Active Learning Via Student Feedback
Active Learning
Video Source: Youtube
...The epitome of a passive learning classroom: a knowledgable educator up front near a podium, sitting in an uncomfortable position for what feels like hours, and waves of information coming at the student through the professor's lecture. The humor of this clip from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is that it is relatable to a majority of us. We've sat in a classroom like that before, waiting for an excuse to exit.
Instead of just sitting there, imagine if students were engaged, took ownership of their own learning, and were self-motivated to produce tangible learning outcomes, not simply because they had to, but because they wanted to. The active learning approach targets those exact outcomes. An active learning approach is student-centered and the teacher is a facilitator for their learning. There is an emphasis on student choice and self-reflection. Ed-tech tools can play a large role in providing additional means for students to learn more and share what they have learned in creative and engaging ways.
Student Feedback
One form of active learning is through student feedback. I had the opportunity to read Nicole Zumpano's blog on how she incorporated student feedback with a project on creating book reviews. Students digitally recorded their book reviews (using Audioboom), then designed book covers (using PicCollage) to go with their reviews. They then used a digital chat room (using TodaysMeet - which as of today, has sadly shut down) to give each other feedback on their projects. Afterward, students reflected on the quality of their feedback and had the opportunity to discuss the difference between strong, neutral, and nonsense feedback.This project highlighted active learning. The activities within the project was student-centered. Students were at the forefront creating their audiobook reviews and designing book covers that appealed to their own taste. They were given time to provide peer to peer feedback and reflect on their own use of feedback. The teacher helped facilitate their learning by teaching and providing tools to allow the students to create their projects.
Check out the Padlet that Sophia E. and I created in response to Nicole's post on student feedback.
Is Active Learning Worth It?
Absolutely, yes!via GIPHY
Student engagement is key. In one form or another, I believe teachers need to incorporate at least one activity that promotes active learning in their lessons so that there is buy-in/motivation from the students. Not only is there buy-in, but it also promotes 21st-century thinking skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication) that students need to be successful in the future.
I look forward to incorporating student feedback into my upcoming projects with my middle school tech class. One of my classes will be creating a (mostly) student-run news program for our school. To promote student voice and choice, we kicked this week off with a brainstorming session. Students were asked to create a running list of topics that they'd love to pursue in their section of the news. I merely facilitated the time by giving them a few guidelines and questions to help stir ideas. As I walked about the room, I was blown away by some of the topics that students wanted to pursue. Just to name a few...
- "Societal pressures on MEN that everybody ignores"
- "Student test scores and how it labels and limits us"
- "How plastic is killing us"
- "Problems with Science Fairs"
- "The downfall of Gamestop"
- "Why aspiring to be a Youtuber is not practical"
As we begin to produce our video clips, I look forward to using student feedback as one way to help students become better at their craft. It will be very useful to have a discussion with the class about providing high-quality feedback as opposed to neutral, nonsense, or inappropriate feedback. I know that the students will be fearful once their videos are live for others to watch, but hopefully, through the feedback, it will promote a positive growth mindset, build confidence in themselves, and allow them to hone in on ways to make their presentations better and more appealing. I look forward to keeping everybody posted as we journey on.
Hi, David. Thanks for sharing the topics students are interested in. I often forget to talk about male expectations when we are studying patriarchy through poetry and texts. It would be great for students to choose what is most important to them at the time to practice skills. I didn't realize TodaysMeet shut down as well! We could have students use Padlet or their school's LMS to give each other feedback and discuss through discussion boards, like Moodle. Perhaps to add more choice to even the book cover assignment, perhaps students could have the choice as well to make a movie poster or a book trailer to incorporate even more choices through available technology today. My assigned project to look at was about having 3rd graders research US regions and then create a website to share their information with the class. This was another example of active learning because students had choices in how they displayed their information on their website, but the 3rd graders needed a bit more guidance, and so the teacher gave them organizers for the research aspect and for the website so they knew the expectations. They still had ownership over their research though and this fostered independence and engagement/motivation.
ReplyDeleteHey David, I loved reading your post. And I loved the clip you used from Ferris Bueller, too perfect for this conversation! I also loved reading about your student-led new program. Their list of ideas is amazing. I think a project such as this perfectly represents active learning in a classroom! Sounds like they're motivated by their own passions, engaging in real discussion, and they're hands-on creating a real product to be shared with others. What awesome learning! When I see a project like this I always think about how I can adapt it for my kindergartners. The wheels are turning.
ReplyDeleteA well written post, David. Your explanation of your Padlet and the "why" and "what" of active learning made sense. For me, most powerful was your personal example of active learning and what your middle school students will be working on. I hope you keep us posted on the process (it can be a separate blog entry!) and eventually link to the final student projects.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, if at all possible, is there a way to view your student led broadcasts? I'm actively looking for any examples and leads to make our experience at my school as rich as ever. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I loved the giphy with the little boy having a blast at a game; he was definitely engaged he-hee. I also think the "student-run" news program is an amazing way to get students involved and using technology to keep those news and conversations going. Finally, I find it fascinating that your students are interested in pursuing the topics listed in your blog. All of them are important to society and fun topics to explore. It would be awesome if we could somehow get those news if it you start the program before our class ends.
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