A Model of Active Learning
This model suggests that all learning activities involve some kind of experience or some kind of dialogue. The two main kinds of dialogue are "Dialogue with Self" and "Dialogue with Others." The two main kinds of experience are "Observing" and "Doing
Dialogue with Self
• This is what happens when a learner thinks reflectively about a topic, they ask themselves what they think or should think, what they feel about the topic, etc.
• A teacher can ask students, on a small scale, to keep a journal for a course, or, on a larger scale, to develop a learning portfolio.
• In either case, students could write about:
- what they are learning
- how they are learning
- what role this knowledge or learning plays in their own life
- how this makes them feel, etc.
Dialogue with Others
• This can and does come in many forms. In traditional teaching, when students read a textbook or listen to a lecture, they are "listening to" another person (teacher). This can perhaps be viewed as "partial dialogue" but it is limited because there is no back-and-forth exchange.
• A much more dynamic and active form of dialogue occurs when a teacher creates an intense small group discussion on a topic.
• Sometimes teachers can also find creative ways to involve students in dialogue situations with people other than students (e.g., practitioners, experts), either in class or outside of class. Whoever the dialogue is with, it might be done live, in writing, or by email.
Observing
• This occurs whenever a learner watches or listens to someone else "Doing" something that is related to what they are learning about.
• This might be such things as:
- Observing one's teacher do something (e.g., "This is how critique a novel.")
- Listening to other professionals perform (e.g., musicians)
- Observing the phenomena being studied (natural, social, or cultural).
▪ The act of observing may be "direct" or "vicarious."
- A direct observation means the learner is observing the real action directly
- A vicarious observation is observing a simulation of the real action.
(For example, a direct observation of poverty might be for the learner to actually go to where low income people are living and working, and spend some time observing life there).
(A vicarious or indirect observation of the same topic might be to watch a movie involving poor people or to read stories written by or about them)
Doing
• This refers to any learning activity where the learner actually does something:
- design a reservoir dam (engineering)
- conduct a high school band (music education)
- design and/or conduct an experiment (natural and social sciences)
- critique an argument or piece of writing (the humanities)
- investigate local historical resources (history)
- make an oral presentation (communication), etc.
• Again, "Doing" may be direct or vicarious.
- Case studies
- role-playing and
- simulation activities offer ways of vicariously engaging students in the "Doing" process.
Classroom Assessment Technique Examples
- At the first class meeting, many teachers ask students for general information on their level of preparation, often requesting that students list courses they have already taken in the relevant field.
- This technique is designed to collect much more specific, and more useful, feedback on students' prior learning. Background Knowledge Probes are short, simple questionnaires prepared by instructors for use at the beginning of a course, at the start of a new unit or lesson, or prior to introducing an important new topic. A given Background Knowledge Probe may require students to write short answers, to circle the correct response to multiple-choice questions, or both.
Minute Paper
• No other technique has been used more often or by more teachers than the Minute Paper. This technique -- also known as the One-Minute Paper and the Half-Sheet Response -- provides a quick and extremely simple way to collect written feedback on student learning.
• To use the Minute Paper, an instructor stops class two or three minutes early and asks students to respond briefly to some variation on the following two questions:
√ "What was the most important thing you learned during this class?" and
√ "What important question remains unanswered?"
Students they write their responses on index cards or half-sheets of scrap paper and hand them in.
Muddiest Point
• The Muddiest Point is just about the simplest technique. It is also remarkable efficient, since it provides a high information return for a very low investment of time and energy. The technique consists of asking students to jot down a quick response to one question:
• "What was the muddiest point in ........?"
• The focus of the Muddiest Point assessment might be a lecture, a discussion, a homework assignment, a play, or a film.
One-Sentence Summary
• This simple technique challenges students to answer the questions "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" about a given topic, and then to synthesize those answers into a simple informative, grammatical, and long summary sentence.
What's the Principle?
• After students figure out what type of problem they are dealing with, they often must then decide what principle or principles to apply in order to solve the problem.
• This technique focuses on this step in problem solving. It provides students with a few problems and asks them to state the principle that best applies to each problem.
Creative teaching
• Creative, teaching techniques is simulation, games, and role playing. These approaches have high group member involvement while facilitating meaningful and fun learning.
• Simulation as "a controlled detailed mode intended to reflect a situation found in the real world. It is a dramatic view of life existing for the serious purpose of learning about real experiences.
• Role playing is like simulation, but often has winners and losers. Roles are more structured and have a defined set of participants with specific times, places, equipment, and rules.
• Games are like play, but have an end or a payoff and involve suspense. Games may be played with teams against one another or against some impersonal force. As long as no one is forced to participate, competition can be positive and encourage player discovery, examination, and learning.
