Active Learning Principles

1. Active Learning Principles Developed by Kate Hurst, Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired in collaboration with Patty Obrzut, MS, OT, Penrickton Center for Blind Children

2. About this session This session focuses on two aspects of Active Learning principles: Pathways to Learning and the Dynamic Learning Circle. This presentation utilizes content on Active Learning Space, a collaborative website developed by Penrickton Center for Blind Children, Perkins School for the Blind and Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

3. Learning Objectives Participants will be able to: • Explain the concept of Pathways to Learning and utilize this information in planning for student instruction. • Explain the concept of the Dynamic Learning Circle and utilize this information in planning for student instruction and troubleshooting issues that may arise.

4. Section 2 Pathways to Learning and the Dynamic Learning Circle

5. Pathways to Learning Every child has a unique way they access information based on their specific disabilities, available sensory information, and their ability to move their own body.

6. Pathways to Learning What are “Pathways to Learning”? Patty Obrzut Discusses Pathways to Learning Description: Dr. Nielsen identifies Pathways to Learning as the five senses and movement. Patty Obrzut gives examples of each and selecting equipment for individual learners with different disabilities.

7. Pathways to Learning A child with special needs is: • a life-long learner • learn according to her level of physical, mental and emotional capacity Learning is restricted by lack of learning opportunities in meaningful learning environments.

8. Pathways to Learning It is our role as the adults to provide these learning opportunities by developing rich learning environments matched to the learners skill levels and interests.

9. Pathways to Learning Create learning environments that: • Facilitate learning at any time and any developmental level • Encourage active exploration and experimentation • Enable learner to repeat activities • Enable learner to be active without interference from others • Allow learner to use previously achieved skills • Enhance learner's self-esteem

10. Pathways to Learning What Are the Pathways? In order to do this the adult must first become aware of the available "pathways to learning" each child possesses.  These pathways include: • Sight • Smell • Taste • Touch • Hearing  • Movement

11. Pathways to Learning Your student has cerebral palsy, Cortical Visual Impairment, and a mild hearing impairment. You observe that he responds to light and loud sounds. He is somewhat mobile; he moves when on the floor by rolling. You know he likes to smell things and frequently mouths favorite objects. Create a graph showing this student’s available Pathways to Learning.

12. Pathways to Learning • Has some vision, but may light perception only • Smell seems to be intact • Taste seems to be intact • Touch may be limited by CP • Hearing is impacted • Has ability to roll, but maybe not more

13. Pathways to Learning Active Learning Materials and Activities Planning Sheet

14. Dynamic Learning Circle

15. Dynamic Learning Circle When introduced to a new task, object, or activity all learners go through four stages of learning. This is described by Dr. Nielsen as the Dynamic Learning Circle. 

16. Dynamic Learning Circle There is no way to predict how long a learner will stay in a particular stage during any activity or experience. It depends on what he can learn based on skill and interest and how long it takes for him to be ready to learn something new.

17. Dynamic Learning Circle It is important to be able to recognize each stage of the Dynamic Learning Circle and understand how to promote changes in the environment to facilitate continued learning.  We do this to determine: • When a learner becomes "stuck" in a specific stage and "disharmonic" learning occurs • How to identify and correct the cause to foster skill attainment • If self-injurious, self-stimulatory, and/or aggressive behaviors are a sign of disharmonic learning

18. Dynamic Learning Circle The Dynamic Learning Circle is discussed by Patty Obrzut. Let’s start with Stage 1: Aware and Interested

19. Dynamic Learning Circle In Stage 1 awareness and interest are key.  When a learner first moves his body, these movements may be accidental.  Awareness occurs once accidental movements become purposeful.  Look for awareness and interest in: • his own motor and sensory activity • the objects or activities in the environment • people in the environment including their social or communication activities 

20. Dynamic Learning Circle Look at this short video example of Jack. Does Jack demonstrate Stage 1: Aware and Interested? How can you tell when this occurs? Can you guess what type of sensory information gets Jack attention? Jack and Cindy on the Resonance Board

21. Dynamic Learning Circle Each child is different. It may take minutes, days, weeks or years to understand that his/her movement caused something to happen. Allowed the time needed. Specialized equipment or “perceptualizing aids” may be used to help the child have the access he/she needs to become aware and interested in objects.

