Learning Pod: #2
Peers’ Names: Gracen Dickey, Jenna Dickie, Katie McCarvill, Sophie Walters, Reid Taylor
Interactive Learning Resource Topic: Art Therapy
Identify components of the Interactive Learning Resource that might be missing:
First of all, from simply reading the blueprint, I can tell how prepared and fired up you guys are on creating this resource. I can see that you have an clear view and understanding over your topic, while having each components (assessment, target audience, delivery method and platform , as well as the subtopics) that builds up to this resource broken down and planned out. One thing that I think is missing would be the declarations. As if for now, I believe that all of us did not have enough time to build a completed course that is ready to be applied in the real world. Most of our main platforms is only at the post-skeleton level of the construction. With more declarations, I believe this course would be “ready to eat”for your target audiences. If I have to say another missing component, I would say that poetry could be explored more. (Because I like poetry, but I understand that this topic may not suit your targeted audience)
Provide a summary of the Interactive Learning Resource’s strength and weakness. Draw out specific examples from your peers’ work to justify your feedback:
(Due to VPN problems, I have to operate on my phone, which means that I cannot create bullet points, I’ll put a space in between instead. I apologize if anything looks odd.)
Strength:
Having a clear plan and image of the course – can be seen in the blueprint.
The usage of videos is clear and easy to understand to your targeted audience.
Each section is organized well and have engaging assignments.
The topic is suitable within a school environment. (Able to be taught directly in schools)
Weaknesses:
Online limitations – nearly all of the activities and teachings seems better to be completed in person, especially considering your target audience.
Perhaps give a bit more freedom of selection to your topics – Letting students choose which topic they like to participate and learn more. This will make the students find their interests, and they would be much more welling to learn and participate.
Provide general, specific, and practical recommendations to your peers on how to improve their Interactive Learning Resource:
( Again, I cannot use bullet points, I apologize for this inconvenience)
Decorate the google classroom a bit more to give it more selling points and able to hook students in.
Make the course more in person, as I believe the in person method is more suitable.
Make the subtopics pick and choose for students. Or let them choose a topic after being taught the general information to focus on.
(Maybe explore a little more in poetry?)
This video would create a type of chemical reaction within the student body, showing them just how precise AI can be in imitating others writing or speaking styles. At the same time, showing modesty to its users. It forces responses in two directions, one being the side where students admire what AI can accomplish, and the side that’s more important is where the students move on and question what limitations AI has after having to see what it can accomplish. The reason for this importance is because it causes debates amongst students.
I would first host a poll for what AI can or cannot accomplish, specifically in writing or speaking. This would help students understand AI’s strengths and weaknesses, and why it is so important in present literature and script writing. Then I would provide three activities for students to pick-and-choose which one to participate. The first being a mass debate on limitations on AI for writing. The second requires the students to be assigned to groups and each make a script acting as their favorite celebrity, then finding the similarities between each script, hence the flaws of AI. The final being an individual activity that requires the students to write a short paragraph for a self-selected completed assignment from other classes with the help of AI, then comparing it with the original work; finding similarities and differences. These activities would need the students to have access over zoom, google doc or any form of online writing application, and ChatGPT or any form of AI like such.
Students would be asked to submit their process and product in Google Classroom or through Emailing to me. They will either get their feedback through Google Classroom or Email. If any questions about the feedback occur, students can reach me through email to either book an appointment or wait for a response which will be within the 24 hour range from when those emails are sent.
All three activities require minimum work, the aim for having three activities is to fit each student’s needs and give them freedom to choose between which one to participate. All three activities have similar outcomes, which is for students to get more familiar with AI and its usage, as well as understanding its similarities and limitations. All three activities are all manageable and worthwhile when put in the eyes of our target audience, junior university students, those activities are a mixture of fun and learning. Each of them are made to handle any amount of students, however some tweaking is needed for the first. For the first activity, if it’s faced with a larger number of students, it will be needed to separate the participants into groups in zoom, and I will hop around between groups to make sure they are progressing smoothly.
References
vlogbrothers. (2022). AI tell me if AI will write novels. YouTube. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://youtu.be/ZMTConHyTYU.Â
I respect good teachers, not just because of how much insight they have over their ideal subject, but the constant effort they put in when designing their courses to ensure that students come out of the course with joy and knowledge. One crucial aspect of a great teacher is having high emotional intelligence. Understanding the students is the only way to get close enough to them to affect their attitude towards learning. All this draws alignments with inclusive learning, creating an environment where every learner’s weaknesses or needs are recognized. I believe that being a teacher, they must make sure that every student learns equally and efficiently.
