Engaging Students Using Active Learning Strategies Learning to Teach Day November 10, 2012 Eva Dobler & Marcy Slapcoff
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Workshop goals 1. Introduce strategies that promote active
learning; 2. Discuss how to choose which strategy to use; 3. Explore approaches to address student
resistance to active learning; 4. Experience a series of active learning strategies
and reflect on their applicability to your context.
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What is active learning? • Students are involved in more than listening. • Students are engaged in activities (e.g., reading, writing, discussion). • Often involves student collaboration. • Emphasis on higher‐order thinking (application, analysis, evaluation). • Instructor facilitates and provides feedback.
• Bonnell and Eison (1991). Active Learning. ASHE‐ERIC.
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Purpose
Preparation & Instructions
Implementation
Debrief Using active
learning strategies
Icebreaker: Purpose • To establish a positive learning environment • To create some energy • To get to know each other a little bit • Chosen activity: BINGO
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Icebreaker: Instructions • Walk around the room and find the names of people who satisfy the criteria in the Bingo grid. • To win, you must have three squares in a row (across, down or diagonally) with people’s names. • Be the first one to shout BINGO and you win!
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Icebreaker: Debrief • Did this activity meet its purpose? • How could you adapt this idea to your context?
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Why use active learning strategies? • To create a positive learning environment, which fosters student learning and participation;
• To focus students’ attention on the learning experience; • To help students connect new knowledge to existing knowledge; • To provide students opportunities to receive feedback early and often;
• To develop students’ sense of responsibility for their own learning.
(Angelo &Cross, 1993; Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Ewel, 1997; Felder& Brent, 2003; Ramsden,1992; Weiman, 2005, 2007; Weimer, 2003)
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Think‐Pair‐Share Purpose: • Familiarize yourself with a range of different
strategies for active learning
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Think‐Pair‐Share Instructions: 1. THINK: Read the strategy described on your
yellow paper (2 min.) 2. PAIR: Discuss with person next to you (5 min.):
• Explain the strategy to your partner • Reflect together how you each might use this strategy in your context
3. SHARE: Share the results of your discussion with the whole group (8 min.)
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Debriefing: Think‐Pair‐Share
• Think‐Pair‐Share involves: • individual reflection/writing • pairing up to share responses • group discussion (this is an opportunity to debrief)
• Useful for organizing prior knowledge; brainstorming; summarizing, applying, or integrating new information.
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McGill examples Purpose: • to show a range of possibilities; to inspire. Instructions: • Look at these examples and • think how you could adapt them to your context
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Ken Ragan • Course: Intro to physics (600 students)
• Purpose: creating a positive learning environment; reducing anxiety;
• Strategy: students answer four questions on a sheet of paper: • What is your background in physics?
• Summarize your feelings on taking this course.
• What does physics mean to you?
• What can I do to help make the course go better?
• In the following class, Prof. Ragan presents a quick PowerPoint summary with the best answers
• Prof. Ragan likes to repeat this activity at the end of the term to see if the attitude of the students towards physics has changed
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Chantal Westgate • Teaches labour relations in Management and Continuing Studies (30‐50 students) • Purpose: getting to know her students • Strategy: each students submits an index card with their photo, describing their interests and career plans
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André Costopoulos • Course: Intro to evolutionary theory (ca. 200 students) • Purpose: help students learn challenging concepts • E.g., “Evolutionary theory and classification”
• Strategy: Game in groups of 10 • Part I: Members of a group pool all their pens and pencils and then classify them. Each group has to decide on their own which traits they use for the purpose of classification (e.g., put all the clickable ones together? Sort by color? By ink?) The resulting debates recapitulate in some ways the history of evolutionary theory
• Part II: Students present their solutions, compare and reflect on the classification process: what can they learn from that?
• Prof. Costopoulos links the activity to passages in the assigned readings
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Case study: “My students don’t want active learning!”
• Get together in groups of 4‐5 and choose a reporter • Individually, read the scenario • As a group, discuss: What should the instructor do… • GROUP A: …prior to the activity • GROUP B: …during the activity • GROUP C: …after the activity
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Case study ‐ Discussion What ideas do you have to address the situation? 1. GROUP A: Prior to the activity 2. GROUP B: During the activity 3. GROUP C: After the activity
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Case study ‐ Debrief • 3 strategies: case study, group work, jigsaw • Purpose
Final activity ‐ Minute paper Purpose: • Give you a chance to reflect on this session and start to develop your own ideas
Instructions: • Pick one strategy and briefly describe how you might use it for current or future teaching.
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Minute paper ‐ Debrief • Would somebody like to share their ideas/thoughts with the group? • Do you have any questions at this point regarding the content of this workshop?
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