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Week 1

Site: Online Professional Learning
Course: Enrichment Demo Course
Book: Week 1
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Sunday, 5 May 2024, 12:05 AM

Description

Please note: This is not a live course. If you have booked onto one of our courses, please follow the joining instructions that have been emailed to you.

Table of contents

 3 hours 30 minutes

This week we will explore the following questions:

  • What do I want to get out of this course?
  • What is active learning?
  • How does active learning relate to my practice?

  Completion criteria: 

    • Identify your personal aims.
    • Work with your group: define active learning.
    • Work with your group: identify some of the benefits of active learning.

We recommend that you access the course every day to check your messages and keep up any discussions. To help you manage your time, here is a suggested guideline of when to carry out the activities of the week.

Week 1 M T W T F S S
1.1 Identify your personal aims Plan
1.2 What is active learning? Think & write Share Refine
1.3 How can active learning benefit my learners?
 Think & write Share Refine
1.4 Update your KWL chart
 Reflect

Please note: throughout this course you will be working in small groups in order to facilitate collaboration and discussion. I will be putting you in your groups during Week 1, and I will put a message in the Course café when the groups are ready.

1.1 Identify your personal aims

 45 minutes

Reflection is key to relating knowledge to your own experience. Each week you will be asked questions to help you reflect on what you have learnt and how it relates to your own teaching practice. 

Let’s start off by thinking about the following question:

What do I want to get out of this course?
 

A KWL chart is an effective technique to help you to identify your personal goals and track your progress through the course. A KWL chart is used to:

  • identify what you already Know
  • consider what you Want to know
  • record what you have Learned.

‘KWL charts are useful at the start of a lesson to activate and consolidate what has already been learned, but can also be used as an Assessment for Learning strategy in the middle of a lesson as students monitor their learning and progress.

When using a KWL chart, the most important principle is that students can reflect on what they know (K) and what they want to learn (W), which could include revision of partially forgotten material. Later, either as the lesson progresses or at the end of the lesson by way of a plenary, they record what they have learned (L). Completing the L column consolidates the new knowledge and understanding and evidences progress. Some groups benefit from including an additional ‘F’ column for Finding Further information and an ‘H’ column for How To Find this information.’


Approaches to Learning and Teaching in Global Perspectives: A Toolkit for International Teachers, Keely Laycock, Cambridge University Press, September 2017.

 

In this course you are going to post your KWL chart into your journal.  Here is an example of a personal KWL chart: 



At the end of every week, you will be updating your KWL chart to review the work you have done and to start thinking about the next week's topics.

At the end of the course you will have the opportunity to reflect on how your needs have been met and the impact the course will have on your teaching.

You can structure your thoughts in your own way. For example, you could use one KWL chart for the whole course, or start a new one each week.

 

  Start your KWL chart in your journal by making some notes on the first two questions:

  • What do I Know about active learning?
  • What do I Want to know about active learning?

 

If you have any questions or observations about any of the information in this lesson, please come and share them in the Week 1 class discussion.

1.2 What is active learning?

 60 minutes

  Read the following four sections in the Getting Started with Active Learning resource:

  • What is active learning?
  • What is the research behind active learning?
  • What are the benefits of active learning?
  • Seven misconceptions about active learning.

You may find it helpful to bookmark this webpage, as it is the main resource for the course.

 

  Write some notes on how you would explain active learning

 As teachers, we are often asked to explain what goes on in the classroom to different types of people.

  1. On your own, think about how you would explain active learning to these different people: 
    • a colleague in your school
    • a parent
    • a student. 

 

  Share your explanations with your group

  1. Share your three explanations with your group in the 1.2 Explaining active learning discussion. Note: you can find full technical instructions on how to do this in the course handbook. 

  2. Review your colleagues’ explanations and give every member of your group some feedback.
    • What do you like about their explanations?
    • Is there anything that you find unclear?
    • Do you have any suggestions or advice?

Remember: Try to give constructive and helpful feedback. Think about the quality of feedback that you would like to receive.

 

  Refine your explanations

  1. Update your explanations based on your colleagues' feedback, and share your explanations with the class on the 1.2 Explaining active learning wall. Note: you can find full technical instructions on how to do this in the course handbook. 

 

If you have any questions or observations about any of the information in this lesson, please come and share them in the Week 1 class discussion.

 

1.3 How can active learning benefit my learners?

 60 minutes

In the previous lesson you read about and watched the interviews with teachers on the benefits of active learning. 

Now you are going think about how active learning will benefit your learners.


  Write some notes on the benefits of active learning

  1. Make some notes in answer to the following questions:
    • What do you think is the most important benefit mentioned in the Getting Started with Active Learning resource for your learners?
    • Explain why this would be the most important benefit.
    • What other possible benefits might there be?

 

  Share your notes with your group

  1. Share your notes with your group in the 1.3 Benefits of active learning discussion. Note: you can find full technical instructions on how to do this in the course handbook. 

  2. Review your colleagues' notes and give every member of your group some feedback.
    • What do you like about their ideas?
    • Do they mention any benefits that you had not thought of?
    • Is there anything that is unclear to you?

Remember: Try to give constructive and helpful feedback. Think about the quality of feedback that you would like to receive.

 

  Refine your ideas

  1. Update your notes based on your colleagues' feedback, and share your thoughts on the benefits of active learning with the class on the 1.3 Benefits of active learning wall.

 

If you have any questions or observations about any of the information in this lesson, please come and share them in the Week 1 class discussion.


1.4 Update your KWL chart

 45 minutes

  Looking back 

Look back at the notes you made in your journal at the start of the week:

  • What can you add in the ‘Learned’ section?
  • Is there anything in the ‘Want to know’ section that was not answered this week or you are not clear about? 

Post your questions in the whole class Week 1 class discussion.

 

  Looking forwards 

In Week 2, we are going to explore what active learning looks like in the classroom. In order to plan your time, take a few minutes to read through next week's lessons. 

Take a few minutes to think about next week then make some notes in your journal in the ‘Want to know’ section.

If you think you are going to have any difficulties keeping to the schedule, please contact me in the Course café.