Using Active Learning to Enhance Critical Learning | Origin: EL113
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Active Learning in an Online Environment --> Using Active Learning to Enhance Critical Learning
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
While I am already familiar with a variety of active learning techniques for the face-to-face environment, this module gave me more ideas for active learning techniques for the online environment. It also described ways that students' smartphones can be utilized for activities.
Critical Thinking is putting your education to use and using it to make informed decisions
This module has taught me that the learning process of giving students the answer to a question first and allowing them to back track and use the process similar to a jog saw puzzle to understand the why. This is a process that makes the students think critically.
Active learning can help students develop stronger critical-thinking skills because they are not simply receiving information; they are required to think, discuss, solve problems, and explain their reasoning. I especially like the idea of using problem-based learning and small-group activities because students can compare different approaches and learn from one another.
In my math classes, I plan to use more real-world problems that connect mathematics to situations students may experience in healthcare and everyday life. For example, students could work in small groups on dosage calculations, unit conversions, percentages, or interpreting graphs and then explain how they reached their answers. I also plan to use short concept checks and discussions that ask students to explain why a method works instead of only finding the correct answer. My goal is to help students become more confident, independent learners who can apply what they learn to real situations.
problem based learning is an excellent tool to assist students learning. active learning also helps students with engagament.
This module helped me see how group activities can develop critical thinking. When students work together on a meaningful problem, they have to explain their ideas, consider other perspectives, and decide how to use what they have learned. I also learned that group work needs clear instructions, reasonable deadlines, and a way for each student to contribute.
In my online math and statistics classes, I plan to give small groups a real-world problem and ask them to compare their approaches before sharing a solution with the class. I will set clear expectations, check on their progress, and ask students to reflect on what they learned from one another.
Group activities can be a great tool to stimulate critical thinking.
Critical thinking is an essential life skill, and creating problem based learning is an excellent way to help students expand their knowledge and skills.
Students will develop stronger critical-thinking skills when engaged in real-life situations that help them understand what they are learning each day.
Goal is to help students develop their critical thinking skills, which are poor in most students. Like PBL. Would like to use it more.
There are many different learning styles out there but what truly matters is learning about the student and what would best help them. It is up to us as the teachers to find the best fit for the student
After researching the areas individually, students could work in groups to brainstorm, debate, and form a consensus on the initial question posed by the instructor. This type of assignment is timely, relevant, interesting, and can be readily assessed.
Helping students develop Critical Thinking Skills is one of the keys to their success.
Problem-based learning helps students use critical thinking skills, can be connected to real life examples, and can have multiple ways of completing.
Businesses in the 21st century are looking for critical thinkers, and this requires instructors to imbue their students with higher order thinking skills. Group activities have been found to be beneficial in imparting skills needed for critical thinking. Collaborative, cooperative, and problem-based learning approaches are some activities which can help broaden students’ minds and provide them with a better understanding of their thoughts and ideas.
Peer and self-review can help facilitate active learning and student engagement. Incorporating online platforms, such as Second Life, can provide a compelling way for students to interact and collaborate with each other for assignment work or reflection.
I like the concept that to do a substantial and meaningful amount of learning, students must read, write, and engage with the material. I also really like the idea of problem-based learning. I could use this when teaching about power sources and renewable resources.
Active learning deepens critical thinking skills. In the 21st century, businesses are looking for critical thinkers who can evaluate information, analyze complex situations, solve problems, and recognize that they don’t always have to be right.Mistakes are inevitable, with learning occurring from the mistakes. Paul & Elder (2021) posit that critical thinking is a process for analyzing how we think about our own thinking.
Developing critical thinking requires progressing through stages of learning, each of which enhances students' ability to think critically. Aristotle’s contributions reflect reasoning grounded in ethos, pathos, and logos. Logos is categorized as deductive reasoning grounded in evidence and research. Critical thinking questions the status quo, challenges assumptions, and evaluates information, ultimately enabling more informed decision-making. Thinkers are skilled at scrutinizing research information to make informed decisions (Shields n.d.). Critical thinking can be viewed from two “incompatible ends” (p. 1): self-centeredness or fairness. We have all demonstrated ‘weak-sense’ thinking at one time or another; however, if one is going to think critically, be fair-minded, ask questions, and apply data and facts to professional life or research, one must examine assumptions and draw conclusions based on inquiry. When we analyze, evaluate, and reconstruct, we are creating a comprehensive framework for critical thinking, according to Paul & Elder (2021).
Active learning can promote “people skills” as well as the intellectual competence needed to succeed in the workplace.
problem solving technique and group projects tend to be quite effective for online classes, so should be incorporated to facilitate the students progress
