Effective teaching- Fulfilling characteristics of a good learning activity
On this page we address some characteristics of good learning activities. The information will focus on educational concepts such as active learning and authentic learning. The discussion is not meant to be comprehensive but can serve as ‘food for thought’ when teachers plan their courses.
An example of good learning activity should contain characteristics of the following,
- Alignment with intended learning outcomes
- Active
- Student-oriented
- Inquisitive
- Authentic
- Collaborative
- Reflective
Alightment with intended learning outcomes
In short, a teacher should be certain about what students should learn as a result of the experience of studying a course. Then, s/he plans activities that are likely to support students in achieving the desired learning outcomes.
We have more information about common learning outcomes on the "Learning outcomes" page of our site. On the page of "Ideas", we map some common learning activities to their typical learning outcomes. The mappings are for reference only as the actual attainment of outcomes is influenced by many contextual factors. More about the curriculum alignment concept can be found on an external site here: http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=600Good learning activities are those that enable students to learn “actively”. The idea is rooted in a constructivist view of learning: learning is attained when learners actively construct their own set of meanings or understandings. In this framework students are not passive recipients of knowledge but should ask questions, work on tasks and use knowledge actively. In a passive learning situation, the focus of learning is more on finding, remembering and understanding information, but in an active learning environment, the focus of learning is on applying the information in productive ways to test one’s own understandings and to see how to use knowledge in fresh contexts. For teachers, rather than only disseminating knowledge, their role becomes that of a facilitator to ensure that students actively participate in the learning process. In the process, teachers assist students to relate prior knowledge to new knowledge, and apply knowledge to real-life contexts. You may want to read more about active learning on these external sources: http://cte.umdnj.edu/active_learning/active_general.cfm http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/learning/
index.html
Learning activities that facilitate active learning are often also student-oriented – the focus is on the students’ learning processes and how they work on tasks, rather than the tasks (teaching) done by teachers. There are a number of ways to enhance student participation in the learning process, including:
- Sharing ideas with others: learning activities in the course that encourage sharing learning experiences with others.
- Opportunities to express oneself: learning activities in the course that allow sufficient opportunities for students to express themselves.
- Critical arguments: learning activities in the course that allow for arguments, discussions, debates – all of which demonstrate to students that there may be a number of different viewpoints or theories that can be used to explain a situation.
- Resources targeted at students’ levels and needs:learning activities in the course that take into consideration students’ learning needs and provide many real-life examples to illustrate concepts.
- Originality of ideas: learning activities in the course that encourage original viewpoints and ideas
The following websites have some more good explanations of the student-oriented learning concept:
- http://www.aishe.org/readings/2005-1/oneill-mcmahon-Tues_19th_Oct_SCL.html
- http://ccliconference.org/files/2010/03/Froyd_Stu-CenteredLearning.pdf
- http://www.texascollaborative.org/stdtcenteredteach.htm
- http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/booklets/
Jones-Student-Centered.pdf - http://www.esu-online.org/pageassets/projects/projectarchive/100814-SCL.pdf
- http://www.adelaide.edu.au/learning/staff/teachingAtAdelaide.pdf
Good learning activities also often encourage the inquisitive mind of students and their ability to undertake systematic evaluation and research in seeking solutions to issues or problems. Inquisitive learning is facilitated by learning activities that allow students to manage their own projects. Students may even have the freedom to choose topics they would like to further investigate. They are guided to collect information from the literature and plan their investigation processes. Students learn to apply knowledge and develop research skills in the exploration process. Teachers take the role as consultants and facilitators, providing timely advice and support, not only on knowledge but also on the research, learning and project-management processes. More about inquisitive learning activities can be found on:
- http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/general-info/our-approach/intro-inquiry-learning/intro-inquiry-learning
- http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/
- http://www.educationworld.in/teacher-resources/encouraging-inquisitive-learning.html
Good learning activities are often authentic; authentic learning ensures students are capable of applying their knowledge to real-life problems. Tasks that are authentic require students to use the same competencies, or combinations of knowledge, skills and attitudes, that they would need to use when performing the same task in a genuine professional situation. Authentic tasks often have the following properties.
- Real-world relevance
- Ill-defined problem: tasks may not be well defined and have issues that need clarification.
- Sustained investigation: tasks are not simple but require a significant period of exploration
- Multiple sources and perspectives need to be considered
- Collaboration: group work may be required, as it is in many tasks in the real world
- Reflection: students need to review proposed solutions at various stages, and react to criticisms and counter-suggestions
- Interdisciplinary perspective: knowledge of multiple disciplines may be relevant to an authentic task, as is the case in many real-life situations
- Integrated assessment: should focus not only the final product/ solution, but also on the learning processes students have gone through
- Polished products: solutions/ products are expected to be refined and professionally presented
- Multiple interpretations and outcomes: a range of possible outcomes and solutions might be appropriate, as in most real-life cases
Read the following websites if you are interested in learning more about authentic learning.
- http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet19/herrington.html
- http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm
- http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=2&n=2
Social learning also features strongly in modern learning activities. Students are often able to develop more complex explanations and deeper understanding of issues when they work together with peers. To a great extent, this is in line with a social constructivist point of view that learning is consolidated and knowledge constructed/ reconstructed when students exchange ideas with their peers. Moreover, team-work skills are commonly regarded as an important learning outcome in nearly all disciplines; few tasks and jobs in real life are accomplished single-handedly these days. Team work is thus an important element in many good learning activities. You may be interested in reading more about collaborative learning on the following websites.
Reflection involves an open analysis of one’s own performance or knowledge level. Learning activities that are reflective require students to think over what they had been doing; in doing so, they might consider alternative strategies to explore. Reflection also allows students to critique the way that others tackled a task and suggest alternative ways of proceeding. Reflective learning is good because, in the process, students understand what they have been doing well and what can be improved. Equipped with a better understanding of their own learning, students can then more effectively plan what and how they should learn in the next steps. For reflection to be effective, however, teachers should provide scaffolding – exemplars and models showing students how to do reflection and use their reflection to improve problem solving. The following article has some good information about student reflective learning journal: