Debrieifing is Important
Simulations and games are great ways to have experiential learning, but as our course material emphasized, a good debrief is important. The debrief is an opportunity to reach the higher levels of learning such as synthesis and evaluation. It provides an opportunity to reflect on not only what went well or not, but also thinking of ways to improve or correct what occurred. Debriefing provides an opportunity for both student and teacher to critically think and problem solve.
Robert,
this is a great approach & I'm sure greatly benefits the students as they can reflect on the wins & areas of improvement.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Being i Graphic Design, after all of our projects, we hold a critique of the students' work. During these critiques, students are expected to tell the class what they feel works and what they feel they would have done different;y. Sometimes the results are astounding!
Debriefing is a valuable tool in that it helps the instructor evaluate the effectiveness of the activity as a learning tool.
Jeff
Barbara,
and the debriefing really gives you some good insight into how individuals & the group are grasping the important concepts.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This is very true. Sometimes students seem to get so caught up in the game that they lose sight of what they are learning. To recognize and reinforce the objective to be remembered, the debriefing is necessary and useful.
I have found that debriefing benefits the instructor as well as the students. It is important to be openly honest and be receptive to constructive criticism. As an instructor, I appreciate having the feedback and use it to gauge the effectiveness of the activity. I can also use the feedback to improve or make appropriate changes to the activity to enhance/embrace the learning opportunities.
I agree debriefing is important to the learning process. We do practical skills assessments as part of testing pschomotor skills. I often feel the most learning actually occurs during the debriefing time where we talk about how it felt while they were performing the requested skill, what the student thought they did well, and what would they have done anything differently.
I agree with Andrew I can improve and come up with different idea's
Eric,
good point & I would say it all depends. I personally would never expect the debrief to go as long as the activity, however if the discussion is really rolling I also wouldn't cut it off.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree that debriefing is important, but I have never had a debriefing session that has taken as long as the activity! One particular activity I do lasts about an hour, and then we debrief for about 20 minutes, but it feels like we are done with the topic at that point.
For debriefing i use a game style q & a where the learners use turning point software (clickers) to answer powerpoint multiple chioce questions about the project. great thing about this is it anonymous, so there is less intimidation about making a mistake in front of each other. If anyone gets an incorrect answer as a group we work out or discuss why. the retention of the lab has doubled if not tripled when i do assessment on the labs the are expected to perfom at the end of the module.
Steve,
You are right it definitely is easier in the lab & may not always be needed in the classroom but definitely helpful at times.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I am one who also needed to improve on debriefing
in the class room. I find it easier to do in the lab.
I have to admit this is one area I can definitely improve on, I am going to try to come up with some different activities to aid in the debriefing.
Shane,
yes, yes, yes...never overlook the debrief as this is where the application occurs.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree, debriefing allows the student to evaluate their work and work ethic, and think critically about what they would do differently if they could. This allows them to recognize what they should do for next time.
A strong debriefing after a simulation allows students to decompress and infuse the simulation experience into their knowledge base.
Sonia,
Yes the power of the activity is in the debrief
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Debriefing is important because it gives the student time to implement in their brain what has just been heard and seen from his or her viewpoint and how to transalate this into the way the students brain reacts to the information absorbed and to structure this information for later use.
