A workshop on

Active Learning Based on Learning Styles

Prepared by

Dr. Eman Zaki

College of Education

Eman.Zaki@qu.edu.qa

eman2004ets@yahoo.com

Activity No.1

A Warm up

Who are you?

Workshop

expectations & learning outcomes

Workshop Learning outcomes

-Critically review and discuss research related to learning style and active learning .

-Identify and use instruments designed to identify personal and student learning styles .

-Identify different teaching techniques and strategies that match different students' learning styles

-Evaluate and adapt instruction to reflect active learning strategies matched to students’ learning styles .

-Apply research in learning styles and active learning strategies to personal

practice

What is Active Learning??

Activity No. 2Roundtable Brainstorming

The purpose of this activity is to help your team generate as many answers to the question as possible. Unlike other versions of brainstorming that you may have experienced, this one involves

taking turns and having teammates contribute one answer at a time.

If we teach it, they will learn?!

Active learning:

-refers to learning that occurs through instructional strategies that engage students intellectually and physically as they pursue given classroom assignments .

-is the opposite of passive learning, in which one-way communication from teachers to students is the norm .

--involves substantive changes in the ways students and teachers work together, shifting the focus of classroom instruction from teaching to learning.

- means students are engaged in learning activities such as gathering data, defining issues, stating problems, generating and testing hypotheses, drawing conclusions,

and reporting and defending their work .

-creates independent learners .

- is directly responsive to the developmental characteristics associated with early adolescence.

http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/ap/glossary.aspx

“opportunities for students to talk and listen, read,write, and reflect as they approach course content through problem solving exercises, informal small groups, simulations, case studies, role playing, andother activities--all of which require students to apply what they are learning.”

The authors of Promoting Active Learning: Strategies for the College Classroom

Chet Meyers and Thomas B. Jones

define Active Learning as,

-Active learning is generally defined as any instructional method that engages students in the learning process” (MICHAEL PRINCE,2004,p:1)

-Active learning requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing .(Bonwell, C.C., and J. A. Eison,1991as reported by MICHAEL PRINCE,2004,p:1)

"Active Learning" is, in short, anything that students do in a classroom other than merely passively listening to an instructor's lecture. This includes everything from listening practices which help the students to absorb what they hear, to short writing exercises in which students react to lecture material, to complex group exercises in which students apply course material to "real life" situations and/or to new problems” Donald R. Paulson and Jennifer L. Faust (Active Learning for The College Classroom )

Active learning refers to techniques where students do more than simply listen to a lecture. Students are DOING something including discovering, processing, and applying information.

Active learning "derives from two basic assumptions: (1) that learning is by nature an active endeavor and (2) that different people learn in different ways" (Meyers

and Jones, 1993)

Bonwell and Eison (1991) state that some characteristics of

active learning are Students are involved in more than listening, less emphasis is placed on transmitting information and more on developing students' skills, students are involved in higher-order thinking (analysis, synthesis, evaluation), students are engaged in activities (e.g., reading discussing, writing), and greater emphasis is placed on students' exploration of their own attitudes and values. (p. 2)

-It is a process whereby learners are actively engaged in the learning process, rather than "passively" absorbing lectures .

-Active learning involves reading, writing, discussion, and engagement in solving problems, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, etc.

-It is a multi-directional learning experience in which learning occurs teacher-to-student, student-to-teacher, and student-to-student.

-It is an activity-based learning experience: whole class involvement, teams, small groups , pairs, individuals.

How does Active Learning work?

Silberman contrasts Active Learning and memorization :“that learning comes "in waves" through repeated exposures of different kinds involving multiple senses.

" When learning is active, the learner is seeking something, an answer to a question, information

to solve a problem, or a way to do a job”.

)professor of Adult and organizational development at

Temple University in Philadelphia(

Input: Active Learning involves input from multiple sources through multiple senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, etc.).

Process: Active Learning involves process, interacting with other people and materials, accessing related schemata in the brain, stimulating multiple areas of the brain to act.

Output: Active Learning involves output, requiring students to produce a response or a solution or some evidence of the interactive Learning that is taking place

Why Active Learning? What does research say?

