Using Active Learning to Enhance Critical Learning | Origin: EL113
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Active Learning in an Online Environment --> Using Active Learning to Enhance Critical Learning
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
Connecting course material to real life and encouraging students to use smartphones to research and bring examples to the classroom will engage students and make learning more active and fun. I also think it will make it more memorable.
Instructors can encourage students with active learning activities to practice and grow their critical thinking skills.
PBL is an excellent technique to stimulate critical thinking in students and is part of dynamic engagement. Make student think an problem solving is stimulating just as full of pleasure as playing chess.
Each student has his/her own way to critically think. Online learning enables students to utilize his/her own way to critically think in a way that not only showcases his/her own knowledge, but invites other learners in, in a way that also offers a collaborative approach.
Critical thinking doesn't come easy to students and it is our job as instructors/educators to help them develop this skill for their future endeavors as many businesses are looking for "professionals who can think, reflect and solve pertinent problems in the workplace".
using critical learning and how to post it is important to problem solving.
I really liked the idea of using jigsaw activities, in which students bring their own pieces of knowledge together with their classmates' to solve a question or problem. I can see multiple scenarios in which I might use this type of activity, and this could be both motivating and beneficial to the students. For example, students could contribute multiple sources to a group forum for a research activity, and then they could evaluate classmates' sources and choose from among them for sources to use in a research essay. Everyone would be equally invested in finding, evaluating, and using the sources.
The statement by Mr. Bernie Dodge “thinking required while attending a lecture is low level comprehension that goes from the ear to the writing hand and then leaves the mind untouched.” was a very reflective saying. It makes you wonder how much a student is actually learning from lectures?
Critical thinking plays a huge impact in learning and applying.
I am a proponent of the PBL approach and actually use that in my classrooms.
In this module I learned different methods to measure critical thinking skills by using best practices including Cooperative learning and Problem-Solving Learning. The importance of group activity and self-reflection for students can increase their self-esteem and create a community of learners who can collectively increase their critical thinking skills. I like how the Problem Based Learning can be used to solve any problem that exists in the real world and having the students find solutions by using resources and prior knowledge, this enhances their ability to resolve issues and increases their critical thinking.
A good balance integration of methods has a tremendous value which is also dependent on appropriate methods being applied to specific courses and course material. One additional benefit of students using technology to contribute to a class would be if that is guiding, the students would then know where trusted sources of information can be found.
Critical thinking can is essential for the students to learn and apply what they've learned to different problems.
I found the mention of Second Life interesting since I used it in my doctoral degree program some 5-6 years ago. I didn't find it to be very relevant then or now, but it was interesting to consider how it might be used. I suppose were I a 'gamer' and into that sort of virtual reality stuff it might have been more applicable to my interests, but as it stood, all I took away was - 'been there and done that!"
Learning all about different methods of engaging students and encouraging active learning has greatly shaped my efforts moving forward.
I have found teaching students to be critical thinkers and to fully undestand informatiion and systems to be the biggest challenge and am constantly trying new things. A good example is teaching how pressures try to equalize and how that knowledge is applied to industry and machinery. I have found that if you keep it simple, fun, and easy to assimulate, the better they understand it.
Critical thinking can be challenging to some students. Instructor has to guide and encourage the students to trust themselves
I learned that the professor needs to do that the students used critical thinking.
