Looking for innovative ways to increase student participation and improve learning outcomes? In this workshop, we share both high-tech and no-tech strategies you can implement in your classroom to reinforce WAC practices and promote active learning.
WAC Fellow Yosefa Ehrlich goes into more detail here in blog post form.
link to presentation (approximately 35 minutes)
handout
Requirements for Completing this Workshop Online:
- Watch the presentation above.
- Discussion (respond in a comment of 150 words or more below): Think about a concept that your students have a difficult time grasping. How might you incorporate active learning techniques to teach that concept in the future?
- Portfolio Assignment: Choose two active learning activities from the lists in the slides or the (longer) list in the handout and draft a lesson plan for each that would work for an existing or future course.
Hi Prof. Scannell,
I just played it on my laptop and it was fine. Can you perhaps try again and see if it works?
Thank you!
Lisa
I think the Graffiti and mapping a concept are excellent way to engage students on the classroom. I also feel it would get students participating and discussion class lecture materials. I am going to incorporate the graffiti exercise as a final review for concepts!
I have used think/pair/share before but only as think/pair as it does take longer especially in a longer group. I am looking forward to trying more techniques for creative classroom learning. I teach lecture classes and try to avoid too much powerpoint. I am looking forward to using the handout and trying more techniques.
Understanding one of the concepts such as 3D structures of molecules can be an active learning experience for students. As I was listening to the seminar about creative classroom, I thought about giving students model kit and asking them to try to build 3D structures and try to draw those 3D shapes on a piece of paper without giving them previously to many instructions (let them visualize molecules using models). Then maybe share their thoughts with their peers. That should probably be a group work and then the classroom discussion. I also like the idea of brainstorming- maybe giving students some real life situation/example and then asking them to try to relate and explain that with some chemistry concepts and phenomena (in class or at home, maybe as a written, low-stake exercise). There are a few examples on that list from this seminar that I will definitely try in the future.
I love the idea of active learning as opposed to the more traditional style of learning. Teaching a course like radiology presents many challenges. The course material is not always easy to understand and some of the concepts are abstract. The students often have a hard time grasping the material. I like the idea of the Jeopardy game. I like the idea of using the game to help them learn the course material and having them work in groups would allow them to learn from each other as they search to find answers.
I also like using role play. The radiology course is both lecture and lab. The concepts that are taught in lecture are reinforced in lab as well as in the clinical setting. I like the idea of having the students role play different situations. This allows them the opportunity to verbalize and helps to develop their communication skills, which are a necessity in the dental hygiene profession. I have used role play before and the feedback from the students was positive. Each student had the chance to role play and also observe, which allowed them to provide feedback and helpful ideas to each other. It was nice to be in the classroom where I was not spending the whole time standing in front of them just talking to them; but having them engage with each other.
I teach chemistry labs, and will be implementing more peer- review exercises. As students write lab reports, I think it is very useful for them to read each other’s work and make comments, suggestions,….In addition, incorporating discussion about the provided comments would be helpful.