Active Learning Reflection

Padlet Image Source
by L. Gibbons

This assignment was incredibly interesting to me because I so enjoyed reading the blog we were assigned to analyze. This blog was written by a 9 year old Chicago boy to his classmates while he lived on location in Toronto to film a movie. He shared many of his experiences about life in Toronto, filming a movie, and attending school in a trailer on set.  

As students, our focus was supposed to be on analyzing the Active Learning traits that were happening in the blog exchange. But Max's story so interesting to me that I found myself just lost in his story. I found myself continuing to research his story, looking up the history of his family, following links to research facilities he worked with, and researching the disease his character had. I read his story, and then followed my own related interests to learn more based on what I had read. My experience with his blog is the very experience teachers hope to bring about by engaging students in active learning. 

Active Learning

Active learning is defined as an approach to instruction that focuses on student-centered learning. Students are asked to engage in the learning process and take an active role in their own learning as opposed to the more passive role that you find in a more 'traditional' classroom. In Active Learning, students engage in more active modes of learning including lessons that are inquiry based, collaborative, reflective, self-assessed, relevant and generally engaging to students. 

Our Padlet Assignment

While my experience with Max's blog was an example of active learning, my continuing research wasn't the task we were assigned. We were asked to analyze the blog for its active learning properties and write about it using padlet. You can see my padlet in the image below or by following the link. The blog illustrates several aspects of active learning, particularly for Max the writer of the blog. First, it's an interactive activity. Max writes a post and his classmates and teachers respond. The writers are predominantly students, although comments were moderated by a teacher. There is some group discussion, but unfortunately, Max doesn't appear to respond to the comments left by his peers often. Within the comments students were able to connect with Max's time in Toronto by sharing their own experiences with the area. Several students posted comments about people they knew in Toronto or about connections they had to his experiences. 

This blog is certainly an outstanding example of student centered work and student reflection.  There is a lot reflection by Max on his activities, experiences, and learning process while on the movie set. Some of these things are related to his schoolwork, but most are related to the research he conducts to prepare for his role. He immerses himself in the medical world by meeting with real-world patients, doctors, and researchers to study and learn. He travels to their professional environments to observe, interview, and discuss the areas he is interested in and needs to learn more about. He learns a tremendous amount in this way and it furthers his interest in science and also film-making. 

Padlet Created by L. Gibbons
Image Source

Is Active Learning Needed?

Having students engage in active learning should be a part of the classroom. I don't believe that all lessons need to be student-centered to have a successful classroom, but to achieve a balance and prepare students for their future, active learning certainly has a role. 

The avenues and mediums for engaging students in active learning have changed in recent years, but overall this is not a new idea. Technology has made it easier to develop lessons that are student-centered and inquiry oriented, but these philosophy has been a part of teacher training for many decades. 

In my classrooms, I have used many simple tasks that help students engage with learning by collaborating and communicating. We use the 'Question' feature in Google Classroom. With these questions students are asked to provide their own response and then also comment on others' from the class. I also recently discovered the polling feature of the 'Question' area and I think that would be a great way to quickly find out where students' interest lie. I use padlet to gauge what students already know (the K, of a KWL) and to spark discussion before beginning a lesson. We can come together at the end to record what we've learned new as well. Students also use the share feature on Google docs to collaborate on group projects, peer edit papers, and to solicit my feedback.  Just this past week, I have begun working with video in the classroom. Students are recording themselves conducting their science experiments, and then they are sharing them with the class and uploading them to Google Slides. This is has been far more engaging to students than the traditional tri-fold board they used to complete for science fair. 

I have not moved into the world of student blogs or websites yet. I began looking at ways to incorporate these areas over the summer, possibly starting with digital portfolios for students, but haven't found the time to introduce or manage them yet. Student portfolios is a goal for next year though. Students will keep their work organized digitally and be able to reflect back on assignments and see their own growth.  It is a good opportunity for students to reflect on their own learning, watch their own progress, and determine areas of strength and weakness. 

On a more professional note, I'd like to also create a site that would organize all our digital resources for the staff at my school. It would help people know what is available to them, but also be a way for staff to reflect on how much/which avenues of technology are they actively incorporating into their classrooms, and where they have room to grow as well.