Newsletter#5: Why we teach? Educational Strategies and Models Series: BOPPPS Model

When we step into a classroom, stand in front of a lectern, or open a book, we're doing more than just transmitting knowledge—we're shaping the future. Every word, every story, and every exploration carries the power to influence young minds and their dreams. Yet, in this process, a fundamental question constantly orbits our thoughts: Why do we teach? Is it for the accumulation of knowledge, or to ignite potential? Is it to meet the demands of the present, or to prepare for the unknown future? As society progresses and technology advances, the objectives and methods of education continue to evolve. But behind all this, what truly is the essence of education?

Now, we sincerely invite you to watch the video below.

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In "Why I Teach," Beidler articulates his belief: "I teach because teaching is a profession built on change. When the material remains constant, I evolve—and, even more significantly, so do my students."

How can we adapt our methods to ensure improvement as students' needs and capabilities evolve? How can we ensure that students effectively learn the content we teach in the classroom? What’s the best way to design our courses? How can we better achieve effective teaching?

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Have you ever noticed a phenomenon in the classroom where teachers might cover content students are already familiar with, or struggle to foster interactions among students, with no time allocated for practical application of such interactions? This situation could lead to students losing their curiosity and engagement and even plunge students into despair, wondering, “What am I really getting out of this course?”

Let’s focus on the classroom setting, assuming a 60-minute class period. How should a teacher effectively allocate this time? Effective teaching is synonymous with being both effective and efficient. To achieve these, requiring a blend of teaching and learning. Creating a community around these principles is key to teaching success. With the personalized needs of students in the information age, it’s clear we need to embrace educational reform. We should all shift from a teacher-centered approach to a student-centered approach.

In this article, we will introduce a student-centered teaching model, known as BOPPPS.

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The BOPPPS teaching model is grounded in cognitive theory and constructivism (Click here for related content ). It forms the theoretical backbone of the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) program, widely adopted across Canada and highly esteemed in North American higher education for developing teacher skills. This model is known for its student-centered teaching philosophy and effective instructional design, emphasizing a a comprehensive teaching process that boosts student participation and feedback. It serves as a tool to help teachers deconstruct and analyze the teaching process, identify blind spots in instruction, and enhance teaching outcomes.

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The BOPPPS effective teaching model is designed to enhance learner engagement. It specifically includes six key components: Bridge-in, Objective, Pre-Assessment, Participatory Learning, Post-Assessment, and Summary.

1. B (Bridge-in)

This refers to the introductory part before formally starting the course teaching. The purpose of setting an introduction is to grab the students' attention, spark a keen interest and motivation for learning, and encourage students to focus on the upcoming core teaching content. Teachers at this point are tasked with underscoring the significance of what's to be learned, connecting the dots between students' existing knowledge and the new concepts, and asking theme-related questions to seamlessly guide students into the meat of the session.

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Purpose: To capture student interest, aid in focusing on the upcoming material, and provoke thought.

Techniques: Introducing news reports, debate points, astonishing statistics, captivating images, anecdotal stories, demonstrations, questions, music, multimedia, and more.

2. O (Objective)

This refers to establishing the learning objectives for the class. The most crucial element in the entire teaching model is setting the educational objectives, as all teaching activities, including pre-assessments, post-assessments, and classroom interactions, revolve around these goals. Objectives should be learner-centric, reasonable, clear, and measurable. It necessitates a shift in perspective, moving away from the "teaching inertia" of how much a teacher can teach to how much a student can learn. Objective setting encompasses cognitive, skills, and affective domains. For instance, in the cognitive domain, emphasis is on the transfer of knowledge, theories, and concepts; in the skills domain, it's about appropriately conveying abilities, techniques, operations, and performance; in the affective domain, the focus is on the transmission of emotions, attitudes, values, and beliefs.

