active learning: why and how
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Active Learning: Why and How. Can Akkan. Agenda. Some findings from research on learning. Disclaimer: I am not an expert... Methods of active learning I do have experience. Learning physically changes the brain Learning Microsurgery!. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Active Learning: Why and How
Can Akkan
Agenda
• Some findings from research on learning.– Disclaimer: I am not an expert...
• Methods of active learning– I do have experience ...
• 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
An Experiment
100%
50%
List 1 List 2 List 3
40%
t t t
Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
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.
100%
4 hrs
Sleep first 4 hrs
Anesthetic
time
Amount remembered
Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
• 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.
What to do?
• Can’t 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.
100%
Amount remembered
1 hour uninterrupted learning
20 min x 3 with some time in between for consolidation
Time after learning
Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
When to Practice?
100%
Amount remembered
1 hr delay
30% 1 day delay
Days after reading
10 20 30 40 50
7 day delay
Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
An Experimental Study
70
20
% retained
t
t: time in lecture when information was presented
100 50
Source: Jernstedt, G.C., TMS Workshop 2004.
Summary – Essential Elements of Learning
• Interactive– Active learner
• Don’t 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.
“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
Active Learning
Definition
• “Promot[ing] 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.
How to Encourage Participation?
• Ask a question– Volunteer– Cold call
• Warm call: give prior warning
– “Talk to your neighbor”
• Give an exercise
• ....?
First Class – First Question
• Turn to your nearest neighbor whom you don’t 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”
In-Class Exercises
• Form teams of 2-4
• Give teams 30 sec to 2 minutes – 5 min absolute maximum– If too long ...
• Don’t ask for volunteers
• Collect some or all answers
EXERCISE
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
Think-Pair-Share
• Students think answers individually
• Then form pairs to synthesize a response
• More time-consuming
• More instructive then immediate group work
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 questionsTalk six minutes less and students learn more!
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.
• 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 ____?
Writing Assignments
• Assign frequent, short writing assignments
• Students “write to learn” gaining deeper understanding of course material
• May be kept in a learning log
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
Sense of caring covers all the “sins” of the teacher
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.
• More information/material on Active Learning on my personal web site
http://people.sabanciuniv.edu/~canakkan/ActiveLearning.htm
References
• R.M. Felder and R. Brent (2003) “Learning by Doing”, Chem. Engr. Education, 37 (4), 282-283www.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.pdf
• 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.
• 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.