Author: emkas

Hi Patrick!

I really like your approach of having the learners begin by explaining block chain in their own words. This forces the students to focus on what they have learned and putting it into simple terms tests their understanding of it as well. Also, having a video to understand the most important concept is a good choice as well, as it explains it clearly and give the learners something to come back to. Visualization is another good tool, as some students work best being able to see the entire picture. I also find wanting them to initially avoid jargon another good choice, as that often clouds people when learning a system and teaching a system to others. The final quiz also is a great way to have the students both demonstrate and reflect on what they are learning. All in all, I think you have successfully had your learners interact with what they are learning!

Hi Lyon!

I really like your focus on accessibility within your design. I think it is cool that you are able to create a free, asynchronous resource that is accessible through smart phone. With the layout of many sites, availability through smart phone is very impressive and deserves to be commended. The organization is another aspect that I find well done. I know that personally, I can get overwhelmed by work that is entirely on me to complete with no in person reinforcement, and things like that help me stay organized and that the tasks are doable. The focus on distributed and open sources within the learning resources are great as well, so people do not need to sign up for many things or have a lot of access to a computer to focus them. Overall, these are some great ways that your resource has been made accessible.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aExUSQKSyz6BJzORIy0JnVAnUg_kulfj/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102729001786026148031&rtpof=true&sd=true

The first thing I noticed while reviewing your learning resource is how clear the introduction is and how it is effective in sharing the background on play-based learning to someone like myself who does not have much knowledge of the topic. After reading that, the concept of having students learn themselves is very effective. The idea of having it be hands on and student led creates a comfortable environment for the kids.

Hands-on learning is another important thing that makes this resource stand out. Seeing the kids take in the learning resource by creating and investigating gives them a true understanding of the tasks that they are performing. It is also great that two of the four activities get the kids outside. With this being an online course, this gets the children away from their screen and allows them to explore their surroundings.

Another thing that I appreciate is how autistic kids are taken into account when planning activities. Having the continual check ins to see how all students are doing will be beneficial to all, but especially autistic students. Since autism is a spectrum, this would give better insight into the support that students need to succeed. The sensory spaces are also a great idea, giving the kids a chance to calm down and feel like they are regaining control when things get intense for them.

All in all, this is a great resource that successfully both outlines the topic and conveys the learning activities. It gets kids actively involved and engaged in the world around them.

I like the connection between behaviourism and education sport. It shows the learning method in a group environment and developing those skills together. The way that it was described, it also promotes everyone to be active in what they are learning and to take into consideration how their work effects others. The note of viewing how other people conceptualize material is another interesting take on how cognitivism works. The main part that I find interesting is how it worked alongside the professor. It is cool to see it actually effect the rest of the course and the emphasis that it put on student connections. It is also great that in the constructivism example of being allowed to take control of your learning and thinking about the material in shades of grey. Critical thinking is something that should be implemented early on in in university and it is great that the professor implemented that. 

I appreciate how this post was a self-reflective look at the three learning styles. Being able to look at your own work and see how what you are doing applies to the theory is an interesting way to reflect on it. As with a lot of theory put into practice, people tend to use a mix of theories, which you noted in yourself. It was great to see the many different approaches that you used to teach students math, and how they were allowed to talk with each other about their learning and how you applied to real world circumstances. It is a great way to get learners involved with each other and help them apply what they are learning in their day to day life. 

The Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoD8RMq2OkU

The video that I have chosen is a TedTalk about engaging your audience through your presentation, in reference to my Learning Design activity “How to Design and Deliver an Effective Presentation”.

Prompt 1: 

After watching this video, the students would be required to reflect on their presentation and see how it relates to their own work. The speaker Phil Waknell brings up three key things to keep in mind while preparing a presentation: 

• Tailor your talk to the audience context. Why do they care? 
• Share why you care. Use examples from your own experience. 
• Aim to transform the audience, beyond just informing. Change what your audience knows, but also what they believe, feel, and do. 

These points for the students to respond to what they are preparing by thinking about their audience how their presentation will impact them. 

Prompt 2: 

The learners will likely to the video by taking notes on it to respond to each of the points that were raised. There is a likelihood that they will reflect on what they have already prepared and apply the newfound viewpoints from the video. 

Prompt 3: 

The activity that I would suggest that they would do is write up a formal reflection and the changes that they will apply to their presentation. There is much importance within reflection and being able to critique your own work. The learners will write on each of the points brought up by Waknell and relate it to their own presentation. By doing this, it will narrow down their presentation and more engaging. They would respond to this by Google Docs, or another word processing platform of their choice. 

