Active Learning In Virtual Environment/Printable version

Active Learning In Virtual Environment

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Introduction

Active Learning is about involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing. When using active learning, students are engaged in more activities than just listening. In other words, active learning describes a learning process in which a deep commitment with the training material is used to improve knowledge retention. Active learning has many benefits. Active learning involves students in the learning process as it aims to promote interaction with the material being taught. This allows students to research the material themselves, which improves knowledge retention. Self-exploration improves students’ critical thinking and decision-making skills, as they need to learn how to evaluate what is important and what is not. Active learning also boosts students’ motivation and performance since actively participating in the learning process helps to understand the discussed topics better, which improves the student’s ability to adapt knowledge to specific real-life situations.

Active learning methods, such as debates and brainstorming, are helpful tools to embrace active learning in the learning process. During online debates, for example, students are broken out into two groups that research, develop, and present opposing viewpoints on a topic. This allows them to take responsibility for their performance, as they need not only to develop their logical reasoning skills to defend their position, but also to make decisions about how they will use what they are learning. Brainstorming involves working together as a group and encourages creative thinking and risk taking in order to generate new ideas and solutions, no matter how unclear or ineffective.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, online teaching has become a common form of education. Both students and teachers needed to adjust to different types of virtual education, instead of regular classroom teaching. Students must actively keep up with their studies which indicates the need for active learning. Active learning in an online environment helps students to embrace knowledge through active learning methods. When actively participating in the teaching process, students learn the discussed topic better because it’s more effective to participate than just passively listen. Active learning methods make the learning process more meaningful and ensure deeper learning.

In spring 2021, a group of students at Tallinn University conducted a research project titled Active Learning in Virtual Environment (ALIVE). Local and foreign students and lecturers, from different fields of learning took part in the research. 31 students answered the students’ questionnaire and 13 lecturers answered the lecturers’ questionnaire.

The study shows that the use of Active Learning methods makes students engage more actively during lectures. According to the students’ research results, Active Learning is interesting and develops social skills (74,2%). It helps remember things better (64,5%), makes students work harder, gives many different points of view towards the subjects and also active learning sometimes pushes limits in a good way, for example being out of the comfort zone, so the overall learning results are better. According to the lecturers’ research, information about Active Learning methods are easily found from the Internet and lecturers also ask for other lecturers’ advice. Some of the lecturers have completed training on Active Learning methods. However, some specific knowledge about the use of Active Learning, such as group size and preparation time is insufficient. According to the research results, Active Learning makes the teaching and learning process more interesting and it enhances students' attention and increases their engagement.

The project team created this wiki page for everyone who wants to know more about active learning, its methods and how to concretely apply it to online lectures. There exists a subcategorization for easy access to different active learning methods.

Polling

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #individual-work, #quick-preparation

Outline

Polling can be used as a fast method to explore students’ opinions on a certain subject. What makes it convenient is Zoom’s polling feature that allows students to post their responses during the class. Therefore, teachers are able to view the answers right away. A variety of polling types is available to choose from, such as multiple choice polls, true or false statements or Likert-type questions. Additionally, it helps a teacher to keep track of students’ attendance or prevent any miscomprehensions at any time throughout the class. As a matter of fact, there are alternative online polling platforms to choose from: SurveyMonkey, Poll Everywhere and Google Forms.

Polling demo illustration

Activity arrangement

• create a poll in one of the platforms
• decide on the approximate time for students to answer during the class
• check that the questions are understandable and set correctly
• provide students with verbal instruction (or/and written if needed)

Once students start answering the questions, you will be able to view the responses simultaneously.

• end the poll.

Pointers

• easy to arrange in large groups of students.
• less pressure on students that don't like active participation.
• engages students to stay attentive.

How to use this method in online class?

One of the most common options to use polling during the class is Zoom polling feature. There are certain necessary aspects you should keep in mind, before creating a poll in Zoom. For example, there are such limitations as max 10 questions in one poll and the number of participants being max 25. In addition, you have to make sure you created a meeting using your Personal Meeting ID. A detailed step-wise instruction is available on their website.

If a meeting is done through Google Meet, a Google Forms feature would be the most convenient feature to use. Besides, unlike Zoom polling feature, google forms can be conducted offline.

Minute Paper

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #individual-work, #feedback, #discussion

Outline

A minute paper is a teaching tool in which students have to provide responses or thoughts about the class held or about the homework that they had. The main goal of the minute paper is to understand what the students have learned or what they found interesting and even what subject they found difficult in class. A minute paper gives an idea to the teacher of what the students have actually learned and whether the outcomes of the students’ learnings correspond to what the teacher had in mind. Results of the minute paper can be discussed in the class which gives the students even more possibilities to reflect on what they have learned, what other students have learned, and even learn from those other students. This can be used in various platforms, for example Moodle. The teacher can upload the questions in Moodle and the students can go and provide answers to the questions.

