making learning fun

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Making Learning Making Learning FunFun

By:By:Kho Wen LinKho Wen LinJenny ChanJenny Chan

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Literature ReviewLiterature Review

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A Model of Active Learning

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Implementing the Active Learning

Model• Expand the kinds of learning

experiences you create.• Take advantage of the "Power of

Interaction“. • Create a dialectic between

experience & dialogue. Fink, 1999

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Some Active Learning Techniques• The “one-minute” paper• Jigsaw group projects• Daily journal• Concept mapping• Puzzles / paradoxes• Quotations• Games

Paulson & Faust, 2002

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Encouraging Students to Use Technology (1)

• Require students to use email.• Use email to send students individual

assignments.• Require students to get assignments

online. • Use electronic reserves. • Require students to search the Internet. • Require students to make use of one /

more articles in electronic form.

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Encouraging Students to Use Technology (2)

• Require that all papers be written using word processing software.

• Require that students use presentation technology.

• Include spreadsheet & graphing assignments.

• Require students to create their own Web pages.

Harris, 1997

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SurveySurvey

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Objectives & Methodology

• A survey was conducted to find out the opinions of different lecturers on teaching methods.

• A questionnaire was given out to 25 lecturers around Klang Valley.

• Findings are analyzed as follows.

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Q1: How long have you been teaching?

6

8

5

3 3

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<3years

3 - 6years

6 - 9years

9 - 12years

12 - 15years

>15years

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Q2: What is your subject area?

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3

65

2

0 0

4

001234567

Mathem

atics

Scienc

es

Busine

ss IT

Engine

ering

Sociol

ogy /

Psy

cholo

gy

Hospit

ality

& Touris

m

Creativ

e Arts

Others

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Q3: Which level are the majority of your students at?

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10

8

0

21

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Founda

tion

Diploma

Degree

Master

s

Profes

sional

Others

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Q4: Which teaching methods & tools do you use most in

class?14

3 2 2 1 1 2

02468

10121416

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Q5: Which teaching methods / tool do you believe is most

effective?

5

8

1

3 3

5

00123456789

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Q6: As a lecturer, I should know my subject area

well

4

18

3

0 002468

101214161820

Stronglyagree

Agree Neutral Disagree Stronglydisagree

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Q7: I believe I should make students want to

learn

6

14

2 21

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Stronglyagree


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Q8: I expect my students to do their best

11 11

3

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

Stronglyagree


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Q9: I set high standards for students

in my class9

8

34

1

0123456789

10

Stronglyagree


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Q10: I believe learning should be fun

6

16

01

2

02468

1012141618

Stronglyagree


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Q11: Facts, concepts & principles are the most

important things that students should acquire

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0

13

5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Stronglyagree


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Q12: My teaching goals & methods address a variety of student learning styles

6

10

5

2 2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Stronglyagree


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Q13: I often show students how they can use various

principles & concepts9

8

2

4

2

0123456789

10

Stronglyagree


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Q14: Lecturing is a significant part of how I teach each of the class

sessions12

9

4

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Stronglyagree


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Q15: Activities in my class encourage students to develop their own ideas

about content issues

1

4

14

5

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Stronglyagree


25

Q16: Students can make choices between activities in

order to complete course requirements

02

0

23

00

5

10

15

20

25

Stronglyagree


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Q17: Students should design one / more self-directed learning

experiences

1 1 1

15

7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Stronglyagree


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Q18: Students might describe me as a "coach" who works closely

with them to correct problems in how they think & behave.

9

12

3

10

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Stronglyagree


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Q19: I give students a lot of personal support &

encouragement to do well in the subject.

1112

2

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Stronglyagree


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Q20: I assume the role of a resource person who is available to

students whenever they need help

5

20

0 0 00

5

10

15

20

25

Stronglyagree


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Summary of Results• Survey results show that:

– Most lecturers agree that learning should be fun.

– It is not effective to just lecture; some other learning activities should be implemented in classrooms.

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Summary of Results (2)

• Some of the respondents were asked why they did not implement other methods & tools in their lectures.

• Answers include:– Cannot finish the syllabus on time.– Too little time to prepare for lessons.– Students are more concerned about getting

through examinations.– Subject content is too complicated.

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Suggestions and TipsSuggestions and Tips

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1. Know your student.

• The most important step is to understand the student. This is more than just knowing what he likes / dislikes.

• Be aware of how your student learns & what activities he finds interesting. Students learn in different ways and at different paces.

• Know what they best way to approach a new learning experience with your students

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2. Provide activities.

• Provide activities that are better suited to their learning style.

• If the student learns better hands on, by actually doing something, & they are studying electricity in school, go over the required reading so they have an understanding of the topic.

• Then, set up a simple lemon battery experiment so that they can actually create power & see it work.

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3. Encourage creativity (1).

• Be creative to come up with ideas that makes your students find learning fun. Everything can be a learning experience for your students.

• Invoking creativity helps a students view things from many different angles. This teaches your students to have stronger critical thinking & problem solving skills.

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3. Encourage creativity (2).

• E.g., if you are walking through the forest ask questions like:– Why do you think some trees grow taller than

others?– What do you think happens to the dead leaves

that fall to the ground?– How does the dying vegetation benefit the rest

of the forest?• Keep talking & your student would learn

about the forest & the cycle of life by critically thinking & witnessing it.

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4. Lead by example.

• Make it a point to learn new things & be excited about it.

• Each class, everyone should discuss something new they learned that day, even if it is as simple as learning how to say 'hello' in a foreign language.

• If your students see you excited about learning, they will get excited about it too.

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References• Fink, L. D., 1999, Active Learning, Available at

[http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/active.htm], Extracted 11 May 2011

• Harris, R., 2010, Encouraging Students to Use Technology, Routledge

• Paulson, D. R. & Faust, J. L., 2002, Active Learning for the College Classroom, American Library Association

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/active.htm

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/active.htm

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The endThe endThank you.Thank you.

making learning fun

Education