(Part 2) Novigado Webinar: Active Learning Scenarios (20 April 2020)

Summary

Barbara Orlofsky, a psychology and Theory of Knowledge teacher from Lublin, Poland, presents the theoretical background of active learning. She explains active learning as a process where students are engaged and involved, contrasting it with traditional passive learning. Key concepts include constructivism, where knowledge is built upon prior experiences, and the importance of metacognitive skills, collaboration, and self-directed learning. Orlofsky emphasizes the role of the teacher as a facilitator rather than a knowledge transmitter, highlighting the need for student-centered approaches and active reflection to foster deeper understanding and long-term learning.

Takeaways

• 👩‍🏫 Barbara Orlofsky is a psychology and theory of knowledge teacher based in Lublin, Poland.
• 📚 Active learning is emphasized as the most effective way to enhance learning outcomes such as analysis, creation, and evaluation.
• 🧠 Active learning involves students engaging actively in the learning process rather than passively receiving information.
• 🎓 Constructivism is a core theory behind active learning, emphasizing the creation of meaning through connections to prior knowledge and experiences.
• 👥 Active learning often takes place in groups, allowing students to socially construct knowledge while reflecting on their own understanding.
• 🤔 Students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning, developing critical thinking, metacognitive skills, and self-regulation.
• 📊 Teachers in active learning environments shift from knowledge transmitters to facilitators, guiding students through their learning journeys.
• 📝 Assessment plays a crucial role in active learning, with a focus on formative assessments, peer evaluations, and self-reflection to support growth.
• 🚀 Active learning fosters the development of future skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving.
• 💡 Examples of active learning methods include discussions, group work, projects, presentations, and utilizing thinking routines from Harvard Project Zero.

Q & A

What is Barbara Orlofsky's main occupation?

Barbara Orlofsky is primarily a psychology and theory of knowledge teacher in a school in Lublin, Poland.

What is the main focus of active learning according to the script?

Active learning focuses on engaging students in the learning process, emphasizing skills development over the transmission of knowledge, and encouraging students to actively participate and reflect on what they are learning.

How does Edgar Dale's Cone of Learning relate to active learning?

Edgar Dale's Cone of Learning illustrates that active learning is the most effective way to achieve higher learning outcomes such as analysis, creation, and evaluation.

What is constructivism in the context of active learning?

Constructivism is a theory that learning occurs when students actively create meaning by connecting new knowledge to their existing concepts, experiences, and emotions, rather than passively absorbing information.

How does the role of the teacher change in active learning?

In active learning, the teacher shifts from being the primary source of knowledge to a facilitator who guides students as they take ownership of their learning process and develop their skills.

What are some key skills developed through active learning?

Active learning helps develop higher-order thinking skills, metacognitive skills, collaboration, communication, creativity, reflection, and resilience.

Why is student agency important in active learning?

Student agency is important because it gives learners autonomy and responsibility for their learning, which fosters resilience, a growth mindset, and self-regulation.

What role does evaluation play in active learning?

Evaluation in active learning involves both formative assessments and self-reflection, helping students understand their progress and ensuring learning is meaningful and effective.

Can active learning occur in individual settings or is it always collaborative?

While active learning often involves collaboration, it can also occur individually through activities like self-directed learning, where students are responsible for their learning goals and reflection.

What are some examples of active learning activities mentioned in the script?

Examples include project-based work, presentations, creating podcasts or videos, peer tutoring, group discussions, and using thinking routines such as those from Harvard's Project Zero.

Outlines

00:00

👩‍🏫 Introduction to Active Learning

Barbara Orlofsky introduces herself as a teacher and psychologist working on an active learning project. She discusses the importance of active learning, citing Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning and referencing Confucius' wisdom about learning through action. Active learning is described as an alternative to traditional teaching methods, emphasizing engagement, group work, and the development of higher-order thinking and metacognitive skills.

05:04

🧱 Constructivism in Active Learning

This paragraph delves into constructivism, explaining how knowledge is built upon prior experiences and emotions. Learning is described as an active process where students construct knowledge rather than passively absorbing it. Social interaction is emphasized as crucial for learning, with knowledge being both socially and personally constructed, influenced by each learner's unique perspective.

10:07

🎯 Student Agency and Autonomy

The focus here is on student agency, which is central to active learning. Barbara highlights the importance of students taking ownership and responsibility for their learning, fostering resilience, grit, and a growth mindset. She also emphasizes the critical role of evaluation in active learning, advocating for formative assessments and peer assessments as essential tools in this process.

