Authentic Learning – Teaching Methods that Engage Students

Todd Stanley

Gifted Coordinator

@the_gifted_guy

www.thegiftedguy.com

thegiftedguy@yahoo.com

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Format of the workshop

• What is authentic learning?
• Teacher work time on one of these authentic learning strategies
• Reflection

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You might be a sage from the stage if…

• …you find yourself spending a majority of class time in front of the students
• …instruction is based mostly on correct answers
• …you are making most of the choices
• …desks are all pointed in one direction
• …you are talking more than the students
• ...student success is based on memorization and recall
• …you are the source of most information
• …there is only one voice heard at a time

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Characteristics of Inquiry-Based Learning

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Advantages of IBL

• Nurtures student passion and talents
• Empower student voice and honor student choice
• Foster curiosity and a love of learning
• Solves real-world problems
• Teaches grit, perseverance, and self-direction
• Develops strong research skills
• Trains student to ask questions in seeking to understand (MacKenzie, 2017)

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Characteristics of project-based learning

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Advantages to PBL

• Allows for more creativity
• Differentiation of varying ability levels
• Creates a passion for learning
• Provides authentic opportunities for learning (Stanley, 2011)

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Steps to PBL

1. Define the problem
2. Develop solution options
3. Plan the project
4. Execute the plan
5. Monitor and control progress
6. Close project

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Characteristics of problem-based learning

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Advantages to PrBL

• Develop your diagnostic reasoning and analytical problem-solving skills
• Determine what knowledge you need to acquire to understand the problem and others like it
• Discover the best resources for acquiring that information
• Carry out your own personalized study using a wide range of resources
• Apply the information you have learned back to the problem
• Integrate this newly acquired knowledge with your existing understanding (Cordovilla)

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Steps to Problem-Based Learning�

1. Present the problem
2. List what is known
3. Develop a problem statement
4. List what is needed
5. List actions, solutions, or hypothesis
6. Present and support the solution

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Characteristics of �Case-Based �Learning

Case-Based Learning (CBL) is often defined as:

…a teaching method which requires students to actively participate in real or hypothetical problem situations, reflecting the kinds of experiences naturally encountered in the discipline under study (Ertmer & Russell, 1995).

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Advantages of CBL

• Students sort out factual data, apply analytic tools, articulate issues, reflect on their relevant experiences, and draw conclusions they can relate to new situations. 
• Cases add meaning by providing students with the opportunity to see theory in practice. 
• Use of self-study to consolidate learning that occurred in groups
• Integration of prior and newly acquired knowledge.
• Allows scientific inquiry and the development of support provision for their conclusions
• Students seem more engaged, interested, and involved in the class.
• Since many cases are based on contemporary or realistic problems, the use of cases in the classroom makes subject matter more relevant.
• Development of learning skills (Mullins, Barrows).

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Steps to CBL

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How to make it MORE authentic?

• Have the topic be around something happening in the world or the community that students would care about
• Have students use a skill that is relevant to them
• Give students as much choice as possible
• Have an authentic audience to hear the results of the work
• Have high expectations that you would expect in a business setting and not a school one

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Now it is your turn to use inquiry learning to find out more about these strategies

• There are scenarios that use PBL, PrBL, or CBL that you would work through to see if you like that method
• You can learn about each of these strategies more in depth by going to www.thegiftedguy.com/prof-development, scrolling down to the Tools for Authentic Learning, and going through the slides that walk you through step by step
• You can try and take a lesson you already use or content standard and make your own PBL, PrBL, or CBL lesson
• We will come back together and reflect upon what you’ve learned

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Learning for the sake of learning

• Imagine that schools were a place where students want to go because they can learn
• What would that place look like?
• Is what you currently seeing in the classroom authentic learning?
• How do you best learn?

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Reflection Protocol - Tweeting

• What is something you learned today?
• Cannot be any longer than 140 characters
• Have an accompanying picture/meme that sums up your feelings
• Add a hashtag to it as well

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Example Tweets

• It’s a lot to process but am willing to start.

Believe I will begin using 20time with students #bighairyproblem

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• Not sure ready for overhaul of teaching but

found Bloom’s useful. Am going to pay

closer attention to my assessments

#raisingtherigor

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• I’m fired up. Differentiated centers in my future #choosetochallenge

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Any questions?

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Contact Info.

• thegiftedguy@yahoo.com
• www.thegiftedguy.com
• Twitter: @the_gifted_guy

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