Ruth, I found your outline of Direct Instruction to be thoughtfully curated and presented. More so, the ease at which you described the concept makes me feel like I could just as easily repeat it to my neighbour (I think Einstein would be proud, âIf you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enoughâ). Also, I especially appreciated your example of the computer science professor, as it took me back to CSC 109. One thing I would love to hear more of is your own attitude toward this learning design â what draws you to it, if anything?
Thomas, I found your outline of Cooperative Learning to be quite informative. I really appreciated the holistic view that you provided through describing multiple different examples of this learning design. Contrary to your statement however, I think there may be some room for Cooperative Learning in our Learning Design Project. For example, with the âPeer instructionâ method, the theoretical learners could reply to a prompted question that is related to the material, and then read the comments of former learners, to which they could then reply to their own previously posted comment with an updated comment that reflects the new perspectives theyâve received.
Four Lobes, an audio clip written and produced by Ryan Stotland, has some lyrics that you wonât soon forget â no matter how hard you try to shake them (Stotland, 2021).
The song takes you through the four lobes of the brain as it outlines their basic functions, all of which is sandwiched intermittently between the songâs catchy chorus.
Video title: Four Lobes Video produced by: Ryan Stotland Video Sourced from: Youtube Video Description for Visually Impaired: A 3 minute video accompanies the song that describes the four lobes of the brian. In alignment with the song that plays in the background, the lyrics are presented on the screen in big, bold letters. The lyrics are displayed a phrase or two at a time. In the background of the lyrics is a dark unfocused image of a human brain in sagital view, i.e., cut vertically from front of head to back of head.
Although not an inherent activity, as it does not require any structured reactions, nor is it a designed activity, as there are no suggestions that follow, it still proves to be a beneficial tool for enhanced learning. This is because our brain remembers statements easier when they rhyme (Pedersen, 2022), which increases the chances that the learner will think about this song and its contents long after viewing. Employing a constructivist approach, this example of learner-generated interactivity relies on the catchiness of the song to inexplicitly encourage the learner to rehearse the song outside of the learning environment, i.e., humming the lyrics on the way to their next class.
Like many learning materials, this video can easily be paired with a suggested activity to create structured interactivity. For example, the learner could be asked to create a slideshow, using PowerPoint or Canva, that provides visuals to go along with the lyrics (whether that be drawings, digital images, abstract representations, etc.). This activity would allow the learner to expand on their conceptualization of the material through asking them to interpret the information in a visual format, ultimately leading to a more holistic understanding.
Since feedback is one of the most crucial aspects of learning, learners could also be asked to post their slideshow on the classâs chosen medium, to which the instructor and peers could asynchronously toggle through while listening to the music video in the background. Once theyâve digested the visuals and music together, the teacher and peers could then post reflective comments. Whatâs more, because the requirements for facilitating the feedback are so basic, i.e., posting and commenting, the class could select any medium. Some examples, however, may include a private Facebook group, a Google document, or even a shared Instagram page.
Following the feedback from peers and teacher, the students could be offered the opportunity to refine thier project and re-post it on the chosen medium. This would allow the learners to reflect on the feedback and consider ways they could further ellicit implicite learner-generated interactions for thier viewers.
Not only would this interactive activity be fun, but it would also be extremely time efficient for the instructor, whom would only be required to provide the projectâs expectations and some advice on how to use either PowerPoint or Canva, as well as curate their own comments on each learner’s post. Furthermore, if the class held a substantial number of learners, the instructor could request that the activity be completed in groups rather than individually. This would add an extra layer of interplay, as it facilitates learner-learner interaction.
Another reason to love this simple activity is for its subtle use of the Kellerâs Arcs Model for motivation. The activity keeps the learners engaged, through tapping into their artistic side; motivated, through making the task personally relevant; confident, through fostering autonomy; and satisfied, through seeing a project through to completion (What Are the ARCS Categories, n.d.). It is with this level of motivation, that the activity transforms from being tolerable to exciting, which fuels the fire of inquisitiveness that is at the heart of learning.
Why Not Give it a Go?
Listen to the music video (posted above) and comment on my blog post with any mental representations of the lyrics that spring to mind. You never know, you may learn a thing or two!
Automatic doors and automatic door openers are pivotal – pun intended – in the assurance of inclusivity and accessibility for any building. With a long history of revisions and improvements, the notion of a door that opens without having to manually pull or push was first envisioned by an ancient Greek mathematician, Heron of Alexandria, using a system that incorporated fire and hydraulics (The history of automatic doors, 2021), as demonstrated in the video below. It was not, however, until much later, try centuries later, that humans felt inspired to create a new and improved automatic door design that was more practical and accessible. This time it was two twentieth century Americans, Horace H. Raymond and Sheldon S. Roby, who designed an ingenious system that allowed a door to open upon triggering an optical sensor (The history of automatic doors, 2021).