15:09

🎓 Benefits and Practices of Active Learning

Active learning is praised for building both knowledge and skills that are applicable to real-life contexts. Collaboration and communication are emphasized, as well as the importance of clear learning objectives. Barbara shares examples of active learning activities, such as student projects, presentations, and multimedia content creation, demonstrating how these practices foster deeper understanding and teamwork.

💬 Methods for Active Learning: Discussions and Thinking Routines

Barbara shares her favorite active learning methods: discussions and thinking routines. She references a podcast offering various discussion protocols for classroom use and promotes Harvard's Project Zero, which provides thinking routines designed to stimulate deeper thought. She ends by discussing the 'learning zones' that promote creativity, interaction, and self-regulated learning in active classrooms.

Keywords

💡Active Learning

Active learning refers to the process in which students engage and participate actively in their learning process, rather than passively receiving information. This concept is central to the video as it highlights that students should take ownership of their learning through activities like reflection, discussion, and problem-solving. An example from the script includes working on projects or creating presentations to demonstrate understanding.

💡Constructivism

Constructivism is a theory of learning that suggests learners build knowledge by connecting new information to their existing experiences and concepts. In the context of the video, it supports the idea that students aren’t blank slates but come with prior knowledge and experiences. This knowledge is built upon during active learning through activities like group discussions and problem-solving tasks.

💡Student-Centered Approach

A student-centered approach focuses on placing students at the heart of the learning process, allowing them to take control and responsibility for their education. The video emphasizes the shift from teacher-led instruction to students being active agents in their learning. This approach involves students making decisions and reflecting on their learning journey, fostering autonomy.

💡Higher-Order Thinking Skills

Higher-order thinking skills include critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, and creativity, which go beyond memorizing facts. The video stresses that active learning develops these skills by engaging students in challenging tasks such as problem-solving or project-based learning, encouraging them to think deeply about what they are doing and why.

💡Metacognitive Skills

Metacognitive skills refer to the ability to think about one’s own learning process, including planning, monitoring, and evaluating one's understanding. In the video, students practicing metacognitive skills are seen reflecting on their learning and making adjustments to enhance their understanding, a key aspect of active learning.

💡Teacher as Facilitator

The role of the teacher shifts from being a source of knowledge to a facilitator in active learning environments. This means that instead of lecturing, teachers guide, support, and encourage students to take charge of their own learning. The video contrasts this with traditional teacher-centered approaches, emphasizing the need for teachers to create environments where students can actively engage and collaborate.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration refers to students working together to achieve learning objectives, which is a fundamental aspect of active learning. In the video, students often engage in group activities or projects, where they discuss, share perspectives, and construct knowledge collectively, which also contributes to deeper understanding and social learning.

💡Formative Assessment

Formative assessment involves ongoing evaluation of student learning to provide feedback and support during the learning process. The video mentions that active learning is most effective when paired with formative assessment, where both teachers and students continuously reflect on progress. This might involve peer assessments, self-reflection, or teacher feedback.

💡Student Agency

Student agency refers to students’ ability to make choices and take control over their own learning. The video emphasizes the importance of giving students autonomy to decide their learning goals and activities, fostering self-regulation and motivation. It also discusses how this agency builds resilience and prepares students for future challenges.

💡21st Century Skills

21st-century skills include critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving—skills deemed essential for students to succeed in today's world. The video argues that active learning helps students develop these skills by engaging them in tasks that require collaboration, creative thinking, and independent learning.

Highlights

Introduction to active learning, emphasizing the shift from traditional knowledge transmission to student engagement and involvement.

Edgar Dale's 'Cone of Learning' is highlighted, illustrating the effectiveness of active learning through hands-on experiences, enhancing knowledge retention.

Confucius' philosophy of 'I do and I understand' is referenced, supporting the idea that active learning leads to deeper understanding.

Active learning encourages students to use higher-order thinking skills, metacognitive skills, and reflection to take ownership of their learning process.

The teacher's role shifts from being the sole source of knowledge to a facilitator, empowering students to take control of their learning.

Constructivism is introduced as a theoretical foundation, where students actively build on their existing knowledge and experiences to create new meaning.

Knowledge is both socially and personally constructed, emphasizing the value of group collaboration and individual perspectives in learning.

Student agency, autonomy, and responsibility are crucial aspects of active learning, fostering resilience, grit, and growth mindset.

Evaluation in active learning involves formative assessments, peer assessment, and self-reflection, which are essential for students' development.

Active learning not only builds knowledge but also enhances skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving.

Projects, whether subject-specific or interdisciplinary, are highlighted as effective methods of active learning, fostering collaboration and creativity.