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The process of establishing classroom objectives needs to clearly articulate who (the target audience), what (they will learn), under what circumstances (situation), and to what extent (degree) - these core elements. Clear teaching objectives help teachers better design the teaching process and improve teaching methods tailored to students' characteristics.

Purpose: This is the most crucial part of the teaching model, around which all teaching activities are structured.

Techniques: Start from the learner's perspective, keeping the number of objectives manageable, typically 2-4 per class. The description of learning objectives should follow the "SMART" criteria:

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1. Specific: Objectives must be clear and detailed.

2. Measurable: Objectives should be quantifiable.

3. Attainable: Objectives need to be achievable.

4. Relevant: Objectives should be related to other goals.

5. Time-based: Objectives must have a defined timeframe.

For example, if the course theme is "optical phenomena", the learning objectives could be stated as: by the end of this session (time-based), students will be able to accurately describe (specific) different types of optical phenomena (relevant), analyze (specific) the causes behind each phenomenon, and understand the distinctions and connections between them (measurable and achievable).

Writing learning objectives should involve using verbs to describe specific requirements clearly, a method that can be guided by Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives.

Bloom's Taxonomy Theory 

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3. P (Pre-assessment)

The function of pre-assessment is pivotal for both educators and learners. It aids teachers in discerning students' interests and capabilities, thereby facilitating the customization of the lecture's depth and progression. For students, it enables them to accurately communicate their foundational skills and learning desires to the teacher, fostering immediate enhancements in instructional strategies. Consequently, the synergistic effort between teacher and student establishes a firm groundwork for the successful attainment of educational goals within the classroom. Pre-assessment also prevents the teaching of content that is either already known to students or far beyond their current knowledge, enabling timely and effective modification of course content.

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Purpose: The aim is to assess students' interests and abilities to subsequently tailor the course content's depth and speed, centering on educational objectives.

Techniques: Utilizing a variety of techniques such as posing questions, conducting quizzes, facilitating group discussions, anonymous polling, presenting open-ended questions, sharing experiences, and organizing group activities to elicit responses that align with educational goals.

Employing both pre-assessment and post-assessment together leads to significantly beneficial results.

For instance, prior to delving into "optical phenomena," it's crucial to assess students' understanding of the basics of optics (such as the propagation, reflection, and refraction principles of light), the physical characteristics of optical phenomena, the mechanisms of light-matter interaction, and their proficiency in explaining and analyzing various optical phenomena (like the formation of rainbows, light interference, and diffraction). This assessment can inform the teaching approach for the course, determining whether there's a need for an in-depth review of fundamental concepts, or if a brief overview sufficed before focusing on the applications and practical observation techniques of optical phenomena.

Let's try a pre-assessment for the newsletter below ⬇️

4. P (Participatory Learning)

This refers to interactive learning involving both teachers and students, serving as the heart of classroom instruction. Centered around the educational objectives, it requires teachers to be adaptable and flexible in utilizing various teaching media and resources, encouraging more student participation in the learning process. Teachers should shift their mindset and recognize the limitations of purely lecture-based methods. Designing interactions within lectures aims not just to enliven the classroom atmosphere but more importantly, to enhance students' learning efficiency. The goal of participatory learning is to foster active learning, deep thinking, and a lasting impression, with a focus on student-centered teaching. Educators are advised against prolonged, one-way lecturing. At this stage, a study on the learning effects on students is conducted, and the learning pyramid theory can provide insights into objective patterns.

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Purpose: The core of classroom teaching, focusing on student-centered learning to enable students to engage comprehensively and grasp knowledge.

Techniques: Include Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Case-Based Learning (CBL), flipped classrooms, and segmented classrooms. A particularly effective method for integrating questions into lectures is the "TPS" technique (Think, Pair, Share), which involves asking students to ponder a question for a set time, discuss it with a partner, and then share their insights with the class. Additional methods encompass conducting debates, engaging in hands-on problem-solving, role-playing, simulating scenarios, practical exercises, undertaking case studies, facilitating group discussions, and compiling reflective reports.