Prompt 5: 

Overall, this activity should not add much work to the workload that the students already have. It is a simple task, but still challenges learners to think about the purpose behind their work, which is worthwhile. Due to the fairly simple nature of this assignment, it can be scaled for a larger group to do, though could take longer to read through on the other end of it. 

One of the planned learning activities from the blueprint activity is the collaborative work and how accessible it is for the students to be where they need to be. Much of the feedback given from the presentation topic “How to Design and Deliver an Effective Presentation” that we have come up with requires the learners to be available in and out of class at the same time, and typically within a close distance to each other to meet up. Offering the class both online and in-person is one way to give students the opportunity to attend how it works best for them. Some of the simplest ways to go around this is by meeting up on a virtual conferencing platform such as Zoom or Skype, as well as allowing students to work with those in the same time zone if that is an issue as well. There is also the option of giving students the opportunity to correct each other asynchronously by suggesting notes on a google doc or sending videos of the presentation to each other for peer review. Overcoming the resistance that time and space can bring more opportunities for learners. 

Another thing that could make the course difficult is learner’s general comfort in public speaking, and anything that may affect that such as shyness and anxiety disorders. When discussing that topic of the learning activities, those teaching should be knowledgable and provide support for learners who are shy. They should also be informed about different anxiety disorders have a plan for those students who need help. There should be conversation between teacher and learner regarding what can be done so the learner can complete the course with minimal stress. With these supports in place, the entire class could feel the support from their teacher as well as they could feel like the trial periods are actually times when they can try things and find out what works and what doesn’t. 

Taking into account both environmental barriers and barriers for student success are important in regards to learning design. When looking at the blueprint, anxiety issues and physical distance for group work should be taken into account while planning and delivering the lessons. 

Inquiry-Based Learning is a “form of active learning in which students are given a carefully scaffolded sequence of…tasks and are asked to solve them and make sense of them, working individually or in groups” (Ernst, Hodge, Yoshinuba, 570). Since it is constantly evolving, it can be a bit difficult challenging to pin down exactly what it is. It does have “twin pillar principles” which are “deep engagement” and “opportunities to collaborate” (Ernst, Hodge, Yoshinuba, 571). One of the best situations to use inquiry-based learning is in in proof based courses. An inquiry-based learning assignment typically will take a structure similar to this: 

• Introduce a new topic
• Develop intuition about a concept
• Synthesize ideas from a few concepts
• Practice doing routine and non-routine problems

The students will then present their work and those presentations lead to classroom discussions. Classes typically begin with small group work. As an instructor, you can float around the classroom giving advice and encouragement were needed. Students then present their own, or a spokesperson from a group presents a solution to the problem. Some skills needed to instruct this kind of learning are know when to table “a discussion until the next meeting…providing a…step for the current problem, asking students to work in small groups to offer suggestions, and offering…hints or insights” (Ernst, Hodge, Yoshinuba, 572). 

I believe this does align with my group’s topic of “How to Deliver an Effective Presentation”, as it would provide the learners an opportunity to discuss with each other and provide feedback on how effective their presentation is coming across. The learners are also able to practice their presentations with each other during the small group time. While having the theory on what makes a good presentation is good, it is working together that truly allows the presentation to improve. Group discussion also would help the students know their audience better and how to present in that aspect. Inquiry-based learning is a valid option when it comes to the topic of how to deliver a presentation. 

Ernst, Dana C., et al. “What Is Inquiry-Based Learning?” Notices of the American Mathematical Society, vol. 64, no. 06, 2017, pp. 570–574., https://doi.org/10.1090/noti1536. 

One of my best learning experiences was my second year costume design class, which changed the direction I wanted to take my degree. At this point in the year, I was unsure of what I wanted to do, knew I enjoyed the intro costume production class, so decided to enrol in it. The class discussed basic fashion history, figure drawing, some theory of costume design, the paperwork to keep track of what is happening, and the final project involved completing finalized sketches for the play. All in all, it went through the costume designer’s process for a play or musical. It also taught the basic skills that are needed in the career, such as the administrative side and basic drawing skills. 

A way that this course was successful was by how hands on it was. We did every step of the designer’s process as well as weekly practice and gained history knowledge. This course was an example of constructivist learning. Our final projects were all our own interpretation of the text and what we personally got out of the play. In theatre design, it is important that one brings in their own experiences. It allows for different ideas to be represented and accurately convey the play being put on. We were offered critique and advise from the professor on our direction and how successfully our vision was represented. Taking critique is and important part in any creative field, which this learning style helps to do. Being open is how artists grow and learn in their technical stills as well as the creative ones. As talked about previously, much of what we learned had real world application as well. By taking us through the process, my professor set her class up for success for managing their own shows. In conclusion, my interest in the topic and the constructivist learning style the class was taught in made for a great learning experience.