Minute paper illustration

Activity arrangement

• inform the students that they may have to provide answer to a minute paper during the end of the class or in the beginning of the class for example for homework
• stop the lecture at the time of your choosing
• ask questions which require broader thinking about the topic of the class, avoid yes and no questions
• students provide their answers, look into them
• provide feedback and discussion about the answer either in the class or before the next class

Pointers

• extremely quick way of collecting feedback.
• provides results if the students perceived the teachers main point or ideas that the teacher had in mind for the class.
• the students must self-reflect on what was studied in the class and therefore analyse what they’ve learned.

Pro and Con Grid

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #individual-work, #quick-preparation

Outline

A rather effective way to encourage students to develop their critical thinking skills could be creating a list of advantages and disadvantages on a given matter. Furthermore, students have an opportunity to compare and contrast their viewpoints. This strategy determines a person to analyse the information deeper and therefore state more constructive responses. Moreover, completed lists of points could become a starting point for a class debate. Students have to create two columns on a spreadsheet - one with benefits and another one with drawbacks regarding a certain topic. Depending on the time given and complexity of the topic, the number of points varies. If activity is held during an online class some platforms can be used such as any document editor, Google documents or Blackboard Discussion Boards.

Pros Cons illustration

Activity arrangement

• pick a specific topic based on some problem or issue students are already familiar with, provide students with a clear statement or a question
• state the number of pros and cons students should list
• decide on the platform students will be using
• set the approximate time of the activity, for example, 20 minutes give or take
• divide the class into small groups or assign the task to be done individually
• after the task is completed, encourage students to share their ideas

Pointers

• develops analytical and evaluative skills
• makes students to think beyond their initial response
• students list ideas on both sides of a topic, not only their preferable opinion
• may become a starting activity before going into details of a certain subject

How to use this method in online class?

The simplest way to conduct this activity would be to set a statement or a question and then ask students to create a table. The table can be created in any document editor. The most accessible to everyone is google documents. A simple or a more complicated table can be created. An example of such a table would be the following:

Pros Cons Table

If you need a detailed instruction of how to create the table, it is available here: Add and edit tables.
Blackboard Discussion Boards is great for creating class discussions during online meetings. However, most of the content is accessible only by a fee.

Peer Review

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #offline/long-term, #individual-work

Outline

The main point of peer review activity is to give an opportunity for students to test their abilities in commenting and analysing their classmate’s work. As a matter of fact, it encourages students to communicate or collaborate with peers in a project. During this activity, students provide feedback for each other’s assignments, stating constructive critique on the issue. For more efficiency, a teacher should create a list of prompts students should pay attention to while providing feedback. Once comments are written down, students then should verbally go through their overviews. Consequently, students learn essential communicative skills as well as taking other people’s opinions into account.

Peer Review illustration

Activity arrangement

• create a guideline students should follow that may consist of several steps. An example of a scheme could be as follows:

1. Read the piece
2. Say what you like about it
3. Ask what the main idea is
4. Listen
5. Say “Add that, please” when you hear a good detail

• give examples of what constructive critique should look like so that no one ends up in a situation where someone is offended
• divide the class either into pairs if individual assignments are reviewed or groups for team tasks
• set the approximate time when the task has to be finished

The task does not necessarily need to be held online, it is suitable as an offline activity as well. But then, a clear deadline has to be set.

Pointers

• less grading workload on a teacher during introductory-level courses
• students are able to develop crucial skills such as reviewing, criticizing, developing arguments, describing and more
• students may become more inspired to study the course further
• if the activity is to be done outside of the class, students are able to schedule their time independently

How to use this method in online class?

This type of assignment can be done in Zoom breakout rooms or in Google Meet breakout rooms. Students exchange their documents in a chat box and then review it in their preferable document editor. If the task is assigned to be done offline, a teacher should make sure students are able to contact each other and exchange their works.

Think pair share

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work, #discussion, #quick-preparation

Outline

The point of this learning method is to get the students to activate themselves in different ways. First the students think about the problem themselves then in pairs where they share their ideas on the topic which they firstly thought about themselves. Lastly, the students will share their individual ideas and pair ideas with the whole class. Think-pair-share enabled the students to understand the concept of the class as well as teach the students how to draw conclusions and discuss the topic in general. Think-pair-share speaks for itself, first the student thinks on their own then discusses with their pair and then the pair shares their ideas with the class.

Think-Pair-Share illustration

Activity arrangement

• Choose a topic that you want to discuss in the class
• Ask the students to think about a question that you presented them about the topic
• Next divide the class into pairs and ask them to discuss about the question that you presented and their thoughts on it
• Ask the pairs to present their ideas to the class
• Discuss the questions and the topic with the whole class

Pointers

• Allows the students to interpret the topic with their own way
• When working together the students learn from each other
• Enables the all the students to be an active participant in class

How to use this method in online class?