Even small-scale activities like presentations, podcasts, or group discussions contribute to active learning, allowing students to express understanding in varied ways.

Two recommended active learning methods include discussions with diverse protocols and 'thinking routines' from Harvard's Project Zero, both useful for enhancing student engagement.

Learning zones of the future classroom are discussed, encouraging students to investigate, create, present, collaborate, and engage in informal learning environments.

The active learning environment promotes independent, self-regulated learning, which is essential for students' success in today's rapidly changing world.

Transcripts

hi my name is Barbara orlofsky and I am

a first and foremost a teacher and a

psychologist and I work with think

foundation as well on this project

however as I said my main occupation is

being a psychology teacher and theory of

knowledge teacher in in a school in

Lublin Poland which is South East and as

Mark said I am going to present a more

theoretical background to active

learning however I hope to introduce

some of the examples as well so

hopefully it will be helpful for us

teachers as well so let's start you

probably are all familiar with the cone

of learning which is attributed to Edgar

Dale which starts to to define active

learning as the most effective way of

learning related to learning outcomes

like analysis like creation like

defining or evaluation and of course

this learning cone might be traced back

to the times of of Confucius who said

that I hear and I forget I see and I

remember and I do and I understand in

general active learning is a form of

learning in which students are engaged

and involved in the learning process and

it is usually thought as an alternative

to a traditional at sample transmission

of the transmission of knowledge and it

can range from self-directed learning

where students themselves are in control

of a very learning process and all the

decisions and goals that they would like

to to achieve as well as the activities

but it can also take a form of

independent learning with goals and I

Fitzy's designed by the teachers and the

control given to the students to

actively pursue them by using their hi

old order thinking skills macaque

metacognitive skills reflection and

making decisions on the way as they go

through the activities and of course

working in a group as well and during

active learning teachers emphasize the

development of the skills more than then

they want to transmit the knowledge

whereas the students are active active

active and engaged actors and taking

ownership of the learning process and

they play the most prominent role and

students are doing something they are

thinking about what they are doing and

reflecting on that and because of that

they are learning active learning

requires students to think hard think

creatively and to practice using new

knowledge and new skills to develop long

term recall and deeper understanding and

I think this is the most important thing

when it comes to active learning

it engages students in in reflection in

writing in talking in discussing about

what they are learning and it makes the

knowledge stick with them it is it

creates a more long-lasting and better

understanding of of the knowledge I'll

of course dry merit many theories

related to active learning among gather

of course the constructivism but also

things like scaffolding like loose

turkmen taxonomy which you could see

links to the cone of learning at the

very beginning things like inquiry based

and problem-based or experiential

learning so many different theories that

we might connect to interactive learning

there they are all great examples of

that and I think that a very short

introduction to to constructivism is

also important here so basically

constructivism states that active

learning is a process of creating

meaning and new learning occurs when

students make connections their existing

concepts knowledge and experience so

it's it's it does not happen in a vacuum

the students are not blank slates they

have their emotions they have their

previous knowledge they have previous

experiences and they create knowledge

based on or in relation to these these

experiences and this knowledge and they

construct new meaning so they if we can

imagine it as a wall they built up on

the breaks on the on the previous layers

to add to that body of knowledge and of

course some of the principles of

constructivism is that knowledge is

constructed actively rather than

passively absorbed so we need to make an

effort active effort to to construct it

is not that knowledge learning is an

active process meaning that it is not

the role of teachers to put the

knowledge into the heads of of students

but rather the students need to actively

construct that meaning it also says that

knowledge is socially constructed that's

why so many active learning takes place

in groups takes place in social contexts

where students need to communicate to

each other when they need to make that

meaning through the interaction with

with other students and with it

and what might sounds as a contradiction

is that knowledge is also personal so

each individual learner has a

distinctive perspective distinctive

point of view based on this existing

knowledge and the knowledge of each

students will differ but having the

understanding having the

insight into different perspectives

might actually give us a deeper

understanding of the knowledge that we

are constructing and this all links as

well to the Student Center approach

which can be defined by by five e

changes to the practice and with the

active learning it is essential that we

change the role of the teacher the

teacher as I said is no longer in the

front talking to the students and

transmitting the knowledge trying to

fill their heads with the knowledge

because it doesn't really work it

doesn't create a deeper understanding

with active learning teacher teacher's

role is to moderate to the a facilitator

of learning the friends in that learning

being on the same level with the

students and no longer a sole source of

knowledge so that's why it needs that

the approach to learning needs to change

from the frontal transmission from the

teacher Center approach to a student

center approach and to do that there

needs to be a different balance of power

so basically the teacher needs to get

control over to the students and this is

