Showing papers on "Active learning published in 1998"

A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning

Abstract: Acknowledgements Preface Introduction 1. Comprehension and production strategies in language learning 2. The role of memory and lexical learning 3. Psycholinguistic processes in language use and language learning 4. Models of language learning 5. A rationale for task-based instruction 6. Implementing task-based instruction 7. Processing perspectives on testing 8. Research into language aptitude 9. Issues in aptitude theory: exceptional learners and modularity 10. Learning style 11. Learners, learning, and pedagogy 12. Conclusions Bibliography Index

Learning with Technology: A Constructivist Perspective

Abstract: This book addresses how to use very specific types of technology and focuses on how technology can be used as a thinking tool to foster meaningful learning. The book approaches learning from a constructivist view and relates it to using technology to engage meaningful learning.Within each chapter, the book provides different activities and implementation strategies in the "Technique" sections and follow-up questions in the "Things to Think About" sections. Very current uses of technology such as video theater, cybermentoring, creating homepages, and hypermedia are discussed throughout the book.

Learning, Creating, and Using Knowledge: Concept Maps as Facilitative Tools in Schools and Corporations

Abstract: For more than half a century, my students and I have sought to understand why some learners acquire a deep, meaningful understanding of materials studied, whereas others have only a superficial grasp of the information presented. Often the latter kind of student had high school grades and high standardized test scores. What appeared to underlie the differences in these two groups of students was the differences in the way they approached learning of subject matter. Unfortunately, as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota in the 1950’s, the only learning psychology taught was behavioral psychology, and this largely sought to remove meaning from learning experiments, either by using animals, nonsense syllables, paired-word associations, or other material that would not “contaminate” experiments due to the almost idiosyncratic nature of leaner’s meanings of concepts or ideas. I thought then that behavioral psychology had essentially no relevance to human learning of the kind I was interested in. Fortunately for our research group, Ausubel’s assimilation theory of meaningful learning was published in 1963, and this provided a solid theoretical foundation for the work we were interested in doing.

Individual and Social Aspects of Learning

Abstract: Social learning is in the air. Daily observations and experiences as well as recent scholarly traditions suggest that a certain amount of learning takes place beyond the confines of the individual mind. Learning appears to involve social aspects. Scenarios ranging from a group of children collaboratively trying to solve the question of how to construct a kite to a university professor writing a research paper with a colleague advance the case for a social side to learning. But impressions do not make social learning an obvious category. Are there any theoretical and empirical grounds to justify social learning as a distinctive phenomenon? Is there anything qualitatively different in this kind of learning to distinguish it from the familiar individual conception of learning? Can one make the case that social learning is more than an epiphenomenon or individual learning multiplied, that the social aspects of learning are anything more than the kind of secondary help a learner might get from audiovisual displays, bookmarks, and road signs? If we can raise the question of whether social learning is a valid and viable phenomenon, the opposite question might equally well be raised: Is it not possible that solo learning is simply a figment of the traditional laboratory-based psychology, on the one hand, and of a socially shared respect for the individual qua individual, on the other? The idea of social learning is not really new, having been an important part of early developments of the science of psychology ("folkspsychology," as formulated, for example, by Munsterberg [1914, cited in Cole & Engestrom, 1993]). This branch of psychology fell into neglect because of its Gestalt-like nature and thus its alleged lack of rigor, its central phenomena left to anthropology and sociology to handle. It was distinguished from the more rigorous laboratory-based, experimentally oriented, and far more prestigious psychology of Ebbinghouse. Social learning has thus continued to be largely ignored by psychologists over the years, relegated at best to the study of background context, not really on a par with the learning of the individual (Gardner, 1985). This relative neglect now appears to have been corrected. With the growing interest in Vygotsky's theory, retrospective examinations of the role of social inter-

Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education

Abstract: Acknowledgements to second edition Acknowledgements to first edition Part I Learning and reflection Our themes Learning philosophies and principles What is learning? - A review of learning theories Requirements for reflection Reflection and reflective practice Part II Facilitating learning and reflective practice Academic practice and learning Methods of reflection for tutors Methods and assessment of reflective learning Becoming a facilitator: Enabling reflective learning Facilitation in practice: Basic skills Facilitation in practice: Further skills Part III Exemplars Action learning (learning sets) Academic supervision Mentoring Conclusion

Assessing student learning of Newton’s laws: The Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation and the Evaluation of Active Learning Laboratory and Lecture Curricula

