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Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners Odyssey 2000 Conference Odyssey 2000 Conference Presentation Presentation by Valerie Irvine and T. Craig by Valerie Irvine and T. Craig Montgomerie Montgomerie March 18, 2000 March 18, 2000 Direct correspondence to: [email protected] or

Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

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Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners. Odyssey 2000 Conference Presentation by Valerie Irvine and T. Craig Montgomerie March 18, 2000 Direct correspondence to: [email protected] or [email protected]. Overview of Presentation. We will discuss: - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Odyssey 2000 Conference PresentationOdyssey 2000 Conference Presentation

by Valerie Irvine and T. Craig Montgomerieby Valerie Irvine and T. Craig Montgomerie

March 18, 2000March 18, 2000

Direct correspondence to: [email protected] or [email protected]

Page 2: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Overview of Presentation

We will discuss: what is active learning why use active learning active vs. passive learning strategies active vs. passive learners steps that can be taken to help passive

learners become active learners.

Page 3: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Context of Discussion:Web-Based Instruction (WBI)

Web-based courses are being developed in K-12 and post-secondary education

Page 4: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What is Active Learning?

There are various definitions by researchers and educators to describe active learning

Let’s first discuss what definitions we have for active learning...

Page 5: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What is Active Learning?

Discussion

Page 6: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Two Basic Assumptions

1) that learning is by nature an active endeavor, and

2) that different people learn in different ways

Meyers & Jones (1993)

Page 7: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Putting it simply…

What I hearhear, I forgetforget

What I seesee, I rememberremember

What I dodo, I understandunderstand

(lecture approach)

(demonstration)

(hands on / learner-centred)

Page 8: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Modified by Silberman (1996)

What I hear, I forget. What I hear and see, I remember a little. What I hear, see, and ask questions

about or discuss with someone else, I begin to understand.

What I hear, see, discuss, and do, I acquire knowledge and skill.

What I teach another, I master.

Page 9: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What is Active Learning is NOT?

Learning is not merely the acquisition of knowledge where students receive information from teachers and regurgitate it

• this is memorization

Page 10: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What IS Active Learning?

Learning in which students, “by acting on objects and interacting with other people, ideas, and events, construct new understanding”

(Luckner & Nadler, 1997, p. 13)

“Learning is conceived of as something a learner does, not something that is done to a learner.”

(Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1991, p. 7)

Page 11: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Goal of Active Learning

Students will:

– construct their own knowledge about a subject area

– discover relationships that exist among items of information

– organize subject matter themselves so that it is meaningful

Page 12: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Why Active Learning?

Simply, it is a more effective learning approach and one that is more long-term

Learning in the information age demands students to develop a process for encountering new information

“The transmission model of teaching fails to prepare individuals for the future”

Luckner & Nadler, 1997, p. 12

Page 13: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Obstacles in Implementation

TIME TIME

RISKRISK

Page 14: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Compare/Contrast

Passive Learning poorer retention lower-order thinking teacher-centred:

same info/same pace lower attention-level student isolation emphasis on

memorization

Active Learning better retention higher-order thinking student-centred: prior

knowledge and pacing greater student attention

- students involved encourages collaboration emphasis on process

Page 15: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

The Learner and the Strategy There are two things to consider in WBI:

– the learner– the strategy

Even if an online course uses a more passive learning approach, the nature of the course in general demands students to take a more active role in their learning

Page 16: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What are some Active Learning strategies for online learning?

Discussion

(think about self-directed, collaborative, critical- thinking, and reflective activities)

Page 17: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What are some Active Learning strategies for online learning? Self-Directed Learning/Project-Based Independent Journal-writing Conference Board Discussion Role-play/Simulation Critical Thinking Collaborative Learning

– Jigsaw, Peer Teaching, Learning Partners

Page 18: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

The Learner & Transition to WBI

Ease of transition to WBI depends on both the learner and the strategy used

WBI requires that students take responsibility for their own learning

Page 19: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

The Learner & Transition to WBI active learners are quite comfortable

taking responsibility for their own learning, setting their own pace, seeking out resources, etc.

passive learners find themselves very uncomfortable when then they are forced into a self-paced, active learning mode.

Page 20: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What makes this transition difficult for passive learners? Less structure (can work independently) Students unfamiliar with teaching

technique Change in the role of the teacher

– less sage on the stage– more guide on the side

Pattern of interaction is mostly among students

Page 21: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What makes this transition difficult for passive learners?

Difficulty Adapting to Change

– Students often have almost a lifetime of experience in passive learning environments

Page 22: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

What are steps to help passive learners become active learners?

Discussion

Less structure Students unfamiliar with teaching technique

Change in the role of the teacher Pattern of interaction among students

Page 23: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Steps to ease the transition for passive learners

Provide a rationale

– students often will be more understanding and be more adaptable to change if they understand the purpose to why they are doing what they are doing

Page 24: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Steps to ease the transition for passive learners

Teach students about active learning

– include a module at the beginning of the term devoted to this topic

– create a conference on this topic and foster a discussion

Page 25: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Steps to ease the transition for passive learners Hold their hand

– Provide an opportunity to work in a lab environment, where support is available or where students can feel less isolated

– Hold one F2F class as an orientation• help students learn the interface, how to access

chat, conference boards, how to search for info

Page 26: Helping Passive Learners to Become Active Learners

Questions? Comments?

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments after this

presentation.