This method is very easy to use in online classes since many different formats have the possibility to put the students into pairs and have them working together. For example in Zoom it is possible to divide the class into pairs and then ask the pairs to share their ideas and thoughts with the whole class after the discussing in pairs part is done. For example, divide students into breakout rooms for two people and then discuss with class after they first discussed with their partner.

The muddiest point

Activity: #offline/long-term, #individual-work, #quick-preparation, #feedback

Outline

The point of the muddiest point is to determine the issues that the students might have with the topic that was discussed in class. In the most simple way the point is to find the muddiest point. This technique finds what the students thought was difficult in class, what was unclear and what would have needed more elaboration. The muddiest point gives the students a chance to reflect on the class as well as their own learning the class. It also enables the teacher to determine the strong and weak points of the class topic. The muddiest point is a quick way to get feedback as well as get improvement ideas on the lectures or the topics.

The muddiest point illustration

Activity arrangement

• Determine a subject or matter on which you want feedback on. What do you want to know about the class that they found difficult?
• Reserve time for the students to provide their feedback to platform of your choice
• Collect the responses or have a look at them from the platform. Provide answers and further explain the topics that were the ones students had difficulties with
• Discuss these results with the students in the next class. Provide them feedback in the form of answers and further explanations

Pointers

• Gives the teacher an insight of what subjects the students might struggle with in the particular class.
• The students have to think about their learning and analyse further the subject that was discussed in the class which deepens their understanding
• Gives also the chance for the more hesitant students to express their misunderstandings

How to use this method in online class?

This is an easy active learning method to apply in online learning. For example in Moodle create a platform where the students can go and provide their answers to. Then have a look at them and provide them answers to the matters that they according to their feedback found difficult.

Collaborative note taking

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work

Outline

Students are encouraged to work collaboratively during the lesson or lecture. The activity can be arranged in small groups of up to 5 people. Each student is given a category on which he has to fill in the notes during the class. The simplest way to arrange this assignment would be through Google Docs. Throughout the class students fill in their list of notes which they can later compare with the whole class. Additionally, it brings an opportunity for a student to add some piece of information he overlooked. What is more, the notes added from students contain their own perspective which may differ from their peers. Summing up, collaborative note taking carries the beneficial purpose of exchanging knowledge, comparing and learning at the same time.

Collaborative Notetaking Illustration

Activity arrangement

• create a Google Docs and add a table to give visual organization
• each column needs to be assigned for a different category
• you can divide students into groups or held this activity with the entire class
• assign one student to a certain category
• if the activity is held in entire class, students will take turns as official note-takers

Pointers

• collaborative work
• opinion exchange
• ability to be held in a group of any size
• students feel less overwhelmed as they need to focus on only one category

How to use this method in online class?

As was already mentioned numerous times, the activity can be held through Google Docs which a teacher shares with students. A simple table can be created there in order to organise categories.

Case study

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #offline/long-term, #group-work, #critical-thinking, #needs-preparation

Outline

Case study is a practical activity that can be arranged as a one-class task or a long project. Case studies presume students to observe a real-life condition, such as a news article, video, event, etc. Typically, a list of questions students should focus on is already given by the teacher. Through mutual interactions and discussions students will explore the problem and hence, find solutions to resolve it. However, more complicated cases do not have a clear answer to the problem which requires students to analyse the case more deeply and gather information elsewhere. The study requires students to observe the question from different perspectives - with a number of students dealing with the case it becomes an enabling environment to share opinions. The activity provides students with an opportunity to apply theory learned in a course to an actual practical situation. Therefore, students are compelled to adapt their critical thinking skill, deep analysis and estimation.

According to Carleton university article, case studies can be divided into project-based learning or problem-based learning. In the first case, the project is supervised by an instructor who sets up the whole activity, where students focus mainly on finding solutions to the problem. Students are expected to use previous lectures and additional materials an instructor can provide. But in the second case, students are way more independent as they decide on how they will organize their work. An instructor provides students with a problem, but further plays only a supportive role whenever students need extra help.

Case Study Illustration

Formats of case studies

1. Detailed / Extensive case studies
   This format of case study is typically used in business courses and assigned to be done individually. The volume of the work can be quite big - up to 100 pages or more. The purpose is to develop analytical skills and provide a list of solutions to be applied to the problem.
2. Descriptive / Narrative cases
   Primarily, this type of case study was used in medical schools. The work should be about 5 pages long. In this format students should “generate hypotheses, develop the learning objectives and generate study questions for each part of the case” .
3. Mini cases
   These cases are to be done during one class and usually are focused on a specific topic. The aim of this case study is to encourage students to apply their knowledge in practical tasks.
4. Bullet cases
   This activity is held in pre-assessments in small groups, with a workload of 2-3 sentences.
5. Multiple choice cases
   In this activity students are provided with a list of possible solutions to a problem and they are expected to choose the best one. The question is commonly addressed to ethics or policy problems and is held during the class.