→ Often, educators will use games as ice breakers with new groups of any age. Active strategies for group involvement serve as warm-ups, to change people's attitudes, to speed up the establishment of rapport, and to ease the communication flow.
Common Teaching Methods
Lecture
• STRENGTHS:
• - presents factual material in direct, logical manner
• - contains experience which inspires
• - stimulates thinking to open discussion
• - useful for large groups
• LIMITATIONS:
• - experts are not always good teachers
• - audience is passive
• - learning is difficult to gauge
• - communication in one way
• PREPARATION:
• - needs clear introduction and summary
• - needs time and content limit to be effective
• - should include examples, anecdotes
Lecture With Discussion
• STRENGTHS:
• - involves audience at least after the lecture
• - audience can question, clarify & challenge
• LIMITATIONS:
• - time may limit discussion period
• - quality is limited to quality of questions and discussion
• PREPARATION:
• - requires that questions be prepared prior to discussion
Panel of Experts
• STRENGTHS:
• - allows experts to present different opinions
• - can provoke better discussion than a one person discussion
• - frequent change of speaker keeps attention from lagging
• LIMITATIONS:
• - experts may not be good speakers
• - personalities may overshadow content
• - subject may not be in logical order
• PREPARATION:
• - facilitator coordinates focus of panel, introduces and summarizes
• - briefs panel
Brainstorming
• STRENGTHS:
• - listening exercise that allows creative thinking for new ideas
• - encourages full participation because all ideas equally recorded
• - draws on group's knowledge and experience
• - spirit of congeniality is created
• - one idea can spark off other other ideas
• LIMITATIONS:
• - can be unfocused
• - needs to be limited to 5 - 7 minutes
• - people may have difficulty getting away from known reality
• - if not facilitated well, criticism and evaluation may occur
• PREPARATION:
• - facilitator selects issue
• - must have some ideas if group needs to be stimulated
Videotapes
• STRENGTHS:
• - entertaining way of teaching content and raising issues
• - keep group's attention
• - looks professional
• - stimulates discussion
• LIMITATIONS:
• - can raise too many issues to have a focused discussion
• - discussion may not have full participation
• - only as effective as following discussion
• PREPARATION:
• - need to set up equipment
• - effective only if facilitator prepares questions to discuss after the show
Class Discussion
• STRENGTHS:
• - pools ideas and experiences from group
• - effective after a presentation, film or experience that needs to be analyzed
• - allows everyone to participate in an active process
• LIMITATIONS:
• - not practical with more that 20 people
• - few people can dominate
• - others may not participate
• - is time consuming
• - can get off the track
• PREPARATION:
• - requires careful planning by facilitator to guide discussion
• - requires question outline
Small Group Discussion
• STRENGTHS:
• - allows participation of everyone
• - people often more comfortable in small groups
• - can reach group consensus
• LIMITATIONS:
• - needs careful thought as to purpose of group
• - groups may get side tracked
• PREPARATION:
• - needs to prepare specific tasks or questions for group to answer
Case Studies
• STRENGTHS:
• - develops analytic and problem solving skills
• - allows for exploration of solutions for complex issues
• - allows student to apply new knowledge and skills
• LIMITATIONS:
• - people may not see relevance to own situation
• - insufficient information can lead to inappropriate results
• PREPARATION:
• - case must be clearly defined in some cases
• - case study must be prepared
Role Playing
• STRENGTHS:
• - introduces problem situation dramatically
• - provides opportunity for people to assume roles of others and thus appreciate another point of view
• - allows for exploration of solutions
• - provides opportunity to practice skills
• LIMITATIONS:
• - people may be too self-conscious
• - not appropriate for large groups
• - people may feel threatened
• PREPARATION:
• - trainer has to define problem situation and roles clearly
• - trainer must give very clear instructions
Report-Back Sessions
• STRENGTHS:
• - allows for large group discussion of role plays, case studies, and small group exercise
• - gives people a chance to reflect on experience
• - each group takes responsibility for its operation
• LIMITATIONS:
• - can be repetitive if each small group says the same thing
• PREPARATION:
• - trainer has to prepare questions for groups to discuss
Worksheets/Surveys
• STRENGTHS:
• - allows people to thing for themselves without being influences by others
• - individual thoughts can then be shared in large group
• LIMITATIONS:
• - can be used only for short period of time
• PREPARATION:
• - facilitator has to prepare handouts
Index Card Exercise
• STRENGTHS:
• - opportunity to explore difficult and complex issues
• LIMITATIONS:
• - people may not do exercise
• PREPARATION:
• - facilitator must prepare questions
Guest Speaker
• STRENGTHS:
• - personalizes topic
• - breaks down audience's stereotypes
• LIMITATIONS:
• - may not be a good speaker
• PREPARATION:
• - contact speakers and coordinate
• - introduce speaker appropriately
Values Clarification Exercise
• STRENGTHS:
• - opportunity to explore values and beliefs
• - allows people to discuss values in a safe environment
• - gives structure to discussion
• LIMITATION:
• - people may not be honest
• - people may be too self-conscious
• PREPARATION:
• - facilitator must carefully prepare exercise
• - must give clear instructions
• - facilitator must prepare discussion questions
DAILY LESSON PLAN
INSTRUCTOR | DATE | |
COURSE TITLE | LESSON NUMBER | |
