Student involvement and engagement are the keys to active learning. SO TRUE!
The key elements of active learning are Reading, Reflective Writing, Displaying and Doing. It is essential that instructors utilize these elements in their coursework.
In my coursework, we have readings that provide the student with creative inspiration as well as an in-depth description of the tasks they will later be doing themselves. We then ask the students to reflect on those readings and what they learned from them. Later I show my students examples of professionals in the field completing the task that we are soon going to complete in our projects. Lastly, we work on the projects as a class. This successfully covers all four of those elements.
I am going to incorporate more of the active learning modules I have found, recently, in my courses. Also, I am going to create a welcome/introductory video to walk students through the structure of the course content/activities. This should help with motivating students by establishing a positive instructor presence. I will work to strengthen student engagement and reinforce instructor presence using positive, encouraging statements in timely discussion feedback.
It is important to use different modalities to reach every student such as video feedback, audio feedback and written feedback. Be encouraging as an instructor and comment on their work regularly, students need to see examples so they know what the instructor is looking for.
The thing that stuck with me was time management. I have seen this so many times - students in an online class don't really take into account that they have to meet deadlines and still show up for class.
Active learning requires modification of traditional methods of assessment. Rubrics can aid in this process. The use of technology can assist in the mastery of course content in a student-centered approach..diversification of skill sets within group projects can lead to students showcasing their strengths in order to aid the group as a whole.
I like that I have a clear assignment: research and use 3-5 active learning strategies that I will incorporate into the course.
It is always important to consider the physical/technological and the student constraints to planned active learning activities. It is important that all activities are equally accessible to students. Rubrics should be detailed and must apply directly to the course learning outcomes.
I would apply both of these tenets in my approach as a student-centered instructor.
Implementing active learning strategies is critical for student-centered teaching. Incorporating elements like videos, scavenger hunts, and group projects can allow students different avenues for engaging with the material on their own terms. It places the instructor into a facilitator role and is very important as the world of higher education moves forward to critical thinking and "doing" oriented goals.
Rubrics are very useful for establishing a certain level of expectations and are helpful when grading student or group work.
Incorporating active learning strategies doesn't have to time intensive or high risk. Start small with purposeful low-risk activities like discussion boards or breakout groups. You can build in the trust of the students as they are successful in small ways by giving timely feedback and encouraging their engagement. As students and instructors before more comfortable with active learning, more high-stakes projects can be used.
Active Learning should include reading, reflective writing, displaying, and doing. Students must be given paramaters, requirements, and time allotment before setting out to complete an assignment. The lessons should be relevant to students and demonstrate a reason for why the assignment is important to their education.
The importance of rubrics, not only for the instructor when explaining expectations and grading, but for the students to self-monitor during their preparation of an assignment.
Comment on Melanie Pariseau's post: Engagement of online courses or blended are reliant upon active learning!!
Interacting with students in my synchronus class using questions, feedback, real life scenarios and why what we're learning is important, has been tremendously helpful in students retaining info
Active Learning is a wonderful tool for the instructor that helps each student to learn at their fullest potential. An instructor must be willing and positive to introduce active learning to their students. I really liked that active learning students have a chance to complete a self-reflection.
Kasey McCusker
Modifications are changes in what students are expected to learn, based on their individual abilities. Examples of modifications include use of alternate books, pass/no pass grading option, reworded questions in simpler language, daily feedback to a student
Both students and facilitators should have technology available and know how to use the technology to best advantage. Students also need clear understanding of what is required of them and why. Rubrics help to explain where a student succeeded and where they fell short. Rubrics make grading easier and allow for less misunderstanding.
Students must be informed of how much time the assignments could take to complete to allow students to manage their time. Rubrics are important for both the students and instructors to use their time efficiently and have transparency for grading.
