Assessing Active Learning - Remembering

I picked this cartoon from Nearing Zero because I work in medical education where for years pain, embarassment and punishment were the preferred method of motivating students and faculty alike. This technique works in a limited fashion because it forces conforming without thinking to a set of rules; on the other hand, it also creates bullying, avoidance, apathy and educational scars that last a lifetime. Learn Me Good has a great video about Flip Flopping, one of the behaviours that results from trying to tell the teacher what they want to hear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgnU3ASnb9s

This month’s important question: How do you and your students assess how well they are achieving the course goals/objectives/learning plan?

For ease of use, I have divided what we want to assess into the following four broad categories:

1. Remembering
2. Knowing
3. Creating
4. Connecting
   

This month, I will focus on assessing how well students remember required facts, processes and theories. For teaching techniques, see: http://blogs.usask.ca/medical_education/archive/2007/10/active_learning_1.html or http://blogs.usask.ca/medical_education/archive/2008/01/active_learning_6.html.

In Bloom’s taxonomy

1. Remember
   Recognizing
   Recalling
   
2. Understand
   Interpreting
   Exemplifying
   Classifying
   Summarizing
   Inferring
   Comparing
   Explaining
   

Formative Assessment Methods

Active learning environments provide a unique opportunity for students to constantly be receiving feedback on how well they are doing. Here are some examples of tools that help give you and your students’ feedback:

Closed Questions
Cumberland County Schools has created some great bookmarks to help people think of questions based on Knowing and Applying in Marzano’s taxonomy. One of the best teachers in medicine constantly asked closed questions in an exciting and dynamic way as he shows animations and live action recreations in his 100 student classroom.

Clickers
All first year medical students at my university recieved clickers this year and they love using them for instant feedback on learning. Here is an explanation http://telr.osu.edu/clickers/

Games
Flashcards http://www.educationalpress.org/
Crossword Compiler http://www.crossword-compiler.com/
PowerPoint Games http://facstaff.uww.edu/jonesd/games/index.html
Quiz Games http://quizlet.com/ or http://hotpot.uvic.ca/
Look under the games link in my Delicious (right hand column) for more examples

Memory Devices
Graphic organizers http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/
Mnemonic http://www.web-us.com/memory/mnemonic_techniques.htm or http://www.medicalmnemonics.com/

Lists: use numbers to help students remember a series of words, steps etc.

Power Teaching recieved very good coverage by So You Want To Teach? in Revolutionary Teaching Style http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/videos-revolutionary-teaching-style/ by including video examples from Grade 1, 3, 4 and 6 as well a College Philosophy class.

Please send other examples of formative assessment through the comments section.

Summative Assessment Methods

Testing students’ ability to memorize is a minefield because of the standardized testing questions being raised at every level of education. One way of dealing with this issue is to take a critical look at your course objectives and determine the following:

• what fundamental information students only acquire through memorization. (You may find your answer is very little.
• how much can my students memorize without it taking time from the higher order thinking skills required to understand course content.

Some methods of summative assessment, you might want to investigate:

Extended multiple choice
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JVME/V20-3/wilson.html or
http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/journal/vol1/beej-1-2.htm

Math
http://www.nagb.org/pubs/m_framework_05/chap5.html

Quizzes
http://quizstar.4teachers.org/

Process mapping
http://www.education-world.com/tools_templates/template_processchart.doc

Please send other examples through the comments section.

Finally Sharp Brains reminds us of Mindfulness and Meditation in Schools for Stress and Anxiety Management http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/01/29/mindfulness-and-meditation-in-schools-for-stress-and-anxiety-management/

Next month, I will examine processes for assessing how well your students know/critically understand the content of your course. Please submit articles, examples by March 2nd.

The Fourth Active Learning Blog Carnival

Another great image from Nearing Zero http://www.nearingzero.net/.

Active Learning News

BBC in the UK asks What makes a good teacher?http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7209096.stm.

From India, the Department and the SSA team are lauded for the successful implementation of the activity-based learning methodology and the active learning methodology for the primary and upper primary sections in all government and aided schools http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/30/stories/2008013060100700.htm.

The University of Minnesota announces Active Learning (Flexible) Classrooms: An Innovative Partnership Project http://dmc.umn.edu/spotlight/active-classrooms.shtml.

Theories

The Bamboo Project Blog revisits her drawing of The Social Media Spiral and asks for our comments on which version we prefer http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooprojectblog/2008/01/the-social-me-2.html.

Innovate the Journal of Online Education has research articles on Learning at a Distance: Engaged or Not? http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=438&action=article and How Gaming and Avatars are Engaging Online Students http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=485&action=article.

Flex-e-bility reviews the book Engaged Learning with Emerging Technologies at http://flex-e-bility.blogspot.com/2008/01/engaged-learning-with-emerging.html.

Sharp Brains writes about Learning & The Brain: Interview with Robert Sylwester, the author of The Adolescent Brain: Reaching for Autonomy . You can read the interview at http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/01/06/learning-the-brain-interview-with-robert-sylwester/.

Techniques

Artichoke comments on the nexus between the best evidence synthesis and social networking technologies. http://artichoke.typepad.com/artichoke/2008/01/if-i-was-ewan-1.html .

Chris Brogan writes a blog that consists only of comments in The Power of Comments http://chrisbrogan.com/the-power-of-comments/ .

Creating Lifelong Learners promotes Why Integrate Video Production in the Classroom? http://www.needleworkspictures.com/ocr/blog/?p=220 .

Joyful Learning is a new book that includes directions for 50 different active learning structures, give examples of each, and provide a range of adaptations for students who may have movement, sensory, learning, and cultural differences. http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK1FPJMVNEZI5AI .

Learning at Light Speed Weblog advocates Thriving on Chaos - The Road to Creativity http://learningatlightspeed.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/thriving-on-chaos-the-road-to-creativity/ .

Luke Houghton asks Why should we teach students how to manage real life problems? http://lukehoughton.com/2008/01/02/why-should-we-teach-students-how-to-manage-real-life-problems/ .

Teachers Call says give the students the opportunity to practice and develop descriptions and descriptive language by using photos. http://teachers-call.com/2008/01/descriptive-photos-in-the-call-lab-one-idea-many-language-lessons.html .

Technology Matter writes about his experience with Technology and Blogging as a Learning Method http://www.technologymatter.com/2008/01/technology-and-blogging-as-learning.html .

Personality Of Teaching says Student Comments: Fear them or Succeed thru Them http://personalityofteaching.com/building-student-relations/student-comments-fear-them-or-succeed-thru-them .

Tools

PR Newswire has articles about Studywiz Spark being the first to customize its online learning management system specifically for the iPhone, iPod and iPod touch. http://sev.prnewswire.com/education/20080129/NETU05029012008-1.html and kidzart http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/2/prweb666063.htm

Further Thoughts on Motivation

Hoodathunkit shares My Frustration Essay http://orbadviser.livejournal.com/179793.html

Bootstapper submitted the Top 100 Motivational Blog Posts of All Time http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/top-100-motivational-blog-posts-of-all-time/

How To Learn Computer Programming Fast writes about How to Overcome Procrastination in 8 Easy Steps.
http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/01/02/how-to-overcome-procrastination-in-8-easy-steps/

Does anyone else notice a pattern to these thoughts about student motivation? Please share your comments here.

Next Edition

Thank you to everyone who submitted this month. Submit your blog article to the next edition of active learning blog carnival using our carnival submission form before March 3rd. Next month's edition will be dedicated to assessment methods in constructivist environments.