PROJECT-BASED LEARNING APPROACH

 

One unsuccessful learning experience I had during high school was the entirety of my AP Calculus class. The teacher was a brilliant mathematician, gifted at teaching the concepts of Calculus. However, he was terrible at relating to us why the content was relevant and applicable to our daily lives. Why should I care about the rate at which a balloon fills up with air? I learned the content through repetition and completing complex practice problems, but my motivation was so lacking that I dropped the class midway even though I was getting an A in the course. I recognize the teacher was required to teach us the foundational concepts of Calculus, but could there have been a better way? The following is an example of a project-based learning approach that I believe would have made this course much more meaningful for me and my fellow classmates.

 

Project-based learning involves learners working individually and/or collaboratively to address and solve a complex problem or challenge. The learners acquire new knowledge and skills throughout the process of working on the project. An appropriate starting point for this project would be a few weeks into the course as it assumes the students have a basic level of understanding of Calculus concepts from which to draw on.

 

Project kick-off class session:

 

1. Break the students up into groups, and allow 15 minutes for each group to come up with a list of applications/instances that Calculus has to their daily lives. They may use their mobile devices to search the internet. (This activity incorporates 1: adult learning theory principles of motivation, application, and self-concept; 2: Social constructivist principles that learning occurs in social settings by working collaboratively; 3: Connectivist principles that learners can utilize social systems (internet, peers) to build learning networks.)

 

2. Teacher facilitates large group class discussion and has each group share their list. Teacher (or a student) identifies patterns/trends and creates 5 main topic areas. Students sign up for one of the 5 options, and groups are formed. (This activity incorporates 1: adult learning theory principles of self-concept, motivation, relevance, and application.

 

3. Teacher hands out a project overview that includes what activity is due on what date, key concepts to be learned, and grading expectations. A small portion of each class period will be devoted to working on this project, and homework assignments will be geared around applying concepts learned in class to their project. The teacher has also created a google document for each group so they may be continually updating it as they add to their project. The teacher has incorporated several smaller, formative assessments in the form of weekly assignments, and a final summative assessment. The final assignment will be a 20-minute presentation to the entire class, but the group has the choice of what form the presentation will take (video, role play, powerpoint, etc).

 

Implications:

 

By choosing to use this project-based learning approach, the teacher has allowed the students to select an issue they are interested in, which is a key motivating factor for learning. It also allows the students to develop connections between what they are learning, how it applies to their daily lives, and work on tasks to solve a problem. It requires social learning and collaboration. The students become resources for one another, and can utilize technology to create stronger learning networks for the purposes of the project. Aspects of the learning theories of andragogy, social constructivism, cognitivism, and connectivism are all included within this project-based approach.

 

This project would be an example of authentic assessment in that it is requiring students to apply the concepts they are learning in class to a real-world situation. There are multiple ways the project could be accomplished which mirrors reality in that there are often multiple ways a problem can be addressed. The teacher acts as a guide, coach and facilitator throughout the length of the project and encourages the students to apply the concepts of the course to their issue. With carefully designed formative assessments, the teacher is able to track the students’ progress and spend more time on concepts that students are struggling with. These multiple “checkpoints” for learning also help reduce the cognitive load for the students so they are able to focus on smaller pieces more intently while continuing to build and construct understanding about the larger concept of Calculus. Lastly, the teacher has a well-designed final summative assessment with clear grading expectations and requirements, but the end product is determined by the students. This gives the students the freedom and opportunity to think creatively and independently.

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GAMIFICATION LEARNING APPROACH

 

One memorable learning experience I had from a formal training workshop was related learning a new eLearning software program. The trainer was a professional trainer who made the content experiential and relevant. He would explain, then demonstrate to us, how to do a particular skill, and then have us try and practice. Throughout the two-day training, we were building up our skills sequentially, practicing what we'd learned and building an actual eLearning module. Overall the learning experience was excellent because 1) it directly related to developing new skills that impacted my job, and 2) the content was presented in a way that helped me understand through demonstration and practice. However, could my learning have been enhanced through the gamification of the training? Gamification is the process of “applying game-related principles- particularly those relating to user experience and engagement- to non-game contexts” (David L.,January 26, 2016). The following discusses how gaming aspects may have increased engagement and attention, leading to a potential increase in the retention of knowledge and learning.

 

PROGRESSION: Seeing success visualized incrementally.

• The trainer could have included the elements of leveling up, and accumulating points, so that the learners could chart their progress. This could have been on a whiteboard at the front of the class or using a website designed for that purpose. These elements would have also introduced a spirit of low-risk competition amongst the class to see who had the most points at any given time, or who had reached what level. Each main topic the trainer wanted us to learn could be a level to attain, and points could be earned according to accomplishing certain tasks or activities.

INVESTMENT: Feeling pride in work in the game.

• The trainer could have distributed rewards to recognize achievements in the form of badges, or candy, or extra lunch time, or. . . This form of extrinsic motivation could propel learners to work harder, faster, or more diligently, depending on what the rewards were given out for.

• The trainer could have divided the class into groups (teams) and had each team apply a concept we were learning. The end product could be voted on by the class. This would ensure collaboration and teamwork and include the elements of competition and pride to produce a good end product.

CASCADING INFORMATION THEORY: Unlocking information continuously.

• The trainer could have given out surprise bonuses (badge, candy, extra lunch time, etc.) if a learner discovered a new use of the software program or asked a particularly poignant question. This would have increased learners’ motivation to think outside the box and take risks with what we were learning.

 

Implications:

This gamified approach is an example of authentic assessment because students are required to demonstrate and apply what they are learning. There are many opportunities for the learner to practice their new skills, and in order to advance to a new skill level the learner must adequately demonstrate their learning according to the teacher’s expectations.

 

The prevalence of extrinsic rewards and motivators (points, leaderboards, badges, incentives) within my examples lead me to believe gamification is closely tied to Behaviorism. External influences impact the learner. The learner responds and acts as a result of stimuli- positive consequences such as rewards and incentives, or negative consequences such as the feeling of “losing” or lagging behind others. The learners want to succeed in order to receive the rewards, or avoid the feeling of losing. However, there was a social learning component that relates to Constructivism and Connectivism in that peers are working collaboratively to develop an end product. They are sharing knowledge with one another, drawing on their past experiences, and forming new learning networks.

 

Sources:

-MIT Education Arcade. Moving Learning Games Forward. Retrieved from gamification.org.

-David L. (2016, January 26). Gamification in Education. Retrieved from https://www.learning-theories.com/gamification-in-education.html.