Activity 3A Jigsaw

Description: First introduced by Aronson, et al. (1978 )the basic premise of jigsaw is to

divide a problem into sections, one for each group member. Each student receives resources to complete only his/her part. The students who are responsible for the same section join together and form a new, temporary focus group whose purpose is for the students to master the concepts in their section, and to develop a strategy for teaching what they have learned

to the other students in their original collaborative learning group .

leads to better student attitudes and improvements in students’ thinking and writing

-surpasses traditional lectures for retention of material, motivating students for further study and developing thinking skills

) Bonwell, C.C., and J. A. Eison,1991 as reported by MICHAEL PRINCE,2004,p:3(

-several studies have shown that students prefer strategies promoting active learning to traditional lectures .

-Other research studies evaluating students' achievement have demonstrated that many strategies promoting active learning are comparable to lectures in promoting the mastery of content but superior to lectures in promoting the development of

students' skills in thinking and writing .

-Further, some cognitive research has shown that a significant number of individuals have learning styles best served by pedagogical techniques other than lecturing .

Learning PyramidThe Learning Pyramid charts the average retention rate for various

methods of teaching the Active Learning Online team at the ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence

Dale's Cone diagrams effectiveness of learning according to the media involved in learning experiences :

the Active Learning Online team at

the ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence

Bloom’s Taxonomy

http://www.actadvantage.org

Research shows that using a multimedia approach to teaching works better because the more senses we use during learning ,the more we retain information.The educator Sandra Rief explains that learners retain:

عدد زاد كلما ألننا جيدا يعمل الوسائط المتعدد المدخل أن البحوث أظهرت قد ولفترة بالمعلومات احتفظنا كلما التعلم عملية أثناء نستخدمها التي الحواس

العالمة . توضح و ) Educator Sandra Rief(أفضل

يحتفظون : المتعلمين أن

10% of what they read 20% of what they hear 30% of what they see 50% of what they see and hear 70% of what they say 90% of what they say and do

-Involves students more actively with the course content-Helps them apply what they are learning and use

higher order thinking skills.

-Appeals to a wide variety of learning styles and intellectual strengths.

-Involves the whole student in the learning process: heart and hand and head .

-Makes students do.

-can excite students about the subject matter, thus getting them more personally involved in their own learning

process .

What are learning Styles?Activity No.4

This approach to learning emphasizes the fact that individuals perceive and process information in very different ways. The learning styles theory implies that how much individuals learn has more to do with whether the educational experience is geared toward their particular style of learning than whether or not they are "smart." In fact, educators should not ask, "Is this student smart?"

but rather "How is this student smart“?

http://www.funderstanding.com/learning_styles.cfm

-Using multiple learning styles and “multiple intelligences” for learning

is a relatively new approach -Learning Styles Indicate our preferences for taking information into the

brain and communicating them "outside.

-By recognizing and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning

-Research shows us that each learning style uses different parts of the

brain

-Why Learning Styles? Your learning styles have more influence than you may realize. Your preferred styles guide the way you learn. They also change the way you internally represent experiences, the way you recall information,

and even the words you choose.

Reflect Activity No.5

What is your “preferred” learning style? Or are you multimodal?

How can we identify Our Students Learning Styles?

Welcome to the Institute for Learning Styles Research

http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp

VARK : a guide to learning styleshttp://www.learningstyles.org

Research on Learning Styles

http://learn.humansources.comTeaching and Learning Strategies

http://www.newhorizons.org

VARK: A guide to Learning Styles

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu

Useful Sites

www.learning-styles-online.comWhat’s your learning style?

http://www.ldpride.nethttp://www.geocities.comhttp://www.engr.ncsu.eduIndex of learning Styles Questionnairehttp://www.learningstyles.nethttp://www.nwlink.comhttp://www.learning-styles-online.com

Activity 6

What does research say about Learning Styles?

-Identifying and understanding your students ‘learning styles help you to select the most appropriate teaching strategies for your students ,consequently ,improves learning speed and

quality of learning.

-Teaching to ones’ learning styles is an effective strategy .

-Results support using students' learning styles as a guide for curriculum design.

)David Robotham,1999(

))Malgorzata S.,Zywno,2002

Research related to academic achievement and learning styles supported the following:

-Students learn differently.

