TP Task Two – Active Learning Environments

Planning activities that allow students to clarify, question, apply, and consolidate new
knowledge.

What is an active learning environment? What are its benefits? How does it link to
the inquiry cycle?

Active learning classrooms (ALCs) are student-centered, technology-rich classrooms. They are easily
identified with their large student tables and moveable seating designed to facilitate and promote active
learning (Center for Educational Innovation, n.d). Classrooms in the Center for Teaching and Learning
offer similar flexible learning arrangements, intended to promote active learning, collaborative problem-
solving, and other team-based work (Active Learning Classrooms, n.d). However, inquiry is a set of
interrelated processes by which scientists and students pose questions about the natural world and
investigate phenomena; in doing so, students acquire knowledge and develop a rich understanding of
concepts, principles, models, and theories. Inquiry is a critical component of a science program at all grade
levels and in every domain of science, and designers of curricula and programs must be sure that the
approach to content, as well as the teaching and assessment strategies, reflect the acquisition of scientific
understanding through inquiry (Inquiry, the Learning Cycle, & the 5E Instructional Model, 1996). The
active learning environment are link to the inquiry cycle, “because the student has different possibilities
until he has the main concept of the lesson” (Manoli et al., 2015, p. 3).

Active Learning Classrooms. (n.d). Retrieved from

https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/faculty-resources/managing-classroom/active-
learning-classrooms
References

Center for Educational Innovation. (n.d). Retrieved from

https://cei.umn.edu/teaching-active-learning-classroom-alc
 Inquiry, the Learning Cycle, & the 5E Instructional Model. (1996). The Guidelines for
Lesson Planning from the Electronic Journal of Science Education. Retrieved from
http://www.kacee.org/files/Inquiry%20&%205E%20Instructional%20Model.pdf

Choose 3 lessons to observe to answer the following questions:

What was the prior learning What was the impact of the
What was the activity?
to this lesson? activity i.e. no. of ss engaged?

In literacy class, the teacher gives -The teacher asked the The students were very active
the students some sentences students about the meaning with the teacher, and this
without punctuation marks. They of speech marks. activity refreshed their
must to put the right knowledge about some words
punctuation marks between the -The teacher asked them if of the lesson.
sentences. we can use these marks
when we speak with other.
-In science class, the teacher The students were enjoyable
asking the students to list three -The teacher asked the with this activity, because they
benefits of fruits and vegetables. students to name three of love to eat the fruits and
fruits and vegetables that vegetables, also they had
-Students were able to work in they have it in their houses. enjoyed when they draw and
small groups and they allowed to color their painting.
share their answers with the -The students draw a picture
large group shortly after they of the fruits and vegetables
completed this activity. that they chose it.
In math class, the students
created different triangles with -The students know some The students had enjoyed with
specified measurements using names of the tringles such as the drawing and when they use
grid paper and tape. right, obtuse, and acute. the grid paper and tape for the
measure the triangles.
-They labeled the triangles with -The students know how to
the letters. draw the tringles.

-They also identified the type of

triangles they made.

CONCEPT ROLE IN ACTIVE One Reference forward that shows what the concept
LEARNING is AND how it works in Active Learning

- Create Teachers encourage student-centred learning by allowing

students to share in decisions, believing in their capacity
- Solving to lead, and remembering how it feels to learn. Student-
problems centred classrooms include students in planning,
implementation, and assessments. Involving the learners
STUDENT
- Answer in these decisions will place more work on them, which
CENTRED questions can be a good thing. Teachers must become comfortable
with changing their leadership style from directive to
- Discuss consultative (McCarthy. J, 2005).

- Brainstorm

- Explain McCarthy, J. (2005). Student-Centred Learning: It Starts with

the Teacher. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-centered-learning-
starts-with-teacher-john-mccarthy

- Think: relate, Inquiry-based learning is an approach that can easily

INQUIRY CYCLE
discuss, accommodate project-based learning, challenge-based
analyse, learning, place-based education, blended learning, and
explanations. other trends in education. This may help stimulate the
- Try: thinking process for making innovative, creative change
experiments, to your teaching practice in the early years (Heick. T,
model, ideas. 2017).