Abstract: In this paper, we describe the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation, a research-based, multiple-choice assessment of student conceptual understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion We discuss a subset of the questions in detail, and give evidence for their validity As examples of the application of this test, we first present data which examine student learning of dynamics concepts in traditional introductory physics courses Then we present results in courses where research-based active learning strategies are supported by the use of microcomputer-based (MBL) tools These include (1) Tools for Scientific Thinking Motion and Force and RealTime Physics Mechanics laboratory curricula, and (2) microcomputer-based Interactive Lecture Demonstrations In both cases, there is strong evidence, based on the test, of significantly improved conceptual learning

The regulation of constructive learning processes

Abstract: Background. Classical instructional design theories and constructivist theoTies disagree on the issue of how high-quality learning can be realised. Research on student learning bas identified a large number of learning components, but the problems of overlap among conceptualisations and the direction of interrelations among constructs have received little attention. Aims. The main aims of this study were: increasing integration of existing models of student learning; gaining understanding of the regulation of constructive learning processes; and investigating the degree to which these phenomena generalise across contexts. Samples. A total of 717 students from an open university (OU) and 795 students froma regular university (RU), fiom various academic disciplines, participated in the studies. The mean age of the OU students was 36.2 years and of the RU students 22.5 years. Methods. Based on phenomenographic studies, a diagnostic instrument was constructed that covered four leaming components: cognitive processing, metacognitive regulation, mentalleaming modeis, and leaming orientations. It was administered to all students trom the samples. Factor analyses on the data were conducted to achieve a more integrated model of student leaming. Regression analyses were performed to study the directionality in the regulation of learning processes. Results. Eour leaming dimensions were consistently found: an undirected, reproduction-directed, meaning-directed and application-directed style. These styles consisted of typical combinations of leaming components. Moreover, students' use of constructive processing strategies was explained much better by self-regulation of leaming than by extemal regulation. These findings were almost identical at both educational institutions, indicating a high degree of generalisability. Conclusions. The integrated model of student leaming developed in this study caD reduce the overlap among leaming component conceptualisations considerably. The results stress the importance of process-oriented teaching models foT improving the quality of student leaming.

The Theory and Practice of Learning

Abstract: The emergence of lifelong learning behaviourist approaches cognitive approaches social learning theory experiential learning types of learning problem-based and work-based learning self-directed learning contract learning open and distance learning assessing learning the learning organization.

Learning to learn: introduction and overview

Abstract: Over the past three decades or so, research on machine learning and data mining has led to a wide variety of algorithms that learn general functions from experience. As machine learning is maturing, it has begun to make the successful transition from academic research to various practical applications. Generic techniques such as decision trees and artificial neural networks, for example, are now being used in various commercial and industrial applications (see e.g., [Langley, 1992; Widrow et al., 1994]).

Differential effects of learner effort and goal orientation on two learning outcomes

Abstract: Ti-aining research is beginning to examine the trainee as an active participant in the learning process. One component of this process involves the choices learners make about the effort they will apply to the learning task. Learner effort was examined in two ways: amount of effort and type of effort. Both amount and type of effort were measured in multiple ways. The results indicated that mastery orientation and time on task were the strongest predictors of performance on the knowledge learning outcome, while perceived mental workload and the use of an example during learning predicted performance on the application learning outcome. Implications for training practice and research are discussed. Given the substantial investment in time and resources devoted to training and education every year, psychologists in many disciplines have investigated influences on individual learning. Learning is typically defined as "a relatively permanent change in knowledge or skill produced by experience" (Weiss, 1990, p. 172). In organizationa l settings, we are often interested in knowledge and skill acquisition and retention as a function of some training experience (Baldwin & Ford, 1988; Goldstein, 1993). Much of training research has focused on the learner as a passive recipient rather than an active participant to various interventions or designs (Ford & Kraiger, 1995). The training literature has begun to examine the impact of increasing the level of participation of trainees in their own training. Most of this research has examined pretraining activities such as increasing trainee participation in the identification of training needs, the determination of the training content, the design of This article is based on the first author's master's thesis, conducted under the supervision of Kevin Ford at Michigan State University. An earlier version of this article was presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, San Diego, CA.

The Powerful Potential of Learning Communities: Improving Education for the Future

Abstract: Offers an in-depth discussion of several approaches to student learning communities, introduces the concept of virtual learning communities, and gives specific suggestions for creating purposeful and powerful learning communities that can promote and optimize student learning.

From Organizational Learning to the Learning Organization

Abstract: This article reviews theories of organizational learning and presents a framework with which to organize the literature. We argue that unit of analysis provides one critical distinction in the organizational learning literature and research objective provides another. The resulting two-by-two matrix contains four categories of research, which we have called: (1) residues (organizations as residues of past learning); (2) communities (organizations as collections of individuals who can learn and develop); (3) participation (organizational improvement gained through intelligent activity of individual members), and (4) accountability (organizational improvement gained through developing individuals' mental models). We also propose a distinction between the terms organizational learning and the learning organization. Our subsequent analysis identifies relationships between disparate parts of the literature and shows that these relationships point to individual mental models as a critical source of leverage for...

