Active%20Learning:%20Why%20and%20How

1
Active Learning Why and How

• Can Akkan

2
Agenda

• Some findings from research on learning.
• Disclaimer I am not an expert...
• Methods of active learning
• I do have experience ...

3

• Learning physically changes the brain
• Learning ? Microsurgery!

John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R.
Cocking. How People Learn Brain Mind,
Experience, and School, p.103
4
An Experiment
List 1
List 2
List 3
100
50
40
Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
5
Interference Causes Loss of Learning

• In the classroom all mechanical tasks
• Clerical, logistical, maintenance
• Where do I write my name
• When is the assignment, where will I submit it
• Other learning tasks

Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
6
Amount remembered
100
4 hrs
time
Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
7

• Most learning occurs in the subconscious
• Need time for consolidation
• growth in the neurons become permanent
• Need retrieval and targeted practice

Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
8
What to do?

• Cant let them sleep to allow for consolidation!
• Solution Modulate the cognitive load during
  class
• As little cognitive load as possible anectodes,
  stories
• As different tasks as possible
• Load? allow consolidation ? reiterate/exercise

Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
9
Amount remembered
100
Time after learning
1 hour uninterrupted learning
20 min x 3 with some time in between for
consolidation
Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
10
When to Practice?
Amount remembered
100
1 hr delay
30
1 day delay
7 day delay
Days after reading
10
20
30
40
50
Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
11
An Experimental Study
retained
70
20
10
0
50
t
t time in lecture when information was presented
Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
12
Summary Essential Elements of Learning

• Interactive
• Active learner
• Dont give the answer, let them struggle and put
  the pieces together
• Positive response
• Move to the speaker
• Use rewards for engagement
• Meaningful
• Related to and accessible to learner
  contextually relevant
• Collaborative
• Design a social classroom

Source Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
13

• It is not what the teacher does but what the
  student does
• Focus on behavioral outcomes
• Express goals in terms of what the students can
  do

14
Active Learning
15
Definition

• Promoting conceptual understanding through
  interactive engagement of students in heads-on
  (always) and hands-on (usually) activities which
  yield immediate feedback through discussion with
  peers and/or instructors.

Richard Hake, Professor of PhysicsIndiana
University.
16
How to Encourage Participation?

• Ask a question
• Volunteer
• Cold call
• Warm call give prior warning
• Talk to your neighbor
• Give an exercise
• ....?

17
First Class First Question

• Turn to your nearest neighbor whom you dont know
  and find out
• Where he/she is from?
• What program he/she is in?
• Etc
• Tell them you will chose a couple of students
  afterwards and ask them to introduce their
  neighbors.
• Ice breaker

18
In-Class Exercises

• Form teams of 2-4
• Give teams 30 sec to 2 minutes
• 5 min absolute maximum
• If too long ...
• Dont ask for volunteers
• Collect some or all answers

EXERCISE
19
In-Class Exercises

• Types of exercises
• Recall prior material
• Answer a question
• Start a problem solution
• Work out the next step in a derivation
• Think of an example or application
• Figure out why a given result may be wrong
• Brainstorm (objective quantity)
• Generate a question

20
Think-Pair-Share

• Students think answers individually
• Then form pairs to synthesize a response
• More time-consuming
• More instructive then immediate group work

21
Cooperative Note-Taking Pairs

• Pairs summarize and compare what they have in
  their notes
• Goal more accurate and complete notes
• Period for consolidation and identifying
  questions
• Talk six minutes less and students learn more!

22
Guided Reciprocal Peer Questioning

• Each student prepares questions on the lecture
  using generic question stems, such as
• What is the main idea of _____?
• What conclusions can I draw about _____?
• What is the difference between ____ and ____?
• Groups of 3-4 students take turns answering their
  questions.
• Whole class comes together to discuss unanswered
  or interesting questions.

23

• More generic question stems...
• How are ____ and _____ similar?
• How does ____ affect ____?
• What is a new example of ____?
• What if ____?
• Explain why _____?
• Explain how _____?
• How would I use ____ to ____?

24
Writing Assignments

• Assign frequent, short writing assignments
• Students write to learn gaining deeper
  understanding of course material
• May be kept in a learning log

25
Minute Paper

• Stop the lecture with two minutes to go
• Ask the students to write
• The main points
• The muddiest (least clear) points
• Collect all the responses
• anonymous
• Use responses to plan next lecture, recitation or
  assignment

Mosteller, F (1989), "The Muddiest Point in the
Lecture as a Feedback Device," On Teaching and
Learning. Mosteller is a statistics professor at
Harvard
26

• Sense of caring covers all the sins of the
  teacher

27
Implementing Active Learning

• Explain what you are doing and why
• Not an experiment, there is research ...
• Do not rely on volunteers
• Call randomly on individuals while working and
  after work is complete
• Vary
• Format
• Pairs, groups, think-pair-share
• Time between exercises
• Put some course material in handouts to save time
  for active learning

Source Felder, R., TMS Workshop 2004.
28

• More information/material on Active Learning on
  my personal web site
• http//people.sabanciuniv.edu/canakkan/ActiveLear
  ning.htm

29
References

• R.M. Felder and R. Brent (2003) Learning by
  Doing, Chem. Engr. Education, 37 (4), 282-283
• www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Columns/Active.pdf
• R.M. Felder (1994) Any Questions? Chem. Engr.
  Education, 28 (3), 174-175.
• www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Columns/Questions.pdf
• R.M. Felder (1991) It Goes Without Saying Chem.
  Engr. Education, 25 (3), 132-133.
• www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Columns/WithoutSaying.p
  df

30

• Bransford, J.D. et al. (2000) How people learn.
• Available at
• I.C. as a e-book
• http//books.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/
• (national academy of science)
• Light, Richard (2001) Making the Most of College.
  Harvard University Press.
• Good for advising, ordered it for the I.C.

31

• Hake, R. Interactive-engagement versus
  traditional methods A six-thousand-student
  survey of mechanics test data for introductory
  physics courses," American Journal of Physics,
  66, 64-74, 1998.