Activity arrangement

• As there are a variety of case study formats to choose from, the activity arrangement will differ. Yet, these are the main points to keep in mind:
• decide on a case study format you wish to assign
• divide students into groups corresponding to the activity format
• provide students with a real-life case/problem and (possibly) a list of follow-up questions
• if you are dealing with a mini in-class case, divide students into breakout rooms where they will work independently
• if it is a long-term task, student should decide themselves on the platform they will be using
• by the assigned deadline, students will hand in their works which can then be presented in class

Pointers

• students are able to adapt their knowledge in a practical way
• encourages students to think critically
• learners are inspired to take an active role in building their knowledge and understanding
• collaborative learning
• students are dealing with higher level concepts and their adaptation in practise

How to use this method in online class?

As was already mentioned before, activity arrangement depends on duration and size of a group. For in-class online activities, students can be divided into breakout rooms in Zoom or Google Meet. If students are assigned to work on the case as a project, they should decide on a platform they will be using for communication. The assignment can be submitted in Moodle, where additional materials can be uploaded. It can also be used to interact with students and access their tasks.

Flipped Classroom

Activity: #offline/long-term, #group-work, #needs-preparation

Outline

This method activates students learning both at home and in class. In this blended learning approach, face-to-face interaction is mixed with independent study usually via technology. In a common Flipped Classroom scenario, students might watch pre-recorded videos at home, then come to school to do the homework armed with questions and at least some background knowledge. The point of flipped classroom is to rethink when students have access to the resources they need most. If the problem is that students need help doing the work rather than being introduced to the new thinking behind the work, then the solution the flipped classroom takes is to reverse that pattern.

Flipped Classroom Illustration

Activity arrangement

• Discuss the topic briefly in class before giving the assignment.
• Divide the class into groups and assign which part of for example the phenomenon the group should cover.
• Then give the students the instructions that they need to find out at home what are the key points or main topics which are related to the topic briefly discussed.
• Tell the students that they need to be able to present the findings of their home assignment.
• During the flipped classroom and the students presenting be ready to provide feedback and pay attention to what the students might have missed.

Pointers

• Create flexible spaces in which students choose when and where they learn.
• Educators who flip their classes are flexible in their expectations of student timelines for learning and in their assessments of student learning
• In the traditional teacher-centered model, the teacher is the primary source of information.
• The students determine what they need to teach and what materials students should explore on their own.
• Educators use Intentional Content to maximize classroom time in order to adopt methods of student-centered, active learning strategies, depending on grade level and subject matter

How to use this method in online class?

This method is pretty easy to interpret in online class. Give the instructions on what needs to be done for the next class and assign the groups in Zoom for example. Then be ready to provide feedback to the groups as well as cover or elaborate more on matters that might not be covered. The basic idea is that the students are the teachers and they do the teaching and this can be done easily in Zoom.

Whats Missing

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #individual-work, #group-work, #needs-preparation

Outline

Active learning method where students are shown a list, diagram or picture related to course content with a piece of information purposely omitted. Students then respond by stating what they believe is missing. Instructors may consider listing steps to solve a problem, a list of characters in a story or list of sections in a research paper. This learning method allows students to reflect on their previous knowledge and understanding of course content.

What's missing Illustration

Activity arrangement

• Share a word problem with the class that has some information missing.
• Facilitate a think-pair-share activity by asking students to think about what information they have and what information they still need.
• Then, have them discuss their thoughts with a partner before sharing with the whole group.
• Ask probing questions about what the problem is asking them to do, what information they have, and what information they still need. Note the language that students use, and paraphrase the explanations they share.
• Read aloud the student-friendly Language Objective to the class and explain that today, they'll explore strategies they can use to find missing information in an equation.

Pointers

• Develops the attentiveness of the students for example to the slides presented in class.
• Gives the students a chance to reflect on their learning and reflect the concepts that were discussed in class.
• Shows the students the importance of paying attention and the importance of understanding the topic.
• The students understand how the little things matter for example in history and how these are important to remember.

How to use this method in online class?

For example in Zoom recap what was taught in the last class and ask the students to look for the missing parts that were discussed in the previous class or do not even give the students a hint that there is something missing and see if they notice. To enable conversation, giving the students a hint that there is something missing is a good way to start the practise. In Zoom present the students the modified slides that have parts missing and let the students figure out what’s missing.

Debate

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #offline/long-term, #group-work, #discussion, #critical-thinking, #quick-preparation

Outline

Debates allow students to become more proficient in speaking, researching, reading, and writing skills, and they promote reasoning as well as communication skills. This method allows collaborative learning, delegation of tasks, and developing leadership and team-skills. Teachers can use debates in almost any discipline, include students of all reading levels, and, when properly orchestrated, help students comprehend important and complex issues. Debate focuses specifically on resolutions or topics that communities are undecided on but see as critical, and students are required to speak for both sides. Through this process, students become much more deeply engaged in understanding their own ideas and the ideas of others around them through examples, routinely questioning the relationships between society, place, and individuals as related to complex topics.

