Engage and Learn: Active Teaching Strategies for Enriched Learning Experiences

1. Active Learning Resources Oakham festival of learning Tuesday 4 June 2019

2. Purpose • Not about fads or meaningless ‘fun’ lessons for the sake of it. • All about planning a variety of different ways to engage students (chunking) into schemes of work. • Active Learning Resources can apply at the very beginning of topics (to illustrate, introduce, contextualise, debunk myths…) Or they come later on, when application and justification of understanding is required • The staple diet of many lessons is (and needs to be) teacher explanation, inquiry, note-taking, essay planning, practice questions, etc. These methods are, in themselves, cognitively active • But today I will share a number of ways where the active learning becomes more physically and/or mentally active than usual. 

3. Simulations, Role Plays and Games • + Brings the subject to life • + Introduces difficult concepts in a real-life context • + Questions misconceptions and narrow views • + Providing problems ‘gamifies’ learning – something we don’t do enough of post primary and MYP • Other examples: • Ayn Rand – acting out Atlas Shrugged • General Election Trending Game – the road to Number 10 • Tweeting for Thomas Hobbes Example: Appoint your own Cabinet

4. What will affect who we appoint to our Cabinet? • Ability & Experience needed – doesn’t have to be specific and detailed to a single department; needs to seem like a ‘natural front bencher’ • Establishing the PM’s Authority – PM needs to put their personal stamp on their new Cabinet • Rewarding Loyalty & Conciliating Rivals – keep your friends close (and your enemies closer?) • Maintaining Party Balance – range of ideological views need to be represented to form a united Cabinet • Diversity – particularly consider females and ethnic minorities

5. The PM (and her SPAD) will appoint… • A Chancellor of the Exchequer • A Foreign Secretary • A Home Secretary • One bonus Cabinet member – a Deputy PM

6. Connecting Learning • + Develops ideas into higher order thinking, such as analysis of both sides • + Critical thinking – prioritising notes, categorising ideas • + Visual and cognitive stimulation far better than re-writing notes • + Provides struggling students with noting scaffold • Other examples: • Pressure Groups concept mapping • Giant essay planning card sorts (John Stuart Mill) • Thinking Hats Example: Dream Menus

7. Quizzes • + Fun way to boost retrieval and recall at the beginning of a topic and as revision • + Can be both student- and teacher-made • + Competition and fun = higher engagement • + Effective use of ‘wrong answers’ • Other examples: • Blind Kahooting – Parliament • Nearpod – female suffrage • Student-made revision quizlets Example: Quizizz – General Election case studies: https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/59593e32b96e581100aac7e8

8. Students as Teachers • + Develops confidence in understanding, communication and peer-reviewing arguments • + Shares good practice • + Enables differentiated grouping • + Self Regulated Learning • + Airing ideas in a lower pressure environment • Other examples: • Harkness Table discussions • Holiday brochures - devolution Example: Speed Dating Stations – General Election trends