Active Learning: Motivating Students to Learn Dr. Theresa R. Moore

1. Active Learning: Motivating Students to Learn Dr. Theresa R. Moore

2. I hear, and I forget; I see, and I remember; I do, and I understand. - Confucious

3. Outline of Plenary • Review goals of Title 3; • Course design; • What is active learning & why do it? • Learning theorists & learning styles; • Active learning and technology (Isaac).

4. Outcomes of the workshop Faculty will… • Know basic concepts related to a cognitive approach to learning styles; • Understand basic premises of active learning; • Engage in active learning with their peers; • Work individually and with their programs on purposeful alignment of outcomes, assessment methods, and instructional activities; • Have a “toolkit” of active learning approaches to apply to courses.

5. Section I: Goals of the Title III Project • Goal 1: increase the use of outcomes based assessment in courses and programs to measure and improve student learning; • Goal 2: increase the use of active learning strategies and technologies to effect learner-centered instruction.

6. 2. Learninggoals 4. Teaching & Learning Activities 3. Feedback & Assessment Section II: Course design Active Learning 1. Situational factors

7. Learning Outcome(s) Teaching & Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Student learning outcome: Students will critically analyze the current educational policies in the United States. Primary instructional method: lecture Assessment method: exams with critical thinking items embedded

8. Section III: What is active learning & why do it? • Strategies that increase student engagement with material and are aligned with student learning outcomes • Theory that derives from two basic assumptions: (1) that learning is by nature an active endeavor and (2) that different people learn in different ways (Meyers and Jones, 1993).

9. What is active learning? [it is] when students are engaged in more activities than just listening. They are involved in dialog, debate, writing, and problem solving, as well as higher-order thinking. (Bonwell, C., and Eison, J., 1991)

10. Types of activities • Small group work • Presentations and debates • Journaling • Role playing • Learning Games • Field Experiences • Case Studies • Class Discussions • Simulations….more! • (Mc Keachie, 1994 and Silberman, 1996)

11. Active learning types “simple tasks” ad hoc exercises; little or no advanced planning; e.g. “think-pair-share” “minute paper” “concept mapping” “complex tasks” longer duration, carefully planned and structured Cooperative learning a form of collaborative learning that has 5 specific criteria to maximize learning Collaborative learning carefully structured, group formation and student roles important

12. 1. Positive interdependence (each individual depends on and is accountable to the others); 2. Individual accountability (each person in the group learns the material); 3. Promotive interaction (group members help one another, share information, clarify); 4. Social skills (emphasis on interpersonal skills); 5. Group processing (assessing how effectively they are working with one another). Cooperative learning: 5 key components

13. Why do active learning? Sousa, D.A. (2000)

14. Why do Active Learning?www.foundationcoalition.org

15. Research summary Longitudinal studies show that cohorts of students instructed using active learning techniques outperformed a comparison group on multiple measures: retention, graduation and pursuit of graduate study (Felder, R., Felder, G, and Dietz, E, 1998)

16. Research summary “Scientists and engineers work mostly in groups and less often as isolated investigators. Similarly, students should gain experience sharing responsibility for learning with each other.” Meta-analysis of research studies: • greater academic achievement, • more favorable attitudes toward learning and, • increased persistence in SMET courses and programs. www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise/cl1/CL/resource/R2.htm

17. Why do active learning? Retention levels are enhanced when active learning methods are used (McKeachie, 1999; Silberman, 1996) Active learning produces: • higher achievement, • more positive relationships among students, • healthier psychological adjustment. (Johnson, D. W., R. T. Johnson, and K. Smith , 1991)

18. Section IV: Learning theorists & learning styles • Behaviorism (B.F. Skinner) – learning built on conditioning • Constructivism (J. Dewey, J. Piaget, L. Vygotsky, others) – learning built on prior knowledge

19. John Dewey(1916): 1) individual experience & 2) collaboration w/others are important for learning “School is primarily a social institution. Education is a social process….therefore [it] is a process of living, not preparation for living.”

20. Active learning from the Constructivist School Jean Piaget: we come to know the world by building new experiences on old experiences Lev Vygotsky: students learn better by engaging with “more capable others”

21. Constructivist principles • Knowledge is constructed from experience; • Learning results from personal interpretation of knowledge; • Learning is an active process; • Learning is a collaborative process.

22. Benjamin Bloom • Viewed education as goal attainment, not competition; • Acknowledged individual differences and environment as crucial; • Studied high achieving adults - found they excelled because of MENTORSHIP.

23. Three Domains of Learning (Bloom,1956) • Cognitive: mental skills • Affective: growth regarding feelings, emotions • Psychomotor: manual, physicality, environment

24. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning“Higher Order Thinking Skills” • Synthesis • Comprehension • Application • Analysis • Knowledge • Evaluation Alone or with a neighbor: 1) define each skill & 2) align in a hierarchy.

25. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Evaluation: compare and discriminate between ideas. Question Cues:assess, decide, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince, select, judge Synthesis: use old ideas to create new ones. Question Cues:combine, integrate, modify, substitute, plan, create, design, invent Analysis: identification of components. Question Cues:analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare, select Application: use of concepts/methods in new situations. Question cues: apply, demonstrate, illustrate, examine, solve Comprehension: understanding of meaning. Question cues: summarize, describe, interpret, predict Knowledge: recall of information. Question cues: define, identify, list, match

26. Learning styles • Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic (VAK) • Kolb’s learning style inventory (LSI) • Meyers Briggs (MBTI)

27. VAK learning styles Visual learners have two subchannels • visual-linguistic • visual-spatial Auditory learners Kinesthetic learners have two subchannels • kinesthetic (movement) • tactile (touch)

28. Section V: Active Learning & Technology

29. Bibliography Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals: Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York ; Toronto: Longmans, Green. Bonwell, C. and Eison, J. (1991). “Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom.”ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. Bonwell C. and Sutherland, T. (eds.). (1996). Using Active Learning in College Classes: A Range of Options for Faculty. Jossey-Bass Publishers. Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education. New York: Collier Books. Felder, R.M., Felder, G.N., Dietz, E.J. (1998). “A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student Performance and Retention V. Comparisons with Traditionally Taught Students.” Engineering Education, 98(4), 469-480. Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco. Huba, M. E. and Freed, J. E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses: Shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Allyn and Bacon. Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K. (1991). Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom, Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.

30. Bibliography Mc Keachie, W. J. (1994). Teaching Tips: Strategies, research, and theory for College Teachers. 9th edition. Lexington, Maryland: D.C. Heath. Meyers, C. and Jones, T.B. (1993). Promoting active learning: Strategies for the college classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993. Paiget, J. (1970). The Science of Education and the Psychology of the Child. NY: Grossman. Silberman, M. (1996). Active learning: 101 Strategies to teach any subject. Allyn & Bacon. Sousa, D. A. (2000). How the brain learns: A classroom teacher's guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Stice, J. E. (1987). “Using Kolb’s Learning Cycle to Improve Student Learning.” Engineering Education, 77(5), 291-296. Vygotsky, L.S. (1971). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes.. (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds. & Trans.). Cambridge: MA: Harvard University Press.