- Reflect:
rethink,
conclude,
revise.
 CONCEPT ROLE IN ACTIVE One Reference forward that shows what the concept
LEARNING is AND how it works in Active Learning

Heick, T. (2017). 4 Phases of Inquiry-Based Learning: A

- Discover: Guide For Teachers. Retrieved from
observe, https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/4-phases-
examine, inquiry-based-learning-guide-teachers/
measure.

- Observation Science process occurs naturally, spontaneously in our

minds. By logically breaking down the steps in our
- Inferring thinking, we can use science process to find out how to
answer our questions about how the world works. Science
- Predicting process is not just useful in science, but in any situation
that requires critical thinking. Science process skills
PROCESS - Making include observing qualities, measuring quantities,
SKILLS models sorting/classifying, inferring, predicting, experimenting,
and communicating (Ostlund. K, 1998).
- Classifying

- Evaluation

Ostlund, K. (1998). What the Research Says About

Science Process Skills. Retrieved from
http://ejse.southwestern.edu/article/view/7589/5356

- Think Hands-on, minds-on science activities encourage students

HANDS-ON MINDS- to become active participants in learning about the world
ON - Summarize around them. This in service is designed to assist
elementary school teachers with one of the very special
- Discuss aspects of teaching science, that of making the
experimental environment safe for the students.
- Teach

- Remember

Constructivism is based on the idea that meaningful

- Active process learning occurs when people actively try to make sense
of the world when they construct an interpretation of
CONSTRUCTIVISM - Cooperative learning how and why things are by filtering new ideas and
 CONCEPT ROLE IN ACTIVE One Reference forward that shows what the concept
LEARNING is AND how it works in Active Learning

experiences through existing knowledge structures (Hein.

- Group work G, 1991).

- Discussion
Hein, G. (1991). Constructivist Learning Theory.
Retrieved from
https://www.exploratorium.edu/education/ifi/constructivi
st-learning

- Identifying the Problem-solving is a mental process that involves

Problem discovering, analysing and solving problems. The goal of
problem-solving is to overcome obstacles and find a
- Organizing solution that best resolves the issue. The best strategy for
PROBLEM Information solving a problem depends largely on the unique situation.
SOLVING In some cases, people are better off learning everything
- Allocating they can about the issue and then using factual knowledge
Resources to come up with a solution. In other instances, creativity
and insight are the best options (Cherry. K, 2018).
- Evaluating the
Results
Cherry, K. (2018). Overview of the Problem-Solving
Mental Process. Retrieved from
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-problem-
solving-2795485

BLOOM’S - Remember: Bloom’s Taxonomy provides an important framework for

define, list, teachers to use to focus on higher order thinking. By
TAXONOMY
memorize, providing a hierarchy of levels, this taxonomy can assist
state. teachers in designing performance tasks, crafting
questions for conferring with students, and providing
- Understand: feedback on student work. The cognitive levels within
classify, Bloom’s Taxonomy range from knowledge,
describe, comprehension, and application through analysis,
discuss, synthesis, and evaluation. Many elementary classroom
explain, lessons focus on the first three levels, through habit or
identify. tradition or perhaps even because these are the easiest to
quantify. Objectives with verbs such as “define,”
“classify,” and “demonstrate” abound. Elementary
 CONCEPT ROLE IN ACTIVE One Reference forward that shows what the concept
LEARNING is AND how it works in Active Learning

- Apply: children are often asked to estimate, explain, paraphrase,

implement, match or label in their learning experiences. These are the
solve, use, verbs that typify the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
demonstrate. (How Active Learning and Bloom’s Taxonomy Relate to
One Another, n.d).
- Analyse:
organize,
compare,
contract, How Active Learning and Bloom’s Taxonomy Relate to
question, test. One Another. (n.d). Retrieved from
https://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-
tips/23494-how-active-learning-and-blooms-taxonomy-
- Evaluate: relate-to-one-another/
select, support,
value.

