The First Glimmer

Here's what I wrote in August, 2010, when I first read about TBL in L. Dee Finks Creating Significant Learning Experiences:

Fink distinguishes between teaching techniques and teaching strategies:

A teaching technique is a specific teaching activity. Lecturing is a technique, as is lab work, using small groups, assigning essays, covering case studies, and so on. A teaching strategy, on the other hand, is a particular combination of learning activities in a particular sequence. The goal is to find a combination and sequence of learning activities that work together synergistically and build a high level of student energy that can be applied to the task of learning (130; Fink's emphasis).

One of the teaching techniques Fink describes is team-based learning. Most of us have divided our classes into small groups to work together on some task or another. Team-based learning is a cohesive, semester-long strategy that "transforms groups into teams and then uses the extraordinary capabilities of teams to accomplish a high level of content and application learning" (132).
One of the advantages of team-based learning is that for the most part students acquire course content outside of class (typically by reading), allowing much more class time to be devoted to application. In class, students go through a Readiness Assurance Process (individually and in teams), and then work with their teams on tasks that require them to use/apply their new knowledge. The instructor eventually assesses the students on their knowledge and ability to use it. In the course of a semester, students may go through several cycles of knowledge acquisition, readiness assurance, team tasks, and assessment.
Note to self: check out http://www.teambasedlearning.org/ ASAP.