Traditionally, my academic journey, much like that of many others, was largely stale and uninteresting – even if the content itself excited me. This course, however, changed that. The combination of exploring resources (passive learning) with interactive, hands-on assignments/blogs (active learning) has created an enjoyable engagement with the content. Unlike in previous courses, where the passive components often felt disengaged from the practical applications, this class wove them together in a manner that enriched my understanding and retention of the material.
One method of learning design I’ve encountered before is Scaffolding. An example of effective scaffolding I experienced came from a project that required us to develop a small-scale research proposal. Initially, we were introduced to the foundational concepts through readings and lectures, allowing us to passively absorb the necessary knowledge. After that, we engaged in discussions that challenged us to apply these concepts actively in hypothetical scenarios. Gradually, the tasks increased in complexity, leading us to design a research question and methodology. Finally, instructor feedback before the final submission acted as the last scaffolding step. This step-by-step escalation not only built our confidence but also deepened our comprehension by continuously connecting theory with practice.
Lesson Plan and Interactive Video
One issue that is very important to me is fast fashion. As someone who enjoys the world of clothing, I often notice how the dark side of the industry gets overshadowed by flashy shows and releases. Because of this, I designed my lesson plan and interactive video to be educational on this topic. I started with backwards design, asking myself the big question: what would I want the students to get out of this. After working backwards through the steps, I was pleased that I had created a lesson plan that adequately supported and engaged students from start to finish, without overwhelming cognitive load, engaging with material they aren’t familiar with, or leaving anyone behind. Through this plan, students would be able to work their way through Bloom’s Taxonomy, from being able to simply understand what fast fashion is, to being able to create solutions based on evaluation. Take a look for yourself below.
Check out the interactive video I created below to learn more about this issue!
My exploration of H5P as a tool for integrating active learning into the educational experience was eye opening. Its fun and interactive nature showed significant upside in learning potential, making the educational process both engaging and effective. I tended to use multiple-choice questions to encourage deeper thinking among students. By creating scenarios that mirrored real-life decisions, I was able to spark critical thinking and relate the learning material to the real world. However, I noticed a lack of ability to allow students a short answer written response. I would have liked to ask more open ended questions to see where their minds end up. Perhaps this is a feature that I could not find, but I would love to keep exploring this tool!
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