Page 189 - Learning to Learn

LEARNING TO LEARN: BECOMING A SELF -GROWER 189
EXPERIENCE 7: V ISIONING: CLARIFYING Y OUR FUTURE READING
Interactive Lecture
In an interactive lecture, a student is more involved and active than in a
traditional lecture. In this type of learning environment, the instructor can
do any of the following to make the lecture more interactive:
• give a quiz at the end of class
• provide a set of critical questions that are to be answered during the lecture
• ask students to work on discussion questions with another student(s) every 15-20 minutes
• use the last 5-10 minutes to have students write down what they have learned along with any
questions they may still have
In an interactive lecture, students are accountable for understanding the class material at the time it is
presented rather than waiting until after class to digest and study the material.
Group Discussion
In a group discussion, the topic or new knowledge becomes the focal point
for a discussion among a team of students. Questions provided by the
instructor and/or generated by students serve to stimulate and guide the
discussion. Discussions work best when there is a facilitator or moderator
to control tangents, provide summaries at periodic points, and require
group members to contribute.
Laboratory
A laboratory environment allows students to learn and create knowledge in a way
that is similar to how a scientist does it. Used in a variety of disciplines, laboratories
build a wide range of skills including collecting data, making hypotheses, designing
experiments, analyzing data, validating conclusions, and communicating results.
Cooperative Learning
When working in cooperative teams, students have an opportunity to develop skills
in the social and affective domains (especially the processes of teamwork and
value development). Many times team roles are used so that each team member is
accountable for an aspect of the team’s overall performance. Learning to work with
others and achieve more as a team than as individuals will be of great benefit to you in college and
beyond.
Guided-Discovery Learning or Activity Learning
When placed in a guided-discovery learning environment, students must work with
various types of models, make use of background information, and answer questions
to arrive at new knowledge. In others words, rather than being told about something,
students work to discover it. Typically, guided-discovery is structured so that students
work in teams on a particular activity. This builds students’ learning skills at the same time the content
of the activity is learned. Key components of an activity are the performance criteria and the critical
thinking questions which guide the learner in his or her thinking.