmund, 1946. Lessons in poultry husbandry. The University of Georgia Press, Athens. Payne, Fernandus, 1935. An open letter to college teachers. The Principia Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
News and Notes (Continued from page 405)
staff in 1922 as Professor of Poultry Husbandry. He became Head of the. Department of Poultry Husbandry in 1940, upon the retirement of Dr. W. R. Graham, and was also Acting Head of the Department of Animal Nutrition from 1941 to 1945. Ill health brought about his retirement in July, 1948. Dr. Marcellus was a Poultry Science member of long standing, serving as Di-
rector and Vice-President and in 1936 as President of the Association. He was a Canadian Director of the World's Poultry Science Association, a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada, and a member of various Agricultural and Veterinary organizations. He was particularly active in the work of the Poultry Industry Committee of Ontario, especially during the war years.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 23, 2015
attendant chore of meeting more sections. We do not consider this technique a panacea for the ills of poor teaching. Payne (loc cit.) has written, "the importance of methods fades before the necessity for skill on the part of the teacher in the methods used." Moreover, we must recognize that teachers vary in their ability to exploit the various techniques, and some may find other techniques better suited to their talents. The argument has been advanced that good students learn no matter how they are taught. On the other hand, we have been committed in the land grant colleges, at least, to a policy of mass education. This fact in itself implies a wide range in
449