Building Community Agenda

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Active Learning Agenda

Active Learning Agenda

Objectives:

1. Participants will have opportunities to experience active learning first hand.
2. Participants will gain experience building the six principles of active learning into their programs.

© 2011 the Forum for Youth Investment

The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality is a division of the Forum for Youth Investment ∙

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Active Learning Agenda

1. Introductions of trainer(s)

1. Icebreaker
2. Think about learning how to ride a bike (or a similar experience). State 3 words to describehow you felt about the learning process. Collect words from participants and keep them on the board. Later, revisit to introduce major concepts.

1. Review agenda and objectives, and “housekeeping” items

1. Explain where Active Learning fits into the Pyramid of Program Quality and its relation to the Youth PQA

1. Distribute an even number of circuit grouping cards and ask participants to form groups that have:

1. 1 light bulb

1. 1 battery

1. 2 wires

1. Have groups take on the role of the card they were dealt and use their bodies to model a way to light the bulb. They can pulse “electricity” through their hands by squeezing in sequence.

1. Circulate, using the adult support strategies for active learning. (Some key words to use as you circulate: hypothesis, electricity/electrons, current, circuit, short circuit)
2. Emphasize that they are making a hypothesis—creating a mental model of how this might work; they could draw a picture to represent their hypothesis, or state it out loud.

1. Present which are pictures of possible ways to light a light bulb. For each slide ask: “Will this work to light the light bulb? Tell me why?”

1. Distribute light bulbs, batteries, and two wires to each group and ask participants to figure out a way to light the bulb.

1. Circulate. Pay attention to where participants get stuck. Ask questions and make comments that help the groups get to the correct solution. Encourage participants to share with each other what they already understand about how to light a light bulb.

1. Once groups figure it out, have them make the attempt with a light bulb, a battery, and only one wire, and/or with 2 batteries.

1. Present the “Active Learning Strategies.”
2. Introduce Minds of Our Own video clip. Ask participants to record thoughts for each attempt at active learning (Mr. Carter and the Interviewer) – what does each leader in the video do to encourage Active Learning?

1. Watch Minds of Our Own video. (Note: There’s about 30 seconds on the disk before the recording starts.)

1. Have participants find a partner who had the same type of card they had (i.e., battery, wire, light bulb).

1. Have each pair chat about each of the strategies.

1. How did Mr. Carter and Mr. Sadler demonstrate the strategies?

1. Where else have you seen these strategies done well?
2. What might it look like?

1. Where have things gone bad because these strategies weren’t in place?

1. Present Direct Instruction and Pure Discovery on the Teaching Styles slide.
2. Debrief with the large group:
3. As a youth, what does each of these styles look like?
4. As a youth, what does each feel like?
5. It what situations are each style appropriate?

1. Hand out post it notes. Have participants write as many pros and cons for each teaching style as they can come up with, writing one idea on each card.Have half the room think about Direct Instruction. Have the other half think about Pure Discovery.
2. Pro - What is good about it?
3. Con - What is negative about it?

1. Together, analyze the brainstormed lists and from these, pull post-its with positive characteristics of each.
2. Present the features of Guided Discovery as a balance of the pros of each more extreme style (and one that addresses many of the cons). Direct participants to page 10.

1. Create small groups of 3-4 participants. Assign each group one example from Active Learning Case Studies. Have groups describe how the strategies of Active Learning are present and how they could add the strategies that are not present. Have them record their responses in the Looking for Active Learning activity on page 23.

1. Have one or two volunteers share some examples with the large group.
2. During debrief, highlight aspects of support that are tied to scaffolding. Direct participants to pages 12-13.
3. How do these supports “scaffold” youth as they learn?
4. As facilitators, how can we know when the level of challenge is appropriate?
5. What are some ways that these specific case studies could be simplified if a group needed it?
6. What are some ways that these specific case studies could be made more challenging if a group needed it?

1. Have new groups identify an activity that they will be doing in the near future with youth. Have each group complete the Active Learning Lesson Plan on page 26. Have them check off the strategies as they incorporate them into the lesson. Refer them to pages 16-17in guidebook for more information on different age groups. (For any individual or group who does not work with youth, have them choose one of the activities from pages 24-25 in the guidebook.)

1. Have one or two volunteers share some examples with the large group.

1. Revisit list of words from the bike discussion.
2. how did this experience represent a stimulating activity and appropriate challenge?
3. how did you receive adult support?
4. how will you create similar positive experiences for kids in your program?

1. Use pages28-33 to direct participants to other resources in the guidebook that were not used during the workshop. In particular, highlight the Sharing Active Learning with Others section.

1. Hand out workshop evaluations.

Alternative or Additional Activities

1. video or digital camera
2. art supplies
3. costumes
4. magazines, scissors, glue
5. technology

1. Have each group begin at a station and list on easel paper all the ways they could use the items at the station for active learning. Emphasize that the materials must be used to stimulate thinking as well as “doing.”
2. Give the first group about 5 minutes. Then rotate the groups clockwise to the next station. At the next station, continue to add to the list. Continue to rotate back to the original station.
3. Ask groups to walk around and read each other’s ideas.
4. Process responses with large group. Highlight ways that the materials were used to stimulate thinking as well as “doing.”

1. Have participants count off by 3’s and go to different sections of the room. Leaders lead each activity for the three groups. Debrief after each activity.
2. The first activity is a challenging origami paper folding activity, with no examples, and complicated written instructions. Leaders do not provide much support, just read the directions aloud.
3. The second activity is a simple paper folding activity, which any participant could complete without any guidance whatsoever.
4. The third activity is a challenging origami paper folding activity, but the leader has practiced it and understands the technique. The leader provides support, asks questions, draws on previous knowledge, and scaffolds the activity for the participants .

1. Full group debrief: Zone of Proximal Development, Knowing Thy Youth, point participants to the Scaffolding section in the guidebook, pages 12-15.

1. Tell the group “We are going to be working on writing short stories. Let’s brainstorm a list to get us started. What are some important elements of a great story?” List answers on easel. Say, “Ok, right now we’re going to focus on character development.”

1. Jigsaw: Divide participants into groups of three (playing cards) and have individuals in each group count off: 1, 2, 3. Have the 1s then form a group, and the 2s, and the 3s.

1. Give each group their papers and tell them their task—to make a particular body section. 1s are heads; 2s are neck to waist, and 3s are waist & down.
2. Working in their group, each individual is to draw their body section. They can draw whatever they want—it doesn’t necessarily have to be human.

1. When drawings are completed, have participants go back to original groups and assemble their exquisite corpses. Give them a few minutes to name their character and prepare to introduce the character to everyone.

1. End with plan: “Okay, now take a minute to discuss with your triads how you could develop your character further if you were to include him/her/it in a short story. [Tie in elements of stories such as conflict, rise, climax, etc.]
2. Debrief how this relates to Scaffolding and Active Learning. Direct participants to page 12.

© 2011 the Forum for Youth Investment

The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality is a division of the Forum for Youth Investment ∙