Debate Illustration

Activity arrangement

• Divide the students into teams of three for example.
• Present the debate topics to the students and give them time to do research on their debate topic. As students investigate their debate topics and then listen to the debates of others, they add knowledge to the foundation of classroom lessons.
• On the day of the debate, each group chooses a moderator from the audience. Moderators assume responsibility for maintaining the rules of the debate, including: honoring time limits, staying on the subject, showing respect for speakers, and maintaining decorum.
• Each debate begins with opening statements by both teams of a group. The moderator then asks clarifying questions and allows time for each team to respond.
• Five minutes before time runs out, each team summarizes their position.
• Provide feedback on the debate both positive and negative and then announce the winner of the debate.

Pointers

• Is specifically designed to teach skills related to strong critical thinking and to support students in rendering informed judgments.
• Focuses specifically on resolutions or topics that communities are undecided on but see as critical, and students are required to speak for both sides.
• Teaches the skills necessary to continue to learn effectively beyond formal school including the ability to pose complex questions for inquiry, research skills, effective listening and note taking, critical thinking, and the conceptualizing of diverse ideas around complex themes.

How to use this method in online class?

Inform the class via Zoom that there is going to be a debate. Divide the class into groups and give each group time for example to the next class to do research. On the day of the debate instruct the students to listen to the opponent but also give their own opinion. In Zoom this can be a little challenging but once the students are given instructions to talk on their turn and respect the opponent it should work. Also you can add that cutting the opponent of too much gives minus points to make sure that the debates are equal.

Mind Maps Concept Maps

Activity: #offline/long-term, #individual-work

Outline

As one of the most effective learning techniques, mind mapping can help students take better notes, improve comprehension, and foster creativity. Mind mapping helps students reignite their creativity, promoting ideas through association, and introducing an engaging, visual, and memorable approach to learning. Mind mapping is a visual form of note taking that offers an overview of a topic and its complex information, allowing students to comprehend, create new ideas and build connections. Through the use of colors, images and words, mind mapping encourages students to begin with a central idea and expand outward to more in-depth sub-topics. It uses a simple interface to create graphical representations of linked information.

Mindmap Illustration

Activity arrangement

• For example in the end of the class ask the students to make a mind map about the topic discussed in the class.
• Advice to start them with the topic of the class and then start filling their mind map.
• Invite your students to provide suggestions and add them to the board as they are given, connecting each suggestion to the center with a new line.
• Then after a while ask the students to present their mind maps and see what the students took from the class and elaborate on these results.

Pointers

• As one of the most effective learning techniques, mind mapping can help students take better notes, improve comprehension, and foster creativity.
• Mind mapping helps students reignite their creativity, promoting ideas through association, and introducing an engaging, visual, and memorable approach to learning.
• Through the use of colors, images and words, mind mapping encourages students to begin with a central idea and expand outward to more in-depth sub-topics.
• It uses a simple interface to create graphical representations of linked information.

How to use this method in online class?

In Zoom for example, tell the students that next time they need to provide a mind map of what they learned about this class and what kind of conclusions they drew about the topic discussed. Then in the next class ask students to provide their mind map and give feedback and discuss about the students mind maps and the topic in general. Point out what the students did good, what they might have forgotten that you taught was important and overall what they thought about the exercise. Also explain why mind maps are both useful to them and to you as a teacher.

The Jigsaw Technique

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work, #critical-thinking

Outline

The jigsaw technique is meant for collaborative learning in small groups. Students have a chance to become “experts” in a certain field along with sharing their knowledge with their coursemates. This method implies students to teach themselves and your peers. Additionally, implies a deeper level of understanding of a subject, active discussions and seeking for solutions of problems. What makes this technique so effective is the essential contribution of each member of the group. The jigsaw technique is typically conducted in groups of 5-6 people who preferably come from different backgrounds. The assignment itself is focused on one concrete study that should be divided into segments. For a more efficient working process, each student is assigned with one sub-category. Students from the same subcategory can later discuss their discoveries and share with the rest of the class.

Jigsaw Technique Illustration

Activity arrangement

• Divide students into their main groups which can be named “home group” of 5-6 people and assign each student with a number according to their segment of a work. Ex: A person who is responsible for question number 2 will be allocated with number 2 and so on.
• Ask students to find other students with the same number and create another group. This group can be called an “expert group”.
• Provide an expert group with a particular concept, framework, issue which they have to master. Collaboratively, as a group, they should come up with a way of performing their “piece of puzzle” to their home groups.
• Students then need to explain their part to their home groups.
• Make students connect all the “puzzles” together and encourage them to see how each part helps to see the whole concept.
• Keep in mind that it is worth observing the progress of each group and assisting students in case of arising troubles.
• If you want to ensure students gained some knowledge during the session, give them a small quiz.

