Transcript Rich Environments for Active Learning R. Scott Grabinger University of Colorado at Denver

Rich Environments for
Active Learning
R. Scott Grabinger
University of Colorado at Denver
Chapter 23
Section III. Soft Technologies:
Instructional and Informational
Design Research
Pages 665-692
Rich Environments for
Active Learning
• Chapter Purposes
– describe and organize common elements of rich
environments for active learning or REALs
– examine research conducted with various implementations
of REALs
• Must be:
– creative and flexible problem solvers
– able to apply experience and knowledge to address novel
problems
– able to think critically and analyze and synthesize
information
– able to work productively
Need for Educational Change
• Traditional education often fails to produce
transfer to new problem-solving situations.
• In the classroom, students often do not find
the kinds of problems that make knowledge
relevant to them
• Students often treat knowledge as an end
rather than a means to an end
Inert Knowledge
• Knowledge learned but not explicitly
related to relevant problem solving remains
inert.
• Knowledge gained from abstract sources,
without direct relevance, is not readily
available for transfer
Flaws in Conventional
Approaches to Schooling
• In battle over breadth versus depth, breadth usually wins
• To cover as much material as possible, education focuses
on material that has broad applications and students do not
learn how to apply these skills in contexts
• Students are given arbitrary and unrealistic problems to
solve
• Students are not asked to take charge of their own learning
• Students are not evaluated in authentic ways
• Current school practices often have negative effects on
morale and motivation of students
Erroneous Assumptions
about Learning
• People easily transfer learning from one
situation to the next
• Learners are receivers of knowledge
• Learning is entirely behavioristic
• Learners are blank slates ready to be filled
in with knowledge
• Skills and knowledge are best acquired
independent of realistic contexts of use.
New Assumptions
about Learning
• People transfer learning with difficulty, needing
both content and context learning
• Learners are active constructors of knowledge
• Learning is in a constant state of growth and
evolution
• Learners bring their own needs and experiences to
learning situations
• Skills and knowledge are best acquired within
realistic contexts
• Assessment must take more realistic and holistic
forms
Rich Environments for
Active Learning
REALs
• Comprehensive instructional systems that:
– are evolving from constructivist philosophies
– promote study and investigation within authentic
contexts
– encourage growth of student responsibility
– cultivate an atmosphere of cooperative learning
– utilize dynamic, generative learning activities that
promote high level thinking processes
– assess student progress through realistic tasks and
performances
– integration: linking new knowledge to old
– comprehensiveness: linking learning in broad, realistic
contexts
Main Attributes of REALs
• Historical antecedents
• Characteristics of constructivism
• Learning takes place within an authentic
context
• Student-centered
• Acknowledges the transactional nature of
knowledge
• Students engage in generative learning
activities
• Authentic assessment
Research and REALs
• Current research issues center on overall
effectiveness, methodological issues and making
cognitive processes visible
• On the whole, research shows the positive effects
of REAL strategies
• Positive effects show across ages, abilities and
content areas
• Research in this area is still young and developing
• Trying to move from a history of decontextualized
experimental studies to more qualitative kinds of
research within the natural context of the
classroom
Methodological Issues
• Both quantitative and qualitative methods
are valid, even in the same study, but there
are good reasons for adopting more
qualitative research
• Media versus method
– instructional methods influence learning, not
media
– media is an interchangeable delivery platform
Methodology Strategies
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Think-alouds
Written question generation
Ranking and classification techniques
Concept maps
Analysis of recordings
Dependent measures and assessment foci
Research Issues and Questions
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Individual differences
Learner control
Scaffolding and support
Methods that help students with abstract
general principles
• Assessment
• Technology
• Process of change