Video of Automated Temple Doors. Description for visually impaired: A temple’s doors are automatically opened with a hydraulic apparatus that utilizes fire and a pulley system.
Fast forward to today, we are now blessed with an array of ways to automatically open doors, from push buttons to motion detectors, and even digitally programmed timers. However, the design of automatic doors is not the only thing to have changed; so has its intentions. As Heron of Alexandria was a product of his time, his presumed intention with the automatic tempol doors was to impress incoming spectators (Heron of Alexandria, Automated Temple Doors, n.d.), a noble desire during the era of mystical inventions. Moving on, Horace H. Raymond and Sheldon S. Roby had a somewhat more practical intention for their design, which was to benefit waiting staff as they passed from the kitchen to the dinning room carrying plates of food. Whereas today, automatic doors are typically installed as an application of Universal Design to allow people of all abilities to entre into buildings and rooms without the hinderance of being unable to easily open a door. From wheelchair users, people on crutches, and those with disease related mobility challenges, to anyone carrying too many hot coffees, a mother trying to corral three children, and the poor condo resident who got caught in the rain, the automatic door caters to all.
Going beyond its literal employment, this invention can be conceptually employed as an exemplary model of Universal Design for learning (UD), as an automatic door serves to remove limitations of a doorâs design, rather than trying to accommodate for the specific requirements of perople with varying abilities entering. The engineers have increased the doorâs accessibility through allowing people from all walks of life to entre, while also increasing the doorâs usability through making them easier for everyone, which mirrors the main objective of UD for learning. In brief, both share the same critical characteristic: easy accessibility and usability for everyone and anyone.
Next time you are considering designing a learning program, take a moment to think about Heron of Alexandria, Horace H. Raymond and Sheldon S. Roby, and the engineers after them, and reflect on whether your program is built to impress, to improve already established advantages, or to foster inclusivity through increasing the accessibility and usability for everyone.
Experiential Learning is an approach that, as outline by Queenâs University, incorporates:
ââŠdirect experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people’s capacity to contribute to their communitiesâ
(What is Experiential Learning, n.d.)
Although David A. Kolb is considered the father of Experiential Learning (Kolb, 1984), this concept of learning through doing can be followed back to the days of ancient Greece, where the distinguished philosopher, Aristotle wrote in his book, Nicomachean Ethics, âfor the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing themâ (Aristotle, 350 B.C.E./1994).
Fast forward a few centuries and a few more influential figures, the commonly referenced framework for Experiential Learning is now the Kolb Learning Cycle (McLeod, 2017). This cycle combines the sequential acts of having a concrete experience, engaging in reflective observation of the experience to form abstract conceptualisations, and finally, active experimentation through applying the newly acquired skills and generalizations to other situations. Altogether, this framework fosters an immersive and interactive learning experience that cultivates an authentic, personal and transformative understanding of a given topic.
[Diagram of Kolb Learning Cycle], 2022)
âLearning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experienceâ
(Kolb, 1984, p.38)
Project-based Learning
An example of Experiential Learning is the application of Project-based Learning. Project-based Learning, as described in an article by PowerSchool (2021), is an instructional approach that allows learners to cultivate a deep appreciation of a given topic through completing projects cantered around real-world problems. The journey and real-world association of this pedagogical approach is what leads to enriched skills and knowledge. To explore the elements of Project-based learning and review some examples, visit one teacherâs insightful blogpost (Abdo, 2020).
([Elements of Project Based Learning], n.d.)
Experiential Learning’s Applicability
Currently, I am participating in an educational course that is asking its students to create an interactive learning design resource, for which my group has chosen the topic of the lobes of the brain. Although I agree with Kolbâs approach, and its various interpretations, such as Project-based Learning, I donât believe that it would be the most applicable learning style for our interactive resource. I feel as though to fully reap the benefits of Experiential Learning, students should have two things: an appropriate amount of time to move through each stage of Kolbâs cycle carefully and fluidly, and a higher level of synchronous interactivity between students to expand their perspectives and form more informed conclusions, both of which are characteristics that I am not confident our medium can afford due to time and technology constraints. Furthermore, I donât believe that this learning style would be the most appropriate approach, because when learning about the brain, unless working in a laboratory, most experiments would be theoretical and abstract, which contradicts the notion of learning through doing.
All things considered, I find the work of Kolb, and those before and after him, to be quite marvelous, however, like every pedagogical approach, Experiential Learning has a proper place and time for when it should be applied.
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