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Active Learning: Why and How

Active Learning: Why and How. Can Akkan. Agenda. Some findings from research on learning. Disclaimer: I am not an expert... Methods of active learning I do have experience. Learning physically changes the brain Learning  Microsurgery!.

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Active Learning: Why and How

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  1. Active Learning: Why and How Can Akkan

  2. Agenda • Some findings from research on learning. • Disclaimer: I am not an expert... • Methods of active learning • I do have experience ...

  3. Learning physically changes the brain • Learning  Microsurgery! John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R. Cocking. How People Learn: Brain Mind, Experience, and School, p.103

  4. t t t An Experiment List 1 List 2 List 3 100% 50% 40% Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  5. Interference Causes Loss of Learning • In the classroom: all mechanical tasks • Clerical, logistical, maintenance • “Where do I write my name” • “When is the assignment, where will I submit it” • Other learning tasks Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  6. Anesthetic Sleep first 4 hrs Amount remembered 100% 4 hrs time Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  7. Most learning occurs in the subconscious • Need time for consolidation • “growth in the neurons become permanent” • Need retrieval and targeted practice Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  8. What to do? • Can’t let them sleep to allow for consolidation! • Solution: Modulate the cognitive load during class • As little cognitive load as possible: anectodes, stories • As different tasks as possible • Load allow consolidation  reiterate/exercise Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  9. Amount remembered 100% Time after learning 1 hour uninterrupted learning 20 min x 3 with some time in between for consolidation Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  10. When to Practice? Amount remembered 100% 1 hr delay 30% 1 day delay 7 day delay Days after reading 10 20 30 40 50 Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  11. An Experimental Study % retained 70 20 0 10 50 t t: time in lecture when information was presented Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  12. Summary – Essential Elements of Learning • Interactive • Active learner • Don’t give the answer, let them struggle and put the pieces together • Positive response • Move to the speaker • Use rewards for engagement • Meaningful • Related to and accessible to learner; “contextually relevant” • Collaborative • Design a social classroom Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.

  13. “It is not what the teacher does but what the student does” • Focus on behavioral outcomes • Express goals in terms of what the students can do

  14. Active Learning

  15. Definition • “Promot[ing] conceptual understanding through interactive engagement of students in heads-on (always) and hands-on (usually) activities which yield immediate feedback through discussion with peers and/or instructors.” Richard Hake, Professor of PhysicsIndiana University.

  16. How to Encourage Participation? • Ask a question • Volunteer • Cold call • Warm call: give prior warning • “Talk to your neighbor” • Give an exercise • ....?

  17. First Class – First Question • Turn to your nearest neighbor whom you don’t know and find out • Where he/she is from? • What program he/she is in? • Etc • Tell them you will chose a couple of students afterwards and ask them to introduce their neighbors. • “Ice breaker”

  18. In-Class Exercises • Form teams of 2-4 • Give teams 30 sec to 2 minutes • 5 min absolute maximum • If too long ... • Don’t ask for volunteers • Collect some or all answers EXERCISE

  19. In-Class Exercises • Types of exercises • Recall prior material • Answer a question • Start a problem solution • Work out the next step in a derivation • Think of an example or application • Figure out why a given result may be wrong • Brainstorm (objective: quantity) • Generate a question

  20. Think-Pair-Share • Students think answers individually • Then form pairs to synthesize a response • More time-consuming • More instructive then immediate group work

  21. Cooperative Note-Taking Pairs • Pairs summarize and compare what they have in their notes • Goal: more accurate and complete notes • Period for “consolidation” and identifying questions Talk six minutes less and students learn more!

  22. Guided Reciprocal Peer Questioning • Each student prepares questions on the lecture using generic question stems, such as • What is the main idea of _____? • What conclusions can I draw about _____? • What is the difference between ____ and ____? • Groups of 3-4 students take turns answering their questions. • Whole class comes together to discuss unanswered or interesting questions.

  23. More generic question stems... • How are ____ and _____ similar? • How does ____ affect ____? • What is a new example of ____? • What if ____? • Explain why _____? • Explain how _____? • How would I use ____ to ____?

  24. Writing Assignments • Assign frequent, short writing assignments • Students “write to learn” gaining deeper understanding of course material • May be kept in a learning log

  25. Minute Paper • Stop the lecture with two minutes to go • Ask the students to write • The main points • The muddiest (least clear) points • Collect all the responses • anonymous • Use responses to plan next lecture, recitation or assignment Mosteller, F (1989), "The ‘Muddiest Point in the Lecture’ as a Feedback Device," On Teaching and Learning. Mosteller is a statistics professor at Harvard

  26. Sense of caring covers all the “sins” of the teacher

  27. Implementing Active Learning • Explain what you are doing and why • Not an experiment, there is research ... • Do not rely on volunteers • Call randomly on individuals while working and after work is complete • Vary • Format • Pairs, groups, think-pair-share • Time between exercises • Put some course material in handouts to save time for active learning Source: Felder, R., TMS Workshop 2004.

  28. More information/material on Active Learning on my personal web site http://people.sabanciuniv.edu/~canakkan/ActiveLearning.htm

  29. References • R.M. Felder and R. Brent (2003) “Learning by Doing”, Chem. Engr. Education, 37 (4), 282-283 www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Columns/Active.pdf • R.M. Felder (1994) “Any Questions?” Chem. Engr. Education, 28 (3), 174-175. www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Columns/Questions.pdf • R.M. Felder (1991) “It Goes Without Saying” Chem. Engr. Education, 25 (3), 132-133. www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Columns/WithoutSaying.pdf

  30. Bransford, J.D. et al. (2000) How people learn. • Available at • I.C. as a e-book • http://books.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/ (national academy of science) • Light, Richard (2001) Making the Most of College. Harvard University Press. • Good for advising, ordered it for the I.C.

  31. Hake, R. “Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses," American Journal of Physics, 66, 64-74, 1998.

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