UNIT | SPECIFIC TOPIC | |
INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL (outcome that students should be able to demonstrate upon completion of the entire unit) | ||
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE (use an action verb in a description of a measurable outcome) | ||
RATIONALE (brief justification -- why you feel the students need to learn this topic) | ||
LESSON CONTENT (what is to be taught) | ||
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
| ||
EVALUATION PROCEDURES (how you will measure outcomes to determine if the material has been learned) | ||
MATERIALS AND AIDS (what you will need in order to teach this lesson) | ||
Classroom Assessment Techniques
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
Minute paper | During the last few minutes of the class period, ask students to answer on a half-sheet of paper: "What is the most important point you learned today?"; and, "What point remains least clear to you?". The purpose is to elicit data about students' comprehension of a particular class session. | Review responses and note any useful comments. During the next class periods emphasize the issues illuminated by your students' comments. | Prep: Low In class: Low Analysis: Low |
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
Chain Notes | Students pass around an envelope on which the teacher has written one question about the class. When the envelope reaches a student he/she spends a moment to respond to the question and then places the response in the envelope. | Go through the student responses and determine the best criteria for categorizing the data with the goal of detecting response patterns. Discussing the patterns of responses with students can lead to better teaching and learning. | Prep: Low In class: Low Analysis: Low |
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
Memory matrix | Students fill in cells of a two-dimensional diagram for which instructor has provided labels. For example, in a music course, labels might consist of periods (Baroque, Classical) by countries (Germany, France, Britain); students enter composers in cells to demonstrate their ability to remember and classify key concepts. | Tally the numbers of correct and incorrect responses in each cell. Analyze differences both between and among the cells. Look for patterns among the incorrect responses and decide what might be the cause(s). | Prep: Med In class: Med Analysis: Med |
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
Directed paraphrasing | Ask students to write a layman’s "translation" of something they have just learned – geared to a specified individual or audience to assess their ability to comprehend and transfer concepts. | Categorize student responses according to characteristics you feel are important. Analyze the responses both within and across categories, noting ways you could address student needs. | Prep: Low In class: Med Analysis: Med |
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
One-sentence summary | Students summarize knowledge of a topic by constructing a single sentence that answers the questions "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" The purpose is to require students to select only the defining features of an idea. | Evaluate the quality of each summary quickly and holistically. Note whether students have identified the essential concepts of the class topic and their interrelationships. Share your observations with your students. | Prep: Low In class: Med Analysis: Med |
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
Exam Evaluations | Select a type of test that you are likely to give more than once or that has a significant impact on student performance. Create a few questions that evaluate the quality of the test. Add these questions to the exam or administer a separate, follow up evaluation. | Try to distinguish student comments that address the fairness of your grading from those that address the fairness of the test as an assessment instrument. Respond to the general ideas represented by student comments. | Prep: Low In class: Low Analysis: Med |
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
Application cards | After teaching about an important theory, principle, or procedure, ask students to write down at least one real-world application for what they have just learned to determine how well they can transfer their learning. | Quickly read once through the applications and categorize them according to their quality. Pick out a broad range of examples and present them to the class. | Prep: Low In class: Low Analysis: Med |
Name: | Description: | What to do with the data: | Time required: |
Student -generated Test questions | Allow students to write test questions and model answers for specified topics, in a format consistent with course exams. This will give students the opportunity to evaluate the course topics, reflect on what they understand, and what are good test items. | Make a rough tally of the questions your students propose and the topics that they cover. Evaluate the questions and use the goods ones as prompts for discussion. You may also want to revise the questions and use them on the upcoming exam. | Prep: Med In class: High Analysis: High (may be homework) |
Active Learning
1. Students are involved in more than passive listening
2. Students are engaged in activities (e.g., reading, discussing, writing)
3. There is less emphasis placed on information transmission and greater emphasis placed on developing student skills
4. There is greater emphasis placed on the exploration of attitudes and values
5. Student motivation is increased (especially for adult learners)
6. Students can receive immediate feedback from their instructor
7. Students are involved in higher order thinking (analysis, synthesis and evaluation)