Pointers

• practise of self and peer teaching
• develops cooperation
• use of critical thinking skills
• cultivate social skills in terms of problem solving, listening and communicating
• allows teachers to observe how much students already know which can help with future class arrangement

How to use this method in online class?

If the method is assigned to be done during one class, expert groups can be divided into breakout rooms in Zoom or Google Meet, for example. Later, in order to perform their sections students can be sent to breakout rooms with their home group. If the technique is assigned for a longer period of time, let students decide on the platform they will be using. However, there is a platform that can help students share their ideas to the whole class. Padlet is a virtual “wall” where students can put down their answers and teachers are able to comment and provide feedback.

Brainwriting

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work

Outline

Brainwriting sounds very familiar to brainstorming, however this method carries more benefits and provides equal opportunities to all participants. Similar to brainstorming, students propose their ideas and thoughts on a particular subject. But, instead of sharing one’s ideas out loud, students are expected to write their thoughts down. Next, it guarantees all opinions being heard. This technique would benefit introverted or shy students who do not feel comfortable speaking in group meetings. In addition, it gives a person some time to think of their answers and formulate them better.

Brainwriting Illustration

6-3-5 Brainwriting

6-3-5 brainwriting format is an active and popular way of conducting this technique. During such sessions, brainwriting exercises are divided into several rounds. It is conducted in a way that 6 people write down 3 ideas during 5 minutes. Once the first round is finished, each participant exchanges their papers with somebody else. He then reads what is put down on this paper and adds 3 more ideas. Those ideas can either be new ones or based on other concepts that have already been shared. After finishing all 3 rounds all pieces of papers are collected, ideas are discussed and debated which leads to an agreement regarding the next step. Even though this exercise is originally meant for 6 people, this activity can be held in larger or smaller groups as well. The other factors such as amount of ideas and time can be adjusted to your needs. Nevertheless, it is stated that most people find setting 3 ideas for each round to bring the best results.

Activity arrangement

• Appoint one person to be a moderator. (A moderator ensures that everyone participates in the session. He is responsible for handing out the brainwriting templates, asking participants to fill them in and general focus on the activity)
• Decide on the length and number of rounds
• Begin round 1
• Exchange worksheets
• Repeat the process for several rounds
• Discuss all the ideas

Pointers

• everyone’s opinion is heard
• every participant has an opportunity to contribute
• introverted participants feel more comfortable without pressure to speak up
• more time to think through your ideas

How to use this method in online class?

Brainwriting activity can be conveniently held in a virtual environment. Firstly, a teacher or a moderator should email every participant a copy of a template: example. Make sure that each template is marked differently so no confusion will occur (e.g. “Brainwriting Worksheet 1”). After each round participants should email the answers to the moderator, marked for example as “Brainwriting Worksheet 1 After Round 2”. However, conducting activity in this particular way may be more complicated. Therefore, as an alternative, students may use shared documents and exchange them after each round in a breakout room.

Reflective Journals

Activity: #offline/long-term, #individual-work, #feedback, #critical-thinking, #needs-preparation

Outline

Reflective journals (learning journals) are students’ personal record of the learning process. Students can be asked to write down about what they have learnt during this or another lesson, concrete facts, various matters of the subject. The recordings of the journal can include student’s thoughts, questions about the course content, exam or assignments. Teacher can ask students to submit their journals for feedback. A reflective journal can be in a form of a video, tape or digitally written in a document. The purpose of writing such journals is to help students learn during the process of creating the journal or from the results of it. Moreover, the journal gives an opportunity for a student to assess and review their learning. The process of writing a journal provides a focusing point for students to organize information. Format of writing can typically be informal, however the teacher may set an exact format to follow.

Reflective Journals Illustration

Activity arrangement

• a teacher should assign a limited number of questions or guiding statements for the students to answer.

Ex. of statements:

1. This topic reminds me of…
2. I’ve been learning about…
3. The part I know the most about is…
4. The part that is the most confusing is…
5. I’d like to know more about…
6. Knowing about this topic helps me…
7. The part that was the newest to me was…

• students can ask themselves the following questions:

What was the most interesting thing I have read for this topic?

What did I previously think was true, but now know to be wrong?

What have I changed my mind about as a result of this topic?

What is one thing I learned in this topic that I may be able to use in the future?

What am I still unsure about?

What would I like to learn more about?

What issues(s) interested me that I would like to study in more detail?

• students should write something down every time they learn something new
• give students feedback on what they have written if necessary

Pointers

• students reflect on new knowledge they learnt in class
• helps students to learn how to formulate their opinions and perspectives
• improved writing skills
• teachers have a better idea of students’ learning progress
• increased participation in a learning process
• encourages to use critical thinking skills

How to use this method in online class?