sometimes a very big obstacle for the

teachers who are used to working in a

lecture style when they are used to

trust meeting that knowledge and working

in a traditional environment even we

a couple the classroom word of desks or

screwed the floor sometimes and you

cannot really move them and giving the

power with the distributing the power to

the students is essential when it comes

to active learning so students are in

the center of the process they need to

start being in charge of their learning

it also means responsibility for their

learning taking that responsibility for

themselves

the second key change is the function of

content so I already said that the

skills are more important than the

knowledge itself but also with following

the constructivist approach learners

actively construct their knowledge by

making meaning to the previously

acquired knowledge so this links nicely

to do the constructivism the role of

teacher being a facilitator not the only

sole source of expertise the

responsibility of learning being put to

the students and students of student

agencies very important here this is a

very very trendy word right now but

having that ownership being autonomous

and self regulated as a learner being in

charge of your learning taking

responsibility for that this is all very

important in active learning but it also

is important because it builds

resilience it builds grit its

contributes to the growth mindset so to

the development of the students as a

whole and last but not least and I

didn't didn't say much about it yet is

the role of the evaluation and the

process that we go through which is very

important and for the active

to be effective the teacher needs to

implement assessments for learning and

assessment as learning so not only the

grades as measured by the number but

also effective formative assessment

strategies to support students as

learners and I think this is a very

important part of that active learning

process without the evaluation from the

teacher but also pure assessment or

self-reflection active learning would

not be as effective as it could be and

of course the benefits of active

learning

there are many they are plenty it builds

both knowledge and understanding which

students can then apply to new context

to solving your problems its foster

students learning and their autonomy it

develops the skills that we would like

the students to develop so called future

skills it helps to develop thinking

skills metacognitive skills reflection

which i think is one of the most

important skills in 21st century it

usually involves collaboration although

we also might have active learning that

happens in in the individual form and

very often it doesn't require any

additional cost it can be done in any

classroom it's mainly the change of

mindset of the teacher and the active

learning activities to be effective they

must make sense to the students so the

students need to only to understand why

they're doing certain things and what is

it for what are the goals the the

objectives the learning goals needs to

be in front need to be firstly given to

the students so that they can make sense

of what they are doing and second of all

it must include the development of

communication of

teamwork or creativity by utilizing all

the the higher-order thinking skills and

were the examples of active learning of

course the most often used and I think

that I cannot find a teacher who does

not use them in the classroom is working

with other students on the project it

can be a small subject specific project

it can be a bigger project

interdisciplinary one it can be a whole

school project and for example right now

apart from this project know together we

also even in the distance learning we

have some project that projects that

students can collaborate on using

different tools ICT tools for example

investigating what does it mean to be

happy in during the time of of a

pandemic so there are many different

different projects that you can do with

the students right now but active

learning doesn't have to be very big it

might be something small like making a

presentation that shows your

understanding shows the students

understanding of a certain topic based

on some reading that they have

undertaken before or creating a podcast

or a screencast or a video that that

summarizes what they've learned what are

the most important aspects of a certain

topic it might also be few tutoring all

or small group work where students are

going to share with each other what are

the key elements of of the content that

they are going through when they for

example explain themselves how to solve

an equation in in mathematics so it

doesn't have to be very big but it is

the students role to to be active

that process and I thought that I will

include two of my favorite methods for

active learning

the first one is discussions and there

is a very good pose that is hidden under

the first QR codes it is opposed by out

of pedagogy which is a podcast but

Jennifer who is hosting their podcast

lists I think 17 different discussion

protocols that you can use in the

classroom to make your classroom more

active and the second example would be

utilizing thinking routines I don't know

if you if you heard about Harvard

project zero which is one of my absolute

favorites they have created a whole list

of different thinking which sees that or

aims at different things and you can use

them as every lesson also in in distance

learning and there are plenty of

resources on their website and you can

simply go there and have a look there

are videos there are explanations of how

it works and it might be something that

you can embed in any of of the lessons

and last but not least I would like to

end with with learning zones of the

future classroom which I think nicely

hopefully nicely will link to you what

career we'll talk about so to be active

student need to investigate so be active

researchers students need to create they

need to be need to create content in to

engage in creative great imagination of

the content they can present their

products they can give and get feedback

they can interact with each other but

also

where the teacher they can collaborate

exchange develop their communication and

finally they can develop and the active

learning environment promotes informal

learning independent and self regulated

learning which i think is essential in

today's world thank you