With that in mind, it is a habit of mine to split my subtopic (work) away from the overall learning resource; I see it as building a unique shelter within the broad land that contains the rest of the group.
As a whole, I believe we should act flexibly when approached with the problem of “ensuring that the needs of all learners can be met.” We will have a tutorial session for each subtopic that is listed, as well as a portable session that can be requested and accessed at all times. We will also reply to any concerns or questions through email, acknowledging that some students dislike being in mass discussions. Another aspect that we should keep as stable is sticking with the method of pre-recorded lectures whenever needed; this gives freedom to all the students participating. We will also provide loose due dates for assignments and give the students multiple methods and forms the assignments could be. We will also try our best to provide as much feedback as possible to make sure that students can understand their mistakes and be complimented for their accuracy.
For instance, in my subtopic, which is about literature. The assignment that I want to give to my students is a compare and contrast assignment for two pieces of work, one produced by AI and one produced by humans. However, the uniqueness comes from what type of work it could be. Due to literature being closely linked with art, I would expect the “work” to be in the form of paintings, lyrics sheets, videos, poems, writings, or anything that draws a link to these categories—giving the student as much freedom as possible.
Open pedagogies are the learning environment approach where freedom is maximized. Students learn through creation, collaboration, and engagement. Students often end up creating the learning information themselves. This approach manages to go beyond the method of constructivism; although it tasks the learners within to learn through constant new creation, or in other terms, experience, open pedagogies are not solely based on creations. It encourages students to actively participate in shaping their learning experiences and engaging with authentic, real-world contexts, which challenges the student’s openness to learning. I do not blame learning methods failed to define an approach to a learning environment, as an environment acts as the influencer in learning where it affects everyone within. The environment constructed by contributors such as instructors and students sets the tone of learning, while those learning methods are the cherry on top, operating within the environment. In the specific learning environment approach of open pedagogies, the method of constructivism fits the best, as there are plenty of alignments between these two.
As for its alignment with our chosen topic for the learning design assignment, it is little to none. The topic of AI requires more of an experiential learning or direct instruction approach to operating, as our main goal is for students to understand how to utilize AI in general and specific subjects such as health care, economics and literature. In short, experiential learning is learning through direct experience with the material; where the student do, connect, practice, and reflect during the experience. Direct instruction is where all the information is gathered from the teacher, which makes learning more uniform and immediate, such as lectures. However, as for my subtopic with literature, I challenge students to make unique creations with the help of AI. During the making of their creations, students will get more familiar with AI, as well as realize the downsides of AI. Although not completely, some aspects of an open pedagogies approach is utilized in my subtopic.
Prompt: Share a story about your best learning experience (could be a formal course or something more personal). Why did you enjoy it?
I have been asked multiple times the same question, and my answer would always be the course I took in grade 11, entrepreneurship. I never could explain in short why I kept it as my favourite for such a long time, but acknowledging the theory of teaching clarified the why for my liking in that course. It was a course that challenged students to open up a fast-food restaurant within the school system. Students were tasked with learning the market of students, stocking up on inventory, keeping a good flow in the kitchen, and accounting for profit. All the planning and learning happen in the classroom; while students operate the restaurant outside of the classroom, it will be the real world they are facing. Without the assistance of an instructor, students’ learning is solely based on two things, one being experience, which includes, mistakes, achievements, progress, and numbers; two being inflexible knowledge, which is the learning within the homeroom. If that is not enough to make it a good course, students will get paid based on working hours, which could also contribute to the required working hours to graduate from high school.
Now for the second question, I liked the course for what it had to offer, and for how much I’ve learned and achieved. I felt like I learned a bit of everything, from cooking to business, from business to duty, and from duty to character. What made the course interesting was the utilization of the unique combination of all three learning theories, behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism, while organizing it to each designated learning property. For instance, behaviorism is seen in the workplace, where the quality of work, customer/peer reviews, and mistakes during operation would be rewarded or punished through payment and ratings. The idea of a healthy working environment is reinforced in learners’ brains. Cognitivism is seen through activities when learners are required to solve immediate problems, such as popular items out of stock, spillage of drinks, customer satisfaction, and interrupted restaurant flow. These surprises aren’t taught to learners, the learning process only happens when they occur. Lastly, constructivism is seen through teamwork, where the continuous friction between members will create the needed spark of success. Group work efficiency could never be mastered through anything but the experience. It is the unique combination of these three theories that made the course enjoyable and effective.
References
Ertmer, P. A. & Newby, T. (2018). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. In R. E. West (Ed.), Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism
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