A guide to teaching content using

TOC

Danilo Sirias, Ph.D.

Christopher Newport University
Introduction
 TOC applications in education
– Management philosophy
– Discipline/behavior
– Teaching content
Teaching-learning UDEs
 Students do not retain what they learn
 Students do not see the relevance of the
subject being taught
 Teachers feel frustrated with the rate of
learning
 Students do not know how to think
Curriculums at any school
 Content curriculum
 Learning curriculum

Hare Brain Tortoise Mind by Guy Cla

xton 1997
Content Curriculum
 It is the body of knowledge and skills that
students are supposed to learn.
 Examples are arithmetic, French,
philosophy, etc.
 Many schools have standardized tests put in
place to evaluate the level of success as it
relates to content curriculum.
Learning curriculum
 Teaching students about how to learn.
 It includes what is learning, what are
effective learning methods, etc.
 Learning curriculum is as important as the
content curriculum…. and maybe even
more important.
Some facts about teaching
methods
 Lecturing is the most “efficient” method of
teaching
 Lecturing is the most boring method of
teaching
 Students learn better if they “discover” or
invent themselves the concepts a teacher
wants them to learn
Interactive learning
 Interactive learning encompasses a series of
techniques whereby students invent their
own solutions. For example:
– Role playing
– Games
– Socratic approach
There is a common thread on
these methods.....

They take a lot of

time!
Is time a constraint?
 Yes!!
 We want to cover as much material as we
because of
– Standardized testing
– Readiness for next grade
The cloud

Ensure students Use interactive

learn the teaching
concepts
Be a good
teacher

Cover most Do not use

topics in interactive
the program teaching
An assumption
Ensure students Use interactive
learn the teaching
concepts
Be a good
teacher

Cover most Do not use

topics in interactive
the program teaching

Interactive
learning takes too long
TOC as a solution
 If I could sum up the Theory of Constraints
from my 12 years of research,…it would
simply be two words: focus and leverage
Debra Smith, The measurement nightmare
Traditional interactive TOC teaching
teaching methods method
TOC teaching guiding principle
 Use TOC tools to help students develop
solutions themselves and in the most
efficient manner
A guide to teaching content using
TOC
 Class preparation
 Types of concept that can be taught with
TOC
 Examples
 Future activities
Class preparation (TrT)
ILO

Teaching activity Next topic Reason

Intermediate learning Activity to transition

objective (ILO) to the next topic

Teaching activity First topic Reason

Class introduction Activity to transition

to the first topic
Examples of concepts that can
be taught with TOC
Type of ILO TOC tool
Conflict Cloud
Solution to a problem Cloud + breaking
(Conflict) cloud
Solution to a problem Prerequisite Tree
(How-to)
Relationship among Cause-and-effect
different entities branches
Conflict
 The objective is to teach students a common
conflict and to explore some possible solutions
 The focus of the teaching is the conflict itself
and not the solution
 Another objective is to relate the conflict with
something relevant to the students
 Example: Cricket and the ant story
Procedure to teach conflict’s ILO
 A dilemma is presented through a story
 Find the cloud
 Explore different ways to break the cloud
 Ask students whether they have experience
a similar problem in their life
 Explore solutions to the students’ dilemmas
Concepts as solutions
 Many concepts are solutions!!
 If a concept is a solution to a problem and
we want the student to invent the solution
then we must first tell them what the
problem is
– Solutions when the problem is a conflict
– Solutions when the problem is that we do not
know how to solve it
Solution to a problem (conflict)
 The objective is to teach a concept which is
a solution to a chronic conflict
 The focus is on understanding the problem
and to find the assumption that is
invalidated with the solution
What is the cloud?

?
Solution
(Concept)
Using the cloud to teach concepts
that are solutions to a conflict
1. Study the concept to be taught. Is it a
solution?
2. Find the cloud broken by the solution
3. Develop a strategy for students to find the
cloud
4. Follow the steps to break the cloud
5. Give the “right name” to the concept
How to find the cloud
 Determine at least 6 UDEs that the solution
is supposed to eliminate
 Develop small stories about three randomly
selected UDEs
 Write mini clouds for those three UDEs
 Construct a generic cloud
How can students find the cloud?
 Students have some experience on the
subject
– Use 3-ude cloud method
– Discuss advantages and disadvantages
 Students do not have experience on the
subject
– Use case studies/stories
 Solution to a problem (How-to)
 The objective is to teach students how to
accomplish a specific task.
 The focus is on developing the steps needed
to accomplish something
 Example 1: How to arrange boxes in
ascending order according to weight
 Example 2: How to save the animal
kingdom (helping Noah)
Relationship among entities
 The objective is to teach students how
different entities (e.g. historical events,
scientific facts, etc.) relates to each other
 The focus can be on either finding the
reasons underlying the relationship or the
effects caused by the entities
Cause-and-effect
Branch Effect

Supporting Supporting
Effect
argument argument

Supporting Supporting
argument Effect argument

Starting Supporting
condition argument
Reading a cause-and-effect
branch

Then Effect 2

Because

Supporting
If Effect 1 argument
Cause-and-effect
Branch Effect

Supporting Supporting
Effect
argument argument

Supporting Supporting
argument Effect argument

Starting Supporting
condition argument
ILOs
Cause-and-effect
Branch Effect

Supporting Supporting
Effect
argument argument
ILOs

Supporting Supporting
argument Effect argument

Starting Supporting
condition argument
Future activities
 Generic negative branch
 Web site devoted to use TOC to teach
content
 Development of a workshop
– Constraint may move from the discipline aspect
to the teaching aspect