-Students' performance at different subjects relates to how they learn (learning styles ).

-When students are taught using different approaches that match and cope with their learning styles , increases achievement significantly.

-Considering learning styles produced positive gains in reading, math when using standardized tests.

.

Research states that the visual learners are the most common type.

هم البصريين المتعلمين أن علي البحوث تؤكدأخر . نوع أي عن شيوعا األكثر

http://www.mindtools.com

Auditory (30 % )

Kinesthetic (5% )

Visual (65 % )

Gardner’s multiple Intelligences Theory

Learning Styles/Intelligences Characteristics

Activity No.7

The learning styles are :Visual (spatial) .You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial

understanding .Aural (auditory-musical). You prefer using sound and music .

Verbal (linguistic). You prefer using words, both in speech and writing .Physical (kinesthetic). You prefer using your body, hands and sense of

touch .Logical (mathematical). You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems .

Social (interpersonal) .You prefer to learn in groups or with other people .

Solitary (intrapersonal). You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

http://www.funderstanding.com/about_learning.cfmThis site examines 12 different theories on how people learn

Activities Listed by Learning StyleActive learners like group work, learn through doing: discussing, explaining, and applying .

Reflective learners prefer working alone, like to think quietly .

Sensing learners prefer learning facts, like solving problems by well-established methods, dislike complications and surprises, are patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on work, are practical and careful, prefer learning that relates to the real world .

Intuitive learners prefer to discover possibilities and relationships, like innovation and dislike repetition, grasp new concepts quickly, are comfortable with abstractions and mathematical formulations, are innovative and work quickly, dislike memorization and routine calculations.

Visual learners remember best what they see (pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations). “plays with pictures” Enjoys drawing, designing, and looking to learn. Needs to visualize and manipulate

Sequential learners gain understanding in linear steps, each step following logically from the previous one; tend

to follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions .

Global learners tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, and then suddenly "getting it," are able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture, but they may have difficulty explaining how they did it.

Verbal/Linguistic “plays with words” Good with language. Needs to hear, see and say words associated with the desired outcome. remember best what they hear and read.

Logical/Mathematical “plays with questions” Good at math, logic and problem solving. Needs to classify, categorize, and work with abstractions.

Musical “plays with music” Remembers melody, notices rhythms of life and keeps perfect time. Needs information delivered via melodies, musical notation or rhythm.

Bodily/Kinesthetic “plays with moving” Person in motion, uses body and touches to express thoughts. Needs to interact with space in some way to process and remember information.

Interpersonal “plays with socializing” Good at leading, organizing, mediating, communicating, understands and works well with others. Needs to compare and contrast, interview, share ideas and cooperate.

Intrapersonal “plays alone” Does better alone, pursuing self defined interests. Projects need to be individual, self-paced and singularly oriented

Activity No.8 Learning Styles and Teaching Strategies

Cooperative Learning

It is an instructional strategy that involves students working in teams to accomplish a common goal.There are five main principles of Cooperative Learning:

1-positive interdependence (all members must cooperate to complete the task)

2 -Individual and group accountability (each member is accountable for the complete final outcome).

3-Face to face promotive interaction4-Group social skills5-Group processing

Why use cooperative learning?

The more students work in cooperative learning groups:

-the more they will learn-the better they will understand what they are learning

-the easier it will be to remember what they learn-the better they will feel about themselves, the class and

their classmates.

Other outcomes included:-positive relationships, and psychological health .

-higher achievement and greater productivity-more caring, supportive, and committed relationships

- greater psychological health, social competence, and self-esteem.

