1 / 31

Active Learning

Active Learning. Workshop for TAs. Introductions. Name Department How long you ’ ve been assisting at AUC Remember what others have said?. Split into groups. Each one talks for one minute about what courses they are assisting and some of the challenges/issues there

tivona
Download Presentation

Active Learning

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Active Learning Workshop for TAs

  2. Introductions • Name • Department • How long you’ve been assisting at AUC • Remember what others have said?

  3. Split into groups • Each one talks for one minute about what courses they are assisting and some of the challenges/issues there • Remember what others have said? • Why?

  4. How to Make Breakfast A set of exercises

  5. Lecture: Making Breakfast • Scramble eggs • Brew the coffee • Heat the toast • Simple lesson? We all got it?

  6. A Show of Hands… • Has everyone HAD breakfast this morning? • Ramadan!!! • Does everyone eat breakfast when not fasting? • Who likes eggs for breakfast? • Who likes coffee for breakfast? • Who knows how to make scrambled eggs?

  7. What was wrong with the first lesson? • Assumptions? • Relevance? • Other?

  8. Breakfast Components • In groups, brainstorm for a few minutes on breakfast components and present them to the class • How is this different from the initial lecture?

  9. Debating Breakfast • Split into two groups: • Healthy breakfast • Unhealthy but tasty breakfast • After a few minutes of thinking, “debate” what a “good” breakfast “should” contain

  10. Alone: arrange a breakfast for someone who: • Is dieting • Can’t digest milk products • Can't digest beans • Doesn't like coffee/tea • Would you have been able to do so using the first lecture?

  11. Active Learning A Theory Review

  12. So what is active learning? • "…anything that students do in a classroom other than merely passively listening to an instructor's lecture" (Paulson and Faust) • Includes helping students listen better, short exercises related to in-class material, complex group exercises, applying real-life problems, etc.

  13. Benefits of active learning • You know more about how the students are thinking/absorbing • Students become more involved and engaged • Students learn extra skills beside the content matter • Makes use of what students already know • Helps students think of how the subject matter can be applied in their day-to-day lives or other real-life contexts

  14. How can I apply active learning? • Have you been exposed to this? Today or even before in other classes? • We already displayed a few techniques: poll/pretest, brainstorming, debate, problem-based learning • Listing of different techniques is available online • Can be applied for a certain concept or an entire chapter or an entire semester

  15. How Can Technology Help? • Any ideas? • Webquests • Online quizzes • Online interactive material (www.merlot.org) • Online discussions or chats

  16. Cooperative Learning Theory & Practice

  17. What is Cooperative Learning • What do you think it means? • Do you think it is a form of active learning? • Why? • Where have you used cooperative learning in your discipline?

  18. A Definition (Slavin) Cooperative learning (also called social learning) is learning that occurs when groups of students work together rather than individually.

  19. Why Cooperative Learning? • Active vs. passive • Quicker more personal feedback from peers • Learn from others’ thinking/skills • Develop higher-level thinking skills • Develop social/interpersonal skills • Better appreciation of diversity and different points of view

  20. E.g. Learning Together • Work together and hand in an assignment for a group grade – emphasis on team-building and discussions on group dynamics (easily applicable to any group work in any discipline)

  21. E.g. Group Investigation • Work together through cooperative inquiry, discussion, project planning, presenting to rest of class (easily applicable to e.g. Management projects; science/engineering projects)

  22. E.g. Cooperative Scripting • Cooperative scripting: work in pairs, and summarize parts of material to each other for feedback[1] (applicable to any material-based activity) [1] Research shows higher gains in achievement by the one speaking rather than the one listening

  23. Jigsaw • Specialist groups working on different aspects of the project • Get together to integrate • For example…

  24. Issues/Challenges

  25. How To Know Everyone Has Worked • Partial group and partial individual accountability – how? • Assign specific roles – e.g. Jigsaw • Each student to state what their particular contribution to the work was • Group members to assess the group work (what went well/poorly) midway & at end

  26. How to Group Students? • Self-chosen groups • Commitment • But: Friends? • By diversity (of e.g. major, academic achievement, academic standing, gender) • More to learn from each other • BUT More time to get used to each other • By similarity (e.g. of interest) • Not self-formed so not just friends • BUT difficult & no diversity to learn from

  27. Group Size? • Depends on the task at hand • “two” is a pair… • Usually 3-6 is ideal • Larger numbers possible if tasks can be split up into sub-tasks

  28. Preparing Students for Group Work • Clear expectations • Regular team reviews • Group work • Individuals • Ice-breakers or team-building exercises (search the net for ideas!)

  29. Active/Cooperative? • Do you feel active or cooperative learning will help your classes? • Can you think of immediate applications of cooperative or active learning for the courses you assist? • Pass by CLT if you decide to apply and would like to assess success 

  30. References • Anon. (undated) "Active Learning Techniques" http://ic.educ.indiana.edu/workshop2003/pdf/active_learning_techniques.pdf • Post A (2003) “Cooperative Learning”http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/1875.shtml • Slavin R E (2003) “Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice 7th edition”. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. • Concept to Classroom (2004) http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/index_sub3.html • Paulson D R and Faust J L (undated) "Active Learning for the College Classroom" http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/chem/chem2/Active/

  31. Thank You Questions bali@aucegypt.edu (797-6635)

More Related