Choose 2-3 active learning activities to use in a class. I love to teach students who are prepared for class and ready to discuss points of leaning vs. be lectured. Giving student opportunities speak and present to other students items they have learned increase understanding and application in real world scineros.
Active learning also helps widen their perspectives by bouncing off one another's opinions as they work in groups.
There are different types of strategies for engaging a learner such as reversed instruction, periodic pausing, flipped-classroom, and using mobile technology. The last three are elements I am more comfortable in developing courses around to help facilitate engaging learners.
I definitely think I would be a better instructor if I communicated more frequently with my students throughout the week.
The section reviewing low risk engagement strategies was the most helpful. I have spent some time thinking about ways to use these strategies in my course this year. First, I want to make sure I relate the content to students' lives. I want to ensure the student sees some relevance to "real life" in what they are learning. I also want to ensure I share examples of good work to model and aspire to. This was always very helpful to me when I was a student. Lastly, I plan to give targeted and personal feedback on assignments. This will not only help the student learn but will also cultivate the personal relationship that helps students learn and grow.
Engagement is the key to success in the active learning environment. I will be looking to use more group activities in the classroom which cause the students to do research as a group, develop a presentation, deliver the presentation, and have another group provide feedback.
Rubrics make expectations and completion of the assignment very clear for students.
Help with time management by being consistent with assessments form the beginning. Guild by having students lead themselves - learn each other's strengths and weaknesses then share project duties. They need to understand the material not just memorize it.
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.