Active Learning in the College Classroom.

Abstract: The authors present a catalog of active-learning techniques aimed at fostering student learning in the context of a lecture course. The activities they discuss range from listening practices, which require students to absorb what they hear, to short writing exercises, in which students react to lecture material, to complex group exercises, in which students apply course material to “real life” situations and/or new problems. In addition to their review of active-learning techniques, the authors discuss some of the potential barriers to implementing active learning and suggest solutions. Finally, they add their own insights about how these techniques have worked—and not worked—in their classes. Because the authors represent both the natural sciences and the humanities, their success with these methods should be encouraging to faculty from different disciplines considering using active learning in their own courses.

Organizational Learning Activities in High‐hazard Industries: The Logics Underlying Self‐Analysis

Abstract: Cover title. "A version of this paper was presented under the title "Failures to Learn from Experience: An Analysis of Incident Reviews in Nuclear Power Plants and Chemical Process Plants" in the Symposium "High States Learning: Making Sense of Unusual, High-Hazard Events" at the Academy of Management meetings, Cincinnati, August, 1996."--p. 33.

Learning to perceive the world as articulated: an approach for hierarchical learning in sensory-motor systems

Abstract: This paper describes how agents can learn an internal model of the world structurally by focusing on the problem of behavior-based articulation. We develop an on-line learning scheme-the so-called mixture of recurrent neural net (RNN) experts-in which a set of RNN modules become self-organized as experts on multiple levels, in order to account for the different categories of sensory-motor flow which the robot experiences. Autonomous switching of activated modules in the lower level actually represents the articulation of the sensory-motor flow. In the meantime, a set of RNNs in the higher level competes to learn the sequences of module switching in the lower level, by which articulation at a further, more abstract level can be achieved. The proposed scheme was examined through simulation experiments involving the navigation learning problem. Our dynamical system analysis clarified the mechanism of the articulation. The possible correspondence between the articulation mechanism and the attention switching mechanism in thalamo-cortical loops is also discussed.

Learning Beyond the Classroom: Education for a Changing World

Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. The problem 3. Seeds of solutions: theories 4. Active learning in practice 5. What matters most 6. Morality and citizenship 7. Tackling underachievement 8. The challenge of employability 9. Personal capacities 10. Systems of assessment 11. Nurturing learning relationships 12. Thriving on complexity 13. The New landscape of learning

Cooperative Learning: Prevalence, Conceptualizations, and the Relation Between Research and Practice

Abstract: This study examined the prevalence, conceptualization, and form of cooperative learning used by elementary school teachers. Responding to a survey, 93% of teachers (n = 85) from six elementary schools in two districts indicated they used cooperative learning. In interviews with a subset of those teachers (n = 21), all indicated having daily cooperative lessons in several subjects. The majority of teachers subscribed to cooperative learning to achieve both academic and social learning goals, structured tasks for positive interdependence, and taught students skills for working in small groups. When we applied criteria for cooperative learning derived from the research literature, few teachers were employing recognized forms of this practice, primarily because they did not tie individual accountability to group goals. Implications for communication between researcher-developers and teachers are discussed.

Self-Directed Learning and the Learning Organization: Examining the Connection between the Individual and the Learning Environment.

Abstract: This chapter articulates the connection between self-directed learning (SDL) and the learning organization. Although there is much literature on developing learning organizations and there has been some work addressing SDL in the workplace, there is a paucity of work analyzing the connection between self-directed learners and their place in a learning organization. An analysis of the literature on both learning organizations and SDL, however, identifies learning environments that are strikingly similar. This chapter explicates these relationships and proposes some recommendations for practice and for future research.

Assessment in Partnership with Learners

Abstract: Assessment procedures have a profound impact on the attitudes students take towards their work, their learning strategies and their commitment to learning. Most assessment of student learning is, however, undertaken with little or no consultation with students. Given the importance to students of developing the capacity for self‐assessment and evaluation, the unilateral control of assessment assumed by many academic staff can only be viewed as pedagogically unsound. It is important that students develop a clear understanding of tutor expectations regarding any learning task and this requires engagement in dialogue in the classroom setting. To become effective, independent, autonomous learners, students must be enabled to understand assessment criteria and expected levels of attainment. They should be empowered through meaningful feedback on their learning which relates to assessment criteria and which is given from a perspective of improvement on current attainment. This paper presents the case f...

