CVTT521 Learner Centred Practice Name: Saleem Ali

As it is likely that most of you will not have log-ons to get you into the Ara system please complete this template
either by hand or as a word document. These will then be uploaded to your OneNote pages once you have access.

Topic 2: How do we develop the active learner?

This topic asks you to reflect on how your actions as a teacher impact on your learners. You will look at some
examples of interactive learning strategies and try out at least two interactive activities and reflect on the process.

Activity 1 Interactive learning strategies: The following video clips provide examples of teachers discussing
interactive learning strategies. Watch the videos, start a list of activities below that you could use with your
learners (include more than two).

Traditional teaching (1.13 mins). Notice the effect of the teacher's use of questions.

What is active learning? (4.12 mins) What does research say about active learning?

Getting started with active learning (6.01 mins) Notice how different activities are used and what the student has
to say.

Cooperative learning with Dr Richard Felder (11.44 mins)

Dr Felder shows how to use interactive learning in lecture rooms. Notice how he begins activities and asks
questions.

Note: Interactive learning strategies fit well with the Tinana aspect of Te Whare Tapa Whā model.

Put your list of possible activities here:

Group activities and learning, analysis of real data for in depth use and learning, in class presentations and
teaching, questioning each other on the shared topic in front of whole class.

Use of Simulators in exercises.

Activity 2 Try an activity: Select an interactive activity you haven't tried before.
Try it with your learners and evaluate how it goes, by writing:
 what went well and……
I divided class in different groups taking in consideration the abilities and skills of each student. I asked all the class
to have written assignments for 6 questions and each student had to submit me these assignments individually
answering all 6 questions. At the same time I asked each group( 2 students) to take one question and do a
thorough research on it and present this one question to the whole class. The whole class and I was free to ask any
clarifications/questions to the group on this particular question.
It was good as students learnt to work in groups and not only as individual.
They learnt a lot about other skills e.g. learning about computers, data sources in addition to the contents of
questions.
Resulted in more collaborations and enriched learning of the topic as a whole.
Increased engagement in class and attentiveness.
Students learnt about their own mistakes and what others have done better.
  what could be improved.
Some of the students were better prepared than others.
Coordination between groups as some students were keen on finishing their parts individually rather than actually
working in groups.
Reluctant to question each other on the presentations and did not seek clarifications from each other about the
topics.
Possibly if the benefits and theoretical concepts of active learning and the fact that they would need to put in more
effort in that could be explained to them before the beginning of the course.

How did your activity contribute to the development of whanaungatanga (positive relationships between all in
the room)?

When I gave students to work on the assignment on their own and then in groups then they became more involved
and aware of each other. In addition to course material they were learning and discussing about other topics
relevant to their course, personal and professional lives which resulted in development of positive relationship
between all in the room.

Share your reflections on the Collaboration space.

Here are some more ideas for learning activities if you need them.
<<Some strategies for active learning.pdf>>

<<Learning activities list.pdf>>

Note: Interactive learning strategies fit well with the Whānau aspect of Te Whare Tapa Whā model.
Activity 3 Think/pair/share:
Identify the learning strategies that you think your learners need to use on your course.
Write these here:
Active learning and cooperative learning strategies need to be learnt during the course.

Think – pair – share Each person considers the topic/question and writes down some
ideas/answers. S/he joins with one other for discussion. This provides a
good basis for wider discussion.

'Buzz' groups Working in small groups, people discuss an issue. Topics can include:
 How much they already know about a topic
 What they are not sure about
 What they want the lecturer to cover next

Case studies A ‘story’ or scenario is presented to the group (often, but not always,
as a handout). Groups discuss the story or work together on
questions.
 Group discussion Groups (up to 6 people) talk about a topic. A set of questions from the
lecturer helps to structure the discussion and focus the group. The larger the
group, the more difficult it is for everyone to participate actively.

‘Tell your partner’ Pairs. Each person explains a topic/concept/ answer to someone else.
The partner has to listen, then ask questions.

Peer evaluation The class is divided into pairs. Partners exchange written work or observe
each other’s oral presentation. They give each other feedback and work
together to identify :
 What was good
 What needed improvement
 How it could be improved
They can focus on delivery and/or content. This activity works best if
students already have knowledge on the topic. Giving them a checklist is
also a good idea.

Presentations Individuals or small groups find information on a topic, then prepare

and deliver a short informative session to the wider group.

Question and answer session This is a useful activity to check students’ understanding. A time is set
aside for a discussion/answer session. Questions may be submitted in
writing at the previous session (good for shy students), or they may be oral.

Syndicates Groups of students work together on a project(s) which entails researching

and presenting (written and/or oral) information. Useful for focusing on
group and cooperative skills while covering discipline content.

Student: teacher role swap
The facilitator asks students to write their ideas/information on the white
board and then explain them. S/he places several white board pens on the
desk and sits with class members. (Sometimes students will be shy,
especially at first, and the facilitator may need to sit for a while. It’s a good
idea to offer a small reward – Minties or other wrapped sweets work well!)

Withdrawal While the group works together or alone on set work, the lecturer spends
time with individual students or small groups. The individual assistance can
be rostered through the course so that everyone gets a turn, or it can focus
on people who need extra help.

Demonstrations The teacher shows students how to do something, or uses equipment to

explain theory/principles. This activity can also be presented by a
student or group. Seeing something real helps students to remember
more clearly.
 Experiments The teacher or the students carry out a practical activity to verify or
refute a principle.

Show of hands This quick check is useful for gaining a rough idea of how many people are
confident about a topic. It is worth remembering that confidence is not
always the same as understanding. This activity is a good ‘energiser’. It is
particularly useful:
 at the beginning of a session to focus attention, or
 when the group has been sitting still for some time.

Set aside 10 minutes during one of your scheduled teaching sessions this week and run a
think/pair/share activity with your students to help them identify the learning strategies they
use. Take a photo of any visuals you and your learners create and upload them here. Summarize
your students learning strategies here (what do they do to help them learn?)

Active Learning – Students are given lectures and then I give them questions based on these
lecturers. They learn best when they have to actually apply the concepts learnt to solve actual
problems and relate these problems with their prior learnings or work place or day to day usage.

As a result, identify 3 learning strategies that you think your students would benefit from
developing, and how you could help them to do this. Write this here:

Withdrawal I have students who have wide variety of subject matter experience and
understanding. I Plan to give individual in class exercises to students and
then spend time individually with students who are relatively lagging
behind and thus give them sort of extra tutoring.

Student: teacher role swap
I plan to give my students some take home assignment which they have to
prepare and then teach to the whole class as an independent topic. This
process would be followed with each student on a different topic which
should make them do more research and understanding of the topic and
will likely enhance their presentation skills.

Experiments I plan to give students real data about weather and then expect them to
develop a forecast for the following day. This forecast can then be
compared with the actual data on the following day and if there is some
difference then a discussion about these would follow and any
corrections required in assumption and/or concepts would be done.
Note: Interactive learning strategies fit well with the Hinengaro aspect (learning about learning) of
Te Whare Tapa Whā model.

Activity 4 Giving and receiving feedback: Feedback is an important aspect of the teaching and
learning process. Read through the PowerPoint below (double click on the icon) and write a
reflection on how you give feedback in your teaching practice. We will discuss this further in our
next workshop.
<<Giving and Receiving Feedback.ppt>>

Reflection on how you give feedback in your teaching practice:

Note: Interactive learning strategies fit well with the Wairua (building self-belief and mana) aspect of
Te Whare Tapa Whā model.

Note: Please bring a lesson plan you have used/will be using to the next face-to-face session.