The journals can be written in a digital format in any convenient platform for both students and teachers. Students can create a Google Drive that they can share with their instructor or send via email. Journals can also be submitted into Moodle where teachers can separately add their feedback.

Thinking Aloud Pair Problem Solving

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work, #needs-preparation

Outline

This learning method involves presenting a problem and then observing aloud—talk about what they are thinking as they work through the problem. In thinking aloud pair problem solving students pair up with one in the role of problem solver and the other as listener. For each new problem, students switch roles. The problem solver reads the problem aloud and talks through the solution to the problem. The listener follows all of the problem solver's steps and catches any errors that occur. For the listener to be effective, he or she must also understand the reasoning process behind the steps.

Thinking-Aloud Pair Problem Solving

Activity arrangement

• Develop a set of field-related problems that students can solve within a limited time frame. The topic should engage students in all stages of problem-solving skills for example identifying the nature of a problem, analyzing the knowledge and skills required to reach a solution, identifying potential solutions, choosing the best solution, and evaluating outcomes.
• Ask students to form pairs. Then explain to them the roles of problem-solver and listener. Problem-solvers read the problem aloud and talk through the reasoning process in attempting to solve the problem. Listeners encourage the problem-solver to think aloud, ask clarification questions, offer suggestions, but refrain from solving the problem.
• Ask students to solve a set of problems, alternating roles with each new problem.
• End the activity when students have solved all problems.
• Review the students’ solutions to the problems they studied.
• Review the outcomes of the activity.

Pointers

• Students articulate their problem-solving process and listen to another’s process.
• Increases students’ awareness of the range of problem-solving approaches.
• Improve students’ analytical skills by helping them formulate ideas,understand the sequence of steps underlying their thinking, and identify errors in another’s reasoning.

How to use this method in online class?

In online class this method can be a little bit harder but it is possible to execute. Before the next class, instruct the students what you are going to do in the next class and divide them into pairs in which they can decide who is a listener and who is the problem solver. Then introduce the topic itself which they need to study individually so that they are prepared for the next class. As the next class arrives divide the students into the pairs and start the exercise. This all can be done via Zoom.

Team Learning

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work, #needs-preparation

Outline

Is a structured form of small-group learning that emphasizes student preparation out of class and application of knowledge in class. Students are organized strategically into diverse teams of 5-7 students that work together throughout the class. Before each unit or module of the course, students prepare by reading prior to class. Achieving the learning advantage requires teamwork. Team learning marks a movement from individual learning to learning across individuals and serves as the basis for moving from individual to organizational learning.

Team Learning Illustration

Activity arrangement

• Assign the students a reading that they must do before the class.
• Ask them to take a few notes from the text that they thought were important.
• In class divide the students into groups of 5-7 people.
• Provide the students with a few questions and ask them to start discussing the text further.
• Gather everybody after a while to the main session and ask what each of the groups discussed.
• Provide feedback to the groups as well as to the whole class and then end exercise.

Pointers

• Leading teams involves building shared beliefs and team-learning behaviors.
• Team-learning behaviors include three interrelated processes: coordinating, continuously improving, and adapting.
• To foster team learning, leaders must work to establish an environment that engenders appropriate levels of control and participation.
• Team-learning processes track the experiential learning cycle and include building a shared purpose, reflective integration, critical conversations, and taking action.

How to use this method in online class?

Assign a reading to the class before the next class. When the next class arrives, assign the students into groups for example 5-7 people and then provide them with few startup questions and ask them to discuss the reading given to them. Also instruct them to reflect on what they’ve read and how the reading is relevant to their class. This all can be done via Zoom.

Reciprocal Questioning

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work, #needs-preparation

Outline

In reciprocal questioning technique students take the role of the teacher. Students are given some materials to read and afterwards, they should come up with a list of questions. The teacher then answers students’ questions. This task benefits students’ comprehension of a subject. Firstly, students have to deeply analyze the reading selection in order to produce “teacher” questions. Secondly, as the teacher answers the questions, it reinforces the learning process. It should be noted that this strategy does not fit all subject areas. For example, Math is a subject that requires exact answers rather than interpretation. Therefore, this technique should be used in reviewing reading and writing assignments.

Reciprocal Questioning Illustration

Activity arrangement

• divide class into small groups and give them a section to read
• explain the task to them: students should read the sections and write down questions for the teacher
• set an exact time to complete the task
• let groups collect all the questions and present a list of final questions
• the spokesperson of the groups asks questions to the teacher
• the teacher answers the questions
• ask students to recognize the strategies they used in writing the questions

Note that this activity can be assigned as an individual task as well.

Pointers

• improves questioning, reasoning and reading comprehension skills
• encourages thinking skills
• learning in stress-free environment
• students learn to use meta-cognition

How to use this method in online class?