5. P (Post-assessment)

The purpose of post-assessment is to verify whether the learning objectives of the class have been achieved. The BOPPPS model underlines the importance of timely feedback. The assessment itself is not the end goal of classroom learning; rather, the focus is on facilitating, improving, and perfecting the design of the teaching process. Therefore, measuring how well teaching objectives are achieved is paramount. It's a common observation among educators that students appear to do well during the term, only to face challenges during finals, often due to the lack of "post-assessment" to measure attainment of learning goals at the end of each class. Ideally, post-assessments should align with pre-assessments and aim for a higher tier of educational objectives. It's recommended to leverage Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives as a guideline when evaluating student learning results.

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Purpose: To gauge students' learning progress and ascertain the fulfillment of educational goals.

Techniques: Include quizzes on essential concepts, application-based writing tasks, practical demonstrations, independent analyses of given scenarios, reflections on experiences, analytical exercises, quantitative evaluations, and short essay writing, among others.

Let's try a post-assessment for the newsletter below ⬇️

6. S (Summary)

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This part is about wrapping up the class session. Teachers are expected to revisit the learning goals and give a sneak peek into the next lesson's content, planning for further study in the upcoming session. Students are encouraged to encapsulate their learnings and exchange perspectives, with the possibility of incorporating discussions between teachers and students. Summaries should allow students to categorize knowledge and assess their learning outcomes. During this process, the teacher acts as a facilitator, steering students towards recognizing essential and complex topics to bolster comprehension and retention. The summary phase should be succinct, acting as a segue to link what has been learned with what's next. An overview of how well the session's objectives were met can be shared, setting the stage for expectations and directives for the next class.

Purpose: To consolidate classroom content, supporting students in synthesizing their learning, encouraging thoughtful reflection, and hinting at upcoming course material.

Techniques: Summarization, discussion, extended learning, among others.

The initials "B," "O," "P," "P," "P," and "S" from the six foundational elements spell out the "BOPPPS" acronym, which stands for a structured, effective classroom process. This model streamlines a complete educational experience by seamlessly weaving together six interconnected modules, each dedicated to achieving specific learning outcomes. It thoroughly merges teaching actions with learning engagements, prioritizing the pivotal role of interactive teacher-student learning. Therefore, it is highly adaptable and operational across various disciplines.

The essence of the BOPPPS model is built around three main tenets:

1. Encouraging students to engage in all-encompassing participatory learning beyond mere passive listening.

2. Collecting instant feedback from students to adjust teaching methods, thereby seamlessly reaching educational targets.

3. Promoting a variety of teaching techniques, embracing flexibility over uniformity.

In the BOPPPS framework, the selection of teaching methods is a strategic approach to achieving set learning goals, not an end in itself. This model doesn't prescribe or prioritize specific teaching tactics, thereby spotlighting each educator's unique flair. BOPPPS champions adaptability, empowering educators to tailor its application as they gain proficiency and insight into its mechanics. A case in point is the advanced placement of pre-assessments, a hallmark of the contemporary flipped classroom model.

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References:

1. Teacher2Teacher. (2021, March 5). Why We Teach [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0yI6xQRsng
2. Beidler, P. G. (2002). Why I Teach. Andrews McMeel Publishing

3. Instructional Skills Workshop Network Executive. (April 2021). The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Handbook Part One: Workshop Overview, Part Two: Workbook, and Part Three: Further Information & Resources

4. "BOPPPS Effective Teaching Model Application Guide", https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fe81Em2xafjQRpS-cOpddg

5. "Six Common Patterns of Classroom Teaching Design - BOPPPS Teaching Model", https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5jAjFwYV-pV4LpYR4rKEJg

6. "Enhancing Teaching Effectiveness: Reflections on the BOPPPS Teaching Model", https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hsHMzBAl5D-Qb253v0yn9w