- Create: design,
assemble,
develop,
investigate.

- Investigate Guiding questions are a framework for a topic. Using

ESSENTIAL & them takes the onus off the teacher to convey all the
GUIDING - Analyze concepts and information and puts it on the students to
QUESTIONS investigate the questions and find answers that they can
- Demonstrate apply in their everyday lives. It's very motivating. We ask
the questions and frontload the necessary material; then
- Understand the students investigate, analyse, and demonstrate
knowledge of the underlying concepts. In this way, we
create classrooms of inquiry, where real world problems
are discussed and contemplated (Using Guiding Questions
in Your Classroom, 2009). However, essential questions
can also help teachers organize course content and direct
their instructional choices about what to include and what
to omit. Remember because it is in the textbook may not
mean it is essential to understanding the content or
discipline.
 CONCEPT ROLE IN ACTIVE One Reference forward that shows what the concept
LEARNING is AND how it works in Active Learning

Using Guiding Questions in Your Classroom. (2009).

Retrieved from
https://somenovelideas.typepad.com/some-novel-
ideas/2009/11/using-guiding-questions-in-your-
classroom.html

- Understand Understanding the order and sequence of events helps for

process, helps for understanding cause and effect, story
- Demonstrate structure, identifying patterns, and learning the
SEQUENCING OF development of events that led up to other events
ACTIVITIES - Classify (Warfield. A, n.d).

- Organize

- Summarize Warfield, A. (n,d). Sequences, Summaries, and Stories.

Retrieved from
https://www.storyboardthat.com/blog/e/sequencing-
activities

- Understand Assessments check whether your goals meet the

instructional needs. Assessments in the classroom are
ASSESSMENT - Support something necessary, because a lot of teachers partially
develop their own instruction. When a classroom
- Select assessment has taken place, students won’t be surprised
anymore, because the instruction is meeting their needs.
- Demonstrate Teaching and learning must be meaningful and meet the
needs of the communities of students. There are different
kinds of assessment. The most popular kinds of
assessment are formative and summative assessment.
Formative assessment takes place during the beginning of
your instruction. It gives the creator feedback of the
strengths and weaknesses of your instruction, so you know
where to improve more. Summative assessment takes
place when the instruction is implemented. Summative
assessment is aimed at assessing the extent to which the
 CONCEPT ROLE IN ACTIVE One Reference forward that shows what the concept
LEARNING is AND how it works in Active Learning

most important outcomes at the end of the instruction have

been reached.

Which activity engaged most students? Why do you think this happened? How could the
activity be improved to further increase student engagement?

I think the most activity that the students engaged with it which was in the science class. The
activity was about the pupils should list three benefits of fruits and vegetables and draw some
pictures of them. I think this activity covered many concepts in active learning. For example, it
used essential and guiding questions when the teacher asked them to name some of fruits and
vegetables that they have it in their houses. Also, this activity covered constructivism concept
because the students worked in group which is can achieve the cooperative learning and they
able to share their ideas with others.

Record and reflect on the safety components of at least 3 lessons taught whilst on TP.:

What safety issues There are many of classroom safety rules, such as be sensible with
were taken into scissors, do not stand on chairs or tables, only enter the classroom
consideration? when an adult is present, keep food and drink away from computers,
etc.

The students made aware of these rules. For instance, when the
Were the students teacher goes outside the class they stay in their desks without any
made aware of
moving, also when the teacher give them some materials such as
them? How?
scissors they don’t touch it until the teacher say to them.

Did any safety issues Yes. When the teacher teaches the students about dissolving lesson,
arise in the lesson she asked from them to dissolve some materials together, but some
that were not students smell these objects when they did the experiment, because
planned for?
 the teacher don’t tell them at the begging of the class that the smell
and eat are Forbidden.

Is there signage in Yes. There are a lot of signage regarding safety in each class in the
the classroom school, especially in the lab classes because there are many of
regarding safety? dangerous materials there.