22. Dynamic Learning Circle Tips for Stage 1: Do not perform hand-over-hand and bring child's hand to object as this promotes passivity and touch aversion. Hold object still or position it so it almost touches the child's body and wait for the child to move.  Don’t talk or disrupt learning; wait for the learner to take a break and make brief comments.

23. Dynamic Learning Circle Let’s look at Stage 2: Curious and Active

24. Dynamic Learning Circle In Stage 2 the learner becomes curious and activewhich may lead to: • repetition of own activity • establishing memories of own activity • experimentation, exploration, and comparison of objects • imitation of activity of others • response to verbal and non-verbal communication of others • initiating activity • sharing experiences with others

25. Dynamic Learning Circle Tips for Stage 2: Key is independent active (experimenting, exploring, and interacting with the environment) Allow learner to interact in any way that best provides him input (pushing, banging, grasping, throwing, mouthing) Allow learner to use any part of their body Provide opportunities to practice skills in a variety of positions

26. Dynamic Learning Circle Let’s look at Stage 3: Completion of Learning or Habituation

27. Dynamic Learning Circle Stage 3 the learner completes learning with an activity. • The activity is repeated to such a level that is becomes part of the learner’s every day actions and patterns. • The activity or action becomes familiar enough that it presents no more challenges to the learner.

28. Dynamic Learning Circle Do you have an example of a child in Stage 3 of the Dynamic Learning Circle? What behavior(s) helped you know this was Stage 3? What did you or could you do to this activity to help re-engage the learner?

29. Dynamic Learning Circle Stage 3 Tips: Look for signs that indicate that learning has stopped such as: • interacting for a short period of time, beginning to look bored, or participating in a stereotypical way • learner may fall asleep, fuss or refuse activity Should not be one-time events, but occur several times in succession before making a change.

30. Dynamic Learning Circle Let’s look at Stage 4: Ready for new challenges

31. Dynamic Learning Circle Stage 4 indicates a learner is ready for new challenges, which lead to new awareness and interest only if given: • Opportunities to experience new sensory and motor activities • opportunities to experience the new actions of others • Challenges within theirdevelopmental level • Interestof others in learner's past activities

32. Dynamic Learning Circle Stage 4 Tips Add novelty by the “teaspoon not bucket” Make sure the new activity does not require skills the child is not yet demonstrating at least occasionally Make changes that might allow the child to discover a new skill while still practicing an old skill

33. Dynamic Learning Circle Things often go wrong in the Dynamic Learning Circle. This is referred to as “disharmonic learning”. It is the adult’s role to problem-solve a solution to keep the student moving forward in the Circle. Listen to what Patty Obrzut has to say.

34. Dynamic Learning Circle Visit with your shoulder partner and share an example of something going wrong in the Dynamic Learning Circle with a student you know. What do you think you could do to address this problem?

35. Credits This content was developed by Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Program and may not be used without their express permission. This content is based on the Active Learning Space website, collaboratively developed by Penrickton Center for Blind, Perkins School for the Blind and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Special contributions of content and images of Active Learning instruction comes from Narbethong State Special School in Australia. All content is based on the original work of Dr. Lilli Nielsen of Denmark. Our thanks to her family and the staff at Byhaveskolen, Svendborg, Denmarkfor making her work available to educators world-wide. Our special thanks to the children, parents, and educators who contributed photos illustrating the Active Learning approach at school and at home. Additional funding was provided by the Texas Low Incidence Disabilities Network and Statewide Leadership Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.