Learning and Studying: A Research Perspective

Abstract: Learning and Studying looks at how psychologists study the crucial processes of learning and studying in higher education James Hartley uses current research to explore such topics as: learning theory and educational practice, personality and learning, older learners, improving learning skills, learning and human-computer interaction and assessment and evaluation Written in a lively style and full of up-to-date material, examples and case studies, Learning and Studying offers plenty of advice to today's consumers of educational practice - students and their teachers

Apprenticeship as a conceptual basis for a social theory of learning

Abstract: Many approaches to learning rely on behaviourist and individualist assumptions, are dependent on transmission pedagogies or are associated with cognitive science accounts of expertise. Drawing upon recent developments in activity theory that have resulted in learning new interpretations of the ‘zone of proximal development’ and the emergence of the idea of ‘learning as a form of social practice’, this paper proposes an entirely different perspective on learning. It argues that the idea of apprenticeship can be reconceptualised to provide the basis for a more inclusive social theory of learning. It explores how far new pedagogic criteria will have to be developed that might constitute the basis for such a theory of ‘reflexive learning’, and identifies the possible implications of this approach to learning for a number of current concerns in vocational education and training, for example, lifelong learning, collaborative/transformative learning and knowledge production.

A Computer-Mediated Support System for Project-Based Learning.

Abstract: Project-based learning places demands on learners and instructors that challenge the traditional practices and support structures of schools. Learning from doing complex, challenging, and authentic projects requires resourcefulness and planning by the student, new forms of knowledge representation in school, expanded mechanisms for collaboration and communication, and support for reflection and authentic assessment. This article describes a computer-mediated learning-support system designed as a suite of integrated, internet-based client-server tools to provide (a) intelligent support both for the processes of doing a project and for learning from doing a project, and (b) a shared dynamic knowledge base for working and learning in a community supporting project-based education. The article describes the architecture of the system, its current state of development, and findings from an initial deployment. This articulation of the system components and findings can benefit several groups. It can help (a) educators envisioning the role of technology in augmenting authentic forms of learning, (b) developers of other support systems as they compare features and implications, and (c) researchers as they frame questions about human-computer interactions in learning systems.

Education and Understanding Structural Causes for Group Inequalities

Abstract: Group inequalities in the United States are most often attributed to the characteristics of the individuals who belong to these groups; thinking about structural causes of group inequalities is rare. This paper reviews cognitive, cultural, and systemic reasons for this bias. The efficacy of education as a way to increase structural thinking was investigated in two studies of college students' causal thinking about group inequalities. Both studies involved a course on intergroup relations that covered structural sources of racial or ethnic inequalities. Results supported hypotheses that the course would increase structural thinking about racial or ethnic inequality, and that structural thinking would generalize to inequalities not explicitly covered in the course. Both course content and active learning pedagogy were related to structural thinking about inequalities. Active learning was also related to applying structural thinking to targets of change.

Secondary Students' Dynamic Modeling Processes: Analyzing, Reasoning About, Synthesizing, and Testing Models of Stream Ecosystems

Abstract: In this paper, we explore dynamic modeling as an opportunity for students to think about the science content they are learning. We examined the “Cognitive Strategies for Modeling” (CSMs) in which students engaged as they created dynamic models. We audio- and videotape-recorded eight pairs of ninth grade science students and analyzed their conversations and actions. In analyzing appropriate objects and factors for their model, some students merely enumerated potential factors whereas others engaged in rich, substantial, mindful analysis. In reasoning about their models, students discussed relationships in depth, concentrated only on the most important key relationships, or encountered difficulty distinguishing between causal and correlational relationships. In synthesizing working models, students mapped their model to aid visualization, focused on their goal, or talked about their model's appearance or form. Students attempted to articulate explanations for their relationships, but sometimes their explanations were shallow. In testing their models, some students tested thoroughly but only a few persisted in debugging their model's behavior so that it matched their expectations. In our conclusion we suggest that creating dynamic models has great potential for use in classrooms to engage students in thought about science content, particularly in those thinking strategies best fostered by dynamic modeling: analysis, relational reasoning, synthesis, testing and debugging, and making explanations.

The Impact of a Discipline-Based Introduction to Engineering Course on Improving Retention

Abstract: An Introduction to Engineering course at the University of Florida was converted from a lecture-based offering to a laboratory format in a project sponsored by the Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED) (NSF Cooperative Agreement No. EID-9109853). The revised course rotates student groups through laboratories in each of the undergraduate engineering disciplines. Majors and non-majors receive a grade for this one credit course which meets three hours per week. The laboratories employ active learning and a smaller class size to achieve two objectives: 1) to better inform students about the nature of engineering and its specific disciplines and 2) to improve the retention of these students in engineering. The achievement of the first objective has been shown in our earlier work. 1, 2 This paper focuses on the achievement of the latter objective, which is shown by a longitudinal study to be dramatically improved. The magnitude (a 17% improvement in retention for the general population and greater for women and minorities) is surprising for a single course, but reasons are suggested which might explain such a large effect.