Pedagogy

Rhetoric

Many of the assignments in the OnRamps Rhetoric courses include substantive revision or peer review components designed to promote lifetime habits of critical thinking, analytical reading, substantive revision, research, and reflection to prepare students for future leadership roles and civic participation. Rhetorical Pedagogy features writing feedback, peer review, research, inquiry-driven discussion and paper conferences. These activities are designed to accelerate critical thinking skills, metacognitive skills, communication skills, and ultimately, to prepare students for participation in civic life.

Biology, Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Economics, Statistics, U.S. Government

The flipped classroom is a student-centered approach to teaching in which students preview new concepts outside of class. In class, students engage in understanding the material through targeted activities and discussions facilitated by the teacher. This model allows for more instructional time to be spent collaborating and problem solving with support from the teacher, and enables teachers to give timely feedback that scaffolds the learning experience for students as they are applying their new content knowledge in new ways.

College Algebra, Physics I, Physics II, Precalculus

Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is a student-centered approach to learning. IBL puts the focus of learning on student creation, exploration, communication, and criticism while still under the guidance of the teacher. Inquiry teaching practices facilitate deeper critical thinking of students in mathematics and science. In the inquiry model, teachers act as facilitators in the classroom.

Biology, Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Geoscience, Physics I, Physics II

Peer Instruction is a collaborative technique championed by Eric Mazur at Harvard University. Peer Instruction is grounded in the constructivist approach to learning; students are asked to consider their preexisting ideas about a topic, recognize the possible limitations of those ideas in light of new information, and ultimately build new, stronger ideas.

Students who participate in Peer Instruction learn to effectively communicate with each other while building content-specific vocabulary and ideas. The interactions and discussions with their peers strengthen their understanding and ability to make deeper connections.

Arts and Entertainment Technologies, Computer Science

Project-Based Learning (PBL), is a pedagogy designed to engage students in the educational process. PBL frames learning in the context of real-world problems, and there is evidence that PBL improves retention while also developing problem solving, critical thinking, and group collaboration skills. The steps included in the Project-Based Learning cycle are intended to repeat throughout the course of a unit as students gain new knowledge, add to their project, elicit feedback, and revise their project.

United States History

Team-based learning is an evidence-based collaborative learning teaching strategy designed around units of instructions, known as “modules,” that are taught in a three-step cycle: preparation, in-class readiness assurance testing, and application-focused exercise. The preparation portion of team-based learning constitutes a flipped learning implementation. Students critically engage with primary and secondary source material on their own before class by reading documents, writing journal entries, and watching videos. When students are in class, they will then be able to take their involvement and analysis to the next level through active participation in teamwork and discussions.