Acknowledgment of individual differences Interpersonal development Active involvement in learning More opportunities for personal feedback

Deeper understanding of contentIncreased overall achievement in gradesImproved self-esteem Higher motivation to remain on task Active and constructive involvement in content Ownership of their own learning Solving group conflicts Improvement of teamwork skills Increased student retention

Enhancement of student satisfaction with their learning experience Development of skills in oral communication Development of students' social skills

التعاونية التعلم ألنشطة أمثلة

- - شارك- زاوج فكر Think-pair-shareاستراتيجيةاللغز- استكمال Jigsawاستراتيجية

أزواج- في Paired reviewsالمراجعاتالمشكالت- حل Problem solvingأنشطة

التعاونية- Cooperative projectsالمشروعات , المناقشة- discussion, debatingالمجادلة

المعلومات- في الفجوة باستكمال الخاصة االنشطةInformation-gap activities

Useful Sites on Cooperative Learning+Activities

http://www.readingquest.org/strat/

http://jigsaw.org/links.htm

http://www.wcer.wisc.edu

http://www.readwritethink.org

http://central.laramie1.org

http://www.classes.aces.uiuc.edu/Concept mapshttp://www.eudesign.comMnemonics

A pause procedure1 )Introducing student activity into the traditional lecture:

On the simplest level, active learning is introducing student activity in the traditional lecture. One example of this is for the lecturer to pause periodically and have students clarify their notes with a partner.This can be done two or three times during an hour-long class.

Because this pause procedure is so simple, it provides a baseline to study whether short, informal student activities can improve the effectiveness of lectures.

Instructional Strategies

Adjunct Displays , Graphic Organizers

Split-page Note taking

Paired Reviews

Text Impressions

Student Questions for Purposeful Learning

Structured Academic Controversies

Possible Sentences

Brainstorming for Prior Knowledge

Reflective journals ,List Group Label

INSERT ,KWL+

Planning an Active Learning Activity

What are your objectives for the activity ?-Who is interacting? Will students pair up with someone beside

them? Or perhaps someone sitting behind/in front of them?Should they pair up with someone with a different background? Someone they don't know yet?

-What are their learning styles ?-When does the activity occur during the class? Beginning?

Middle? End? How much time are you willing to spend on it ?-Will they write down their answers/ideas/questions or just

discuss them ?-Will they turn in the responses or not? If they are asked to turn

them in, should they put their names on them?

Sample Strategies

[Activating Prior Knowledge[]QAR[]Clarifying[]Rereading[]Context Clues[]Restating[]Drawing

Conclusions[]Setting a Purpose[]Evaluating[]Skimming/Scanning[]Fix-Up[]Summarizing[]

Inferring[]Surveying[]Key Words[]Think Aloud[]Predicting[]Visualizing]

www.readingquest.org

Graphic Organizersand Visual Displays

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer

http://teachers.teach-nology.com

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/vocab/

http://www.educationoasis.com/curriculum/GO/vocab_dev.htm

http://www.marion.k12.ky.us/Strategies/Social/socialstudies/understand.htm

http://www.2learn.ca/construct/graphicorg/concept/conceptmapindex.html http://www.inspiration.com/vlearning/index.cfm?fuseaction=webs

Useful Internet SitesThe Active Learning Sitehttp://www.active-learning-site.com/

Interactive teaching resourceshttp://www.h-net.msu.edu/~envision/interact/

Interactive Educationhttp://www.interactiveeducation.ac.uk/

Reading Questhttp://www.readingquest.org/strat/

Thinkfinityhttp://www.marcopolo-education.org/home.aspx

Enchanted Learninghttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/

http://cte.umdnj.edu/active_learning/active_general.cfmCenter for Teaching Excellence

Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. The National Teaching & LearningForum.

http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/91-9dig.htm

What is Active Learning? Buffalo University Teaching Resources.http://icarus.ubetc.buffalo.edu/etc/tlr/whatis.html

Active Learning Strategies. National Training Partnership.http://www2.edc.org/NTP/trainingdesign_activelearningstrategies.htm

Teaching and Learning Methods and Strategies. University of Arizonahttp://www.u.arizona.edu/ic/edtech/strategy.html

Active Learning Onlinehttp://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/classroom_main.htm

Active Learning and Library Instruction. Michigan State Universityhttp://www.libraryreference.org/activebi.html

Active Learning Strategies. Summaries of Best Practices in College Teaching.http://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/eceprog/bstprac.html#active

References

1-Buehl.D.(2001),classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, The International Reading Association, Inc.

2-Fisher,D.et al (2007),50 Content Area Strategies for Adolescent Literacy ,Upper Saddle River,

New Jersey, Pearson Prentice Hall.