To use this activity as a group assignment, students can be divided into Zoom breakout rooms or Google Meet breakout rooms. Then, students can use a shared Google document to list their questions. In the main session, students present their questions to the teacher.

Snowball Technique

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #group-work, #quick-preparation

Outline

Snowball technique gives students an opportunity to share and teach different concepts and topics. Firstly, students work independently - they gather information and ideas. Then, they collaborate with a partner. Next, partners join another pair and form a group of four students. Lastly, they form a group of eight. What makes this technique efficient is the active collaboration among students. Moreover, students can take the role of a teacher by sharing information they gathered or asking questions. The more students there are in a group, the more effective the learning outcome will be.

Snowball Technique Illustration

Activity arrangement

• provides students with materials
• give students about 10 minutes to read the material and list key factors
• once students have finished the first task, they share what they have discovered with another student
• two pairs form a group, the task repeats, students add additional details
• further, groups can join into the groups of eight and repeat the process
• you may end the task by discussing students’ findings with the entire class

Pointers

• active student engagement
• collaborative work
• students try a role of a teacher

How to use this method in online class?

Students can be divided into breakout rooms firstly as pairs, then as a group of four and so on. Students then share their findings. All notes can be written down in a shared Google document.

Kinesthetic Learning

Activity: #in-class/short-term, #individual-work, #needs-preparation

Outline

Learning method in which learning takes place by the students carrying out physical activities, rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations. A kinesthetic learning method requires that you manipulate or touch material to learn. Kinesthetic techniques are used in combination with visual or auditory study techniques, producing multi-sensory learning. Important note is that if you move your body while studying and reviewing, you will find you also need to move your body during a test to aid recall. Keep this in mind when choosing the type of movement to use.

Kinesthetic Learning Illustration

Activity arrangement

• Plan a practise that requires moving for example to different spots in the classroom where groups need to go once they finish exercise on spot 1 and then move on to spot 2.
• Different tasks on every spot but make sure that there is movement in the classroom.
• Onces all spots are covered by all the student groups end the exercise.
• Ask the students what they learned and if it was easier for them to concentrate on once they didn’t have to be still the whole class.

Pointers

• Learning through their bodies and their sense of touch.
• Learning through fine motor movements rather than whole body movement.
• Develops coordinated and have an excellent sense of their body in space and of body timing.

How to use this method in online class?

This method is also possible to perform in an online environment. There are a few ways to do so, for example send students on virtual field trips where Because kinesthetic learners enjoy exploration and immersion, virtual field trips are a great option for helping them engage new topics (Cordiner, n.d.; Kato, 2017). You can either send students to websites that have already put together field trips, or assign students to create their own field trip by requiring them to virtually visit several websites or physically visit local sites and take videos or pictures. Kinesthetic learners retain information best when they are able to associate a movement with it (Major, 2016). Thus, encourage students to take notes in a way that makes sense to them. Remind kinesthetic learners to draw sketches or diagrams of what they’re learning, or to stand up and physically act out a concept if they can.

Role Playing

Activity: #offline/long-term, #individual-work, #group-work, #needs-preparation

Outline

Role play is a method that allows students to explore realistic situations by interacting with other people in a managed way in order to develop experience and trial different strategies in a supported environment. Depending on the intention of the activity, participants might be playing a role similar to their own or could play the opposite part of the conversation or interaction. Role play exercises give students the opportunity to assume the role of a person or act out a given situation. These roles can be performed by individual students, in pairs, or in groups which can play out a more complex scenario. Role plays engage students in real-life situations or scenarios that can be stressful, unfamiliar, complex, or controversial which requires them to examine personal feelings toward others and their circumstances.

Role Playing Illustration

Activity arrangement

• Inform the students that you are going to do a role playing exercise.
• When assigning the role play, explain its purpose and answer questions so students are able to properly prepare the exercise.
• Allow time for students to practice the role play, even if it is spontaneous, so they will be able to think deeply about the role and present it in a meaningful way.
• Reduce large chunks of content into smaller sections which can be more effectively presented as a role play.
• Challenge all students equally when assigning role plays so everyone will be assessed on equal ground.
• Execute the exercise first in smaller groups and then with the whole class.
• End the exercise and discuss with the class about what they thought about the exercise and what they’ve learned.

Pointers

• Motivates and engages students
• Enhances current teaching strategies
• Provide real-world scenarios to help students learn
• Learn skills used in real-world situations for example negotiation, debate, teamwork, cooperation, persuasion
• Provide opportunities for critical observation of peers

How to use this method in online class?

This method can be used in online class. Just by following the guidelines but on for example on Zoom. Inform the class and assign the roles for the next lecture. On the day of lecture, divide the class into smaller groups first and then in the class start a conversation with the class that they as characters need to participate.