Getting Active in the Classroom

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Active Learning

It is extremely important to be active whether that is physically or mentally. Students spend a majority of their day learning. It is important that students are using their knowledge in meaningful ways. Active learning allows students to engage with content in ways that go beyond pen and paper. Through active learning, students are required to master higher order thinking skills such as applying, analyzing, and sythesizing information. The more interactions that students have with academic content, the better they are able to show what they know. This allows students to experience deeper learning to increase knowledge transfer. All students could benefit from active learning because, they're able to take responsibility of their learning through engaging interactions. 

Ms. Malhiot Activating Her Classroom

An extraordinary example of active learning took place in Ms. Malhiot's classroom. She went beyond a typical assessment which allowed her students to creatively demonstrate what they have learned about the American Revolution.

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Ms. Malhiot had her students create a PicCollage as well as an Audioboom to represent their understanding of different individuals or events within the American Revolution. The events range from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of 1787, the Battle of Sarratoga, to the French and Indian War. Other projects focused on people such as Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Benedict Arnold. PicCollage was used for creating a specific scene that related to the topic that each student focused on whether that was an event or person. Some students even put their own pictures within their collages to connect to that time period. For example, the student who chose to focus on Samuel Adams has a photo of herself with a speech bubble from Samuel Adams declaring independence, and her response is that she wants independence too. This is certainly impactful since the student is relating to the desire that Samuel Adams had as well as her explanation to why they both feel that way. This particular student will definitely remember this type of assessment since she is able to interact in a way that is unique and relatable. It becomes more meaningful once a connection is made between the individual student and the content. Audioboom was used for students to record what they know about their topic as well as explain the collage that they have created. Students were able to go beyond just deciding on the correct answer since they are able to be creative, personal, relatable, and applicable. This demonstrates why Ms. Malhiot's assignment is a prime example of active learning.

One suggestion that I had with this project would be to share their projects with another class or student. Students are able to learn from one another and this project does it in a way that is out of the ordinary. The student who is listening is not only learning the content, but they are learning in a way that is interesting and engaging. They will be able to make the connection of how history can be relatable even though it happened many years ago. Students are able to step away from just facts since they are representing this piece of history from their point of view. Another suggestion was to expand this project by having students create a video to role play their selected scenes. With this, students are able to expand their creativity since they will be creating conversations that most likely could have taken place during the American Revolution. Students would be even able to include conflict and cooperation between different individuals or groups. This would allow them to actually put themselves in the American Revolution by thinking the same way people would have back then. The more students that become involved, the more engaging and impactful the experience would be. 

Creating Active Learning Lessons

I do believe that educators should keep active learning in mind when creating lessons because students are able to benefit from it. For example, if I were to remind my students about a certain test we took a while ago, many will not remember. However, when I bring up an assessment that required active learning, many will remember. This is due to the fact it is completely different than a standard quiz or test. Once students are able to think in a more meaningful way, the more meaningful the content becomes. Students love to be creative especially when they are able to make their understanding personable. It is extremely important for students to build connections, and to do that with content could be life altering. If you were to think about your own educational career, you would probably think about all the assignments that were different. Students today do the exact same thing. This is why it is important for educators to consider active learning especially with larger topics like the American Revolution.

Active Learning in My Own Classroom

I find it difficult to teach social studies especially with fifth graders. It is a challenge to keep them interested in facts. Other subjects like math, science, and literacy involves much thinking and exploration. Social studies could be repetitive since concepts could remain the same, the only difference is how they occur. Last year, I taught the Civil War and continued to find students disinterested or bored of the content. Also, I was tired of creating and giving each section a quiz which is why I turned to active learning. I created a choice board where students were able to choose what they wanted to show and how. I had a wide range of talents in my classroom. This is why I made sure my choice board represented those talents in order for students to participate in active learning. The final products were even better than I could have ever imagined. I definitely was wrong about students not enjoying facts since they were all able to create a product that reflected their understanding and application of the Civil War.

Another project that I absolutely loved doing last year was inventions. We had just learned about the Industrial Revolution and students loved the advancements of inventions over the years. I became taken aback by how impressed they were, so I created an assessment where students worked in groups to create their very own inventions. This project required each group to explain what their invention was, why it was important, who would purchase their invention, create a replica, plans for the future, and an advertisement. All inventions were creative and unique. One group decided to create a realistic shopping experience through your phone. For example, if you were shopping online then a holographic image of that item would appear on top of your phone. They even created a website to promote their invention which was not even a requirement, this is how engaged they became. Students were extremely dedicated to their inventions. Some groups even presented to other classrooms. This spiked interest with the rest of the fifth grade, so my colleagues used it too. Students across the grade were excited to explore and invent items that would benefit people today. This assessment allowed students to understand the importance of the Industrial Revolution, and how they are a part of it today too. Active learning is powerful, and it shapes the way students view content in all subjects, even the "boring" ones.