A Typology of the Impact of Active Learning Workshop: Beyond Descriptions and Good Practices. Empirical Effects of Active Learning Environments on Political Science Students' Learning Outcomes (original) (raw)
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Journal of Political Science Education, 2017
Building on prior research into active learning pedagogy in political science, I discuss the development of a new active learning strategy called the “thesis-building carousel,” designed for use in political theory tutorials. This use of active learning pedagogy in a graduate student-led political theory tutorial represents the overlap of several currents of political science education research. First, the graduate teaching assistant-led tutorial is a common complement to large lecture-based introductory courses in political theory. Second, where International Relations has led the expansion of active learning in political science, political theory has lagged behind other subfields (Archer & Miller 2011). The thesis-building carousel is designed to develop skills necessary for political theory classes—essay writing and peer review. The article concludes with a discussion of how active learning activities designed for specialized spaces can be modified for use in traditional classroom settings, with the example of three forms of “summary carousels.”
British Journal of Educational Technology, 2010
This paper reports on research investigating student experiences of learning through face-to-face and online discussions in a political science course in a large Australian university. Using methodologies from relational research into university student learning, the study investigates associations between key aspects of student learning focusing on conceptions of what students learn, approaches to learning, and learning outcomes. The main hypothesis tested here was that there are qualitative differences in the student conceptions of learning through discussions and their approaches to face-to-face and online discussions. Furthermore, it was expected to find that these differences were reflected in the learning outcomes, that is, student approaches would be linked to more complete conceptions of learning and to better academic performance. More tentatively, the existence of causal relationships between these aspects of learning and academic performance was also explored. Data on students' conceptions and approaches was collected through closed-ended questionnaires and final mark was used as an indicator of the quality of learning (academic performance). Our analysis identified variations in the quality of conceptions and student approaches also revealing strong associations between what students thought their learning is about, the way they approached their learning, and academic performance in both face-to-face and online contexts. Implications of these findings for research and practice are elaborated.
Exploring an Experience of Active Learning in Higher Education
Journal of Education and Training, 2014
This article presents a subjective experience of attending a pedagogical training course for higher education teaching staff at Umea University, in Sweden. A participant observation was carried out based on an inductive approach. Data were collected through reports done in form of narratives at the end of each session. The analysis was done by critical reflection and the narratives were selected and thematically grouped according to the activities carried out during the course. Further, the analysis was supported by relevant literature related to educational theories that sustain student's accountability in learning and interactive classes. The results of the study conclude that the role of the teacher is crucial to make students active, motivated and self-regulated. However, students' active learning also depends on other factors such as contextual, social and psychological aspects. In addition, the communication involved in the process of teaching and learning develops confidence, empathy and achievement of good academic results.
Active Learning in Higher Education: A Case Study
This study is an attempt to analyse the active learning practices among students and lecturers in a higher learning institute in the United States. This study is a qualitative study with fi ve undergraduates, fi ve postgraduates and fi ve instructors as the informants. The instruments used were classroom observations, interviews , open-ended section in the questionnaires and relevant document research. The high level of agreement among students indicated that active learning had been practised widely in higher education. The fi nding indicated students in higher education were fond of active learning to achieve optimum learning outcomes. The fi ndings indicated that active learning is best conducted through group discussion, project and case study and is best used with strategies such as assigned reading, project paper, case study and refl ective writing. The fi ndings proposed that strategies promoting active learning be defi ned as instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.
Active Learning Strategies for Diverse Learning Styles: Simulations Are Only One Method
PS: Political Science & Politics, 2013
Although political science instructors increasingly recognize the advantages of incorporating active learning activities into their teaching, simulations remain the discipline's most commonly used active learning method. While certainly a useful strategy, simulations are not the only way to bring active learning into classrooms. Indeed, because students have diverse learning styles—comprised of their discrete learning preferences—engaging them in a variety of ways is important. This article explores six active learning techniques: simulations, case studies, enhanced lectures, large group discussion, small group work, and in-class writing. Incorporating these activities into an introductory, writing-intensive seminar on globalization and surveying students about their engagement with course activities, I find that different activities appeal to students with different learning preferences and that simulations are not students most preferred activity. Bringing a broader range of a...
Active Learning and the Acquisition of Political Knowledge in High School
This study assesses the effectiveness of high school civic education in conveying political knowledge. It addresses the question: Is political knowledge acquisition related to the type of civic education course a student takes? It compares classes using the We the People: The Citizen and Constitution (WTP) instructional program to other civics classes. This largely exploratory analysis employs student knowledge assessment data from an original study fielded in schools across the state of Indiana during the fall semester 2014. Overall, students displayed a moderate level of political knowledge at the completion of a civics class. There are significant differences in students’ political knowledge based on whether or not they took a WTP class, were instructed by a WTP teacher, were in a required or elective class, and took the course for AP credit. An open classroom environment that fosters respectful discussion has a strong positive relationship to knowledge. Lecture and current events approaches are associated with knowledge acquisition, although the relationship is not particularly strong. There is a significant negative correlation between classes that heavily employ community-based activities and knowledge. Finally, students’ use of traditional newspapers, news websites, and political websites is positively associated with knowledge gain. There is a negative relationship between social media and blog use and knowledge.
Active Learning in Higher Education
This article revisits the notion that to facilitate quality learning requires teachers in higher education to have pedagogical content knowledge. It constructs pedagogical content knowledge as a teaching and learning space that brings content and pedagogy together. On the content knowledge side, it suggests that threshold concepts, akin to a portal that opens up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about a subject, are useful in quality learning. On the pedagogy side, it employs student engagement as a useful proxy for identifying what happens in a learning environment to achieve quality learning. This article asks what fresh insights might this particular conceptualization of pedagogical content knowledge afford teacher education and teacher development in achieving quality learning in higher education. After outlining characteristics of threshold concepts and student engagement, it brings together the contributions these concepts make to pedagogical content knowledge before detailing some fresh insights afforded by the synthesis.