Active Learning

Active Learning in a 4th Grade Classroom

Padlet Presentation

Activity: Learning about Code of Conducts using Visuals and Technology

Image Source

Ms. Malhiot, a fourth grade teacher, decided that the best way for her students to have a full understanding of the schools code of conduct was to make the topic relevant to their life.  First, Ms. Malhiot determined that a majority of her students were visual learners and used this information in order to create an activity that used their visual senses.  She had students think about what it means to be safe, respectful, and responsible and they created a list of each code on the SmartBoard.  Students then worked in groups to complete a graphic organizer that required students to create a rule that relates to one of the codes and draw a picture of how the rule would be displayed at the school.  After students had ideas of how the codes of conduct should look in the classroom and in the school, they used iPads and PicCollage to take pictures that demonstrated being safe, respectful, and responsible.

Image Source

Image Source

How did this Activity Incorporate Active Learning?

Image Source

Throughout the entire activity, students were able to make connections to what was being taught and were actively engaged.  Instead of the teacher standing up at the front of the room and giving examples of what it means to be safe, respectful, and responsible, students instead explored the meaning of each of these codes through visual representations.  The entire lesson was student centered and collaboration with peers occurred at each step of the activity.  As discussed in the active learning video from this week, people generally remember 90% of what they do and only 20% of what they hear.  Since the students had to create a PicCollage of each code of conduct they are much more likely to remember the meaning of each trait and apply the knowledge successfully.  I also believe high order thinking skills were required in this activity because students had to not only understand the definition of each code, but determine how it is displayed at the school.

Should Teachers Design Lessons around Active Learning?
Yes!! As discussed in both the active learning and Generation iY videos, our students are from a generation where they have constant access to technology.  In order to keep our students engaged it is important to use active learning to increase the transfer and retention of new information.

Technology I've used in the Classroom to Promote Active Learning
Over the past few years I have learned about a variety of technology tools that can help increase and promote active learning in the classroom.

Image Source

1. One resource that I use often and have found very beneficial is Nearpod.  I enjoy this website because it allows students to interact with a topic through discussions and variety of formative assessments to keep students engaged.

Image Source

2. Another website that I have had students use to create graphic organizers to help study for assessments or organize their learning is Popplet.  It is another free website that allow students to be creative and visually represent their learning.  To the right is an example of how one student created a popplet to review the properties of the Earth.

3. I incorporate cooperative learning activities into my classroom as often as possible.  I believe these types of activities promote active learning because students are engaged and they are very student centered.  Some of my go-to activities include:

Image Source

• Think-Pair-Share (after a question is posed, students think about the answer individually, pair with a student to discuss, and then share to the class)
• Jigsaw (students learn about a topic and then teach their classmates)
• Around the room (I place problems around the room.  The answers to the problems are somewhere else around the room; therefore students know if they received the correct answer or not) 
• Sage and scribe (Students work in pairs.  One student is the "sage" and explains to the "scribe" how to solve the problem.  The scribe then has to write down exactly what the sage tells him/her to do)
• Find a friend (There are a variety of problems that need to be solved.  Students must go around and ask their peers to solve one of their problems until each one is solve)

  

  Template I use for "Find a Friend"

• Round table (Usually there are groups of 4 and each student uses a different color to do part of a problem and then their sheet is rotated until all 4 colors are on the sheet)
• Speed dating (Each student becomes an expert on a problem.  The room is set up like speed dating and the students are in pairs and teach each other how to complete their problem)

After watching the active learning presentations this week I'm excited to incorporate new activities into my classroom in order to promote active learning.  These activities include: genius hour, rotating chair discussions, and case studies.