Teaching Improvement Program

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Teaching Improvement Program
Active Learning Wake up and Learn!
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Introduction

• Facilitators
• Jeff Greeley, Graduate Student, ChE
• Michael Morrow, Faculty Associate, ECE
• Thatcher Root, Associate Professor, ChE

Workshop Goal Learn some practical techniques for
implementing active learning in your class, and
understand the strengths and weaknesses of active
learning so you can use it effectively and
prudently.
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Workshop Overview

• What is active learning, and why should I care?
• Techniques for implementing active learning
• The pros and cons of active learning
• Examples of active learning
• Wrap-up
• This workshop should mirror good active learning
  practice, so expect us to mix it up with various
  modes of teaching and learning!

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Workshop Objectives

• List two active learning models.
• Define active learning.
• Develop an active learning exercise for a given
  topic in your course using one of the models
  given.
• Compare and contrast active learning with passive
  learning.
• Design an original active learning exercise
  model.
• Evaluate the suitability of an active learning
  exercise for a given course situation.

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What is Active Learning?

• In your groups, create a list of what you think
  the distinguishing characteristics of active
  learning should be.
• Be prepared to share your responses with the
  group.
• You have 3 minutes.
• Times up! Lets see what youve got

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Active Learning Characteristics

• Student involvement in and responsibility for
  learning
• Group activities
• Interaction in class
• Between teacher and students
• Between students
• Diverse modes of teaching and learning
• Dynamic environment

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What is Active Learning?

• A vehicle to more fully engage students in the
  learning process.
• A set of techniques to encourage students to take
  more ownership of the course.
• A way to promote deeper understanding and achieve
  better retention.
• A break from lecturing.

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Techniques for Implementing Active Learning
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Individual/Group Exercise Learning Activities

• What could you have students do in class to help
  them learn the material?
• 1 min - Individually create a list of 3 to 5
  possible answers.
• 2 min Form pairs, then create a single list of
  your best 2 to 3 answers.
• Step 3 Share your answers with the group at
  large.

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Some Learning Activities

• In-Class Teams
• Problem solving
• Brainstorming
• Question generation
• What if?
• Recall/Summarize

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Some Learning Activities

• Think-pair-share
• Try-talk-try again
• One-minute paper
• Cooperative note-taking pairs
• Question-and-answer pairs

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Practical Issues WhenImplementing Learning
Activities

• Form groups where they sit
• Assign roles (i.e. recorder, checker) as needed
• Explain the task
• Good to have a visual copy for reference
• Call on groups/individuals at random
• It is very important to do something with the
  work the students just did otherwise they may
  quickly decide its pointless!
• Be creative
• Avoid too much of any one technique!

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Group Exercise Active Learning Design

• Design a classroom learning activity that you
  believe would be effective in helping teach a
  specific topic
• Driver education
• Projectile motion
• Any other reasonable course topic
• Then,
• Estimate the amount of class time that you would
  use.
• List any issues you might have to consider in
  actually implementing it.
• Group exercise

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Group Exercise Active Learning Design

• Design a classroom learning activity that you
  believe would be effective in helping teach a
  specific topic
• Driver education
• Projectile motion
• Any other reasonable course topic
• Then,
• Estimate the amount of class time that you would
  use.
• List any issues you might have to consider in
  actually implementing it.
• Group exercise you have 5 minutes

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Group Exercise Active Learning Design

• Design a classroom learning activity that you
  believe would be effective in helping teach a
  specific topic
• Driver education
• Projectile motion
• Any other reasonable course topic
• Then,
• Estimate the amount of class time that you would
  use.
• List any issues you might have to consider in
  actually implementing it.
• Group exercise lets share!

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So, whats going to happen if I actually do this?

• If you introduce active learning exercises into
  your class, what might you expect to happen?
  (Good, bad, and/or really bad.)
• Be prepared to share your responses with the
  group.
• Group exercise 5 minutes
• Times up! Lets make a consolidated list

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Pros

• Increased student engagement and understanding
• Better attention (breaks between lecture
  segments)
• More student ownership of learning process
• Greater enjoyment of course material
• Greater retention

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Cons

• Time and topic coverage
• Preparation
• Student participation
• Lack of individual accountability
• Misconception generation
• Outside perceptions

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Examples of Active Learning

• Thatcher Root
• Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering

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Active Learning ExamplesProf. Thatcher Root, ChE

• ChE 250 Introduction to Process Synthesis
• Audience sophomores just starting ChE
• Dealing with many types of uncertainty
• Choice of major
• Comfort at university
• Learning and classroom styles

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First-Day Exercise

• Form a group with 2 neighbors, and make a list
  of ways Chemical Engineers
• Helped you get ready this morning
• Help hospitals treat patients
• Keep you warm (cool)
• Help you get to school
• Contributed to the last Packers game

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Items Accomplished (1)

• Meet classmates
• Personalize class
• Appreciate range of ChE impact
• See unappreciated ChE activities
• Establish connections with outside life, prior
  knowledge

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Flowsheet Exercise(teams of two)

• Choose some activity you know well, and draw a
  flowsheet for it. Include all major process
  steps, inputs, and outputs. Options include a
  car wash, baking cookies, making popcorn,
  macaronicheese, or any other favorite activity.

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Items Accomplished (2)

• Flowsheet experience inside expertise
• Connecting with classmates
• Appreciation of inputs/outputs
• Understanding levels of treatment
• Batch/continuous analogy

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Reaction In-Class Exercise

• The multiple chlorination of benzene is used to
  make chlorobenzenes for paint solvents and other
  uses. The two reactants are loaded in an
  autoclave in a 31 ratio and heated for the
  desired reaction time. Afterwards, the gases are
  vented to a scrubber and the 10 lb-mole of liquid
  products are analyzed to find the product
  composition (given). How much lime must be used
  to neutralize the product HCl?

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Items Accomplished (3)

• Industrial chemistry
• Solvents, chemical names
• Balanced reactions
• Problem set-up skills
• Identify unknown or vague specifications
  (reactant ratio, lb-mole, autoclave, )
• Identify real question asked
• Teamwork, different learning styles, blocks

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Class Discussion Participation

• Items accomplished
• Class alertness
• Anticipation, calibration
• Techniques
• Volunteers
• Calling by name
• Random selection - deck of cards
• Row-by-row
• ??

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Workshop Wrap-up

• Is active learning good?
• Is passive learning bad?
• Any questions / discussion?

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Thats all, folks!

• Thanks for your participation, and good luck in
  your courses this semester.
• Please remember to fill out your survey form, and
  be sure that you signed in so that you get credit
  for attendance.

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