More Active Learning Through Greater Student Autonomy

1. What Works? Let the Students Choose More Active Learning Through Greater Student Autonomy

2. Rik Andes Instructor | ESL Program | andes@dixie.edu

3. 1. A Story

4. One day... ...a high school student woke up before the sun because he had a big test in his biology class he didn’t want to take. If he gets up and goes to school, click here. If he runs away in panic, click here.

5. He bolts out of bed... ...and runs out the door, into the night. It is dark out there. He gets eaten by a grue. The end. To return to your last choice, click here.

6. He goes to class... ...and takes his biology test. On the test, the student is asked to give a detailed description of a biological process he studied. If he gives a scientific answer, click here. If he writes a story on the test, click here.

7. He describes the process... ...in normal, clinical, scientific terms. He gets a little bored while writing, falls asleep, and never moves again. The end. To return to your last choice, click here.

8. He answers with a story... ...about a naughty little oxygen atom that steals electrons from other elements. It clearly shows a solid understanding of the process but is not “scientific.” If the teacher deducts points, click here. If the teacher adds a witty comment, click here.

9. He’s fine... ...no really, he’s fine. It doesn’t matter. He understands. He works at an office everyday at a job he doesn’t care about and never thinks about that test again. Ever. The end. To return to your last choice, click here.

10. He can’t believe... ...his teacher’s comment refers to his favorite book! Maybe, he thinks, just maybe, his teacher is pretty cool. If he stays after class to chat, click here. If he leaves class with his friend, click here.

11. He goes on with his life... ...as a normal teenage boy. He barely notices when the teacher unexpectedly passes away that summer of a heart attack. The end. To return to your last choice, click here.

12. It gets even better... ...because he finds out that he and his teacher share the same sense of humor and pop culture favorites. If he works even harder in class, click here. If he never jokes with his teacher again, click here.

13. Without laughter... ...what is life, really? Why would you do that to him? That’s horrible. The end. To return to your last choice, click here.

14. He is amazed... ...to see his name on the final exam many months later in the text of question 42, a tribute to their many discussions throughout the school year. Every biology student in every section sees his name on their final exams.

15. He is amazed... ...and he is crushed to learn of his teacher’s sudden passing that summer. He never forgets the teacher that allowed him the liberty to be creative on an otherwise “boring” science test.

16. He is amazed... ...and he continues to find ways to be creative, even in “boring” conference presentations. The end.

17. 2. The Theory

18. Gameful Design People in general, and students especially, tend to love playing games. Games have a way of helping players learn how to play and enjoy the frustrations that come from failing so that they are willing to keep playing and try again.

19. Gameful Design Research-backed gameful elements that support and enhance learning: • freedom to fail • rapid feedback • storytelling • progression

20. Gameful Design Allowing students to take risks, make mistakes, and still progress allows them to approach your content with more creativity and greater enthusiasm. How can you allow your students to fail forward?

21. Gameful Design The best time for students to recognize and learn from their mistake is when they make it. How can you improve the timeliness of the feedback your students receive?

22. Gameful Design Adding narrative to course content can increase students’ desire to push past difficulties in the interest of completing the story you’ve layered onto the content. What stories can your course content drive or become a part of?

23. Gameful Design It is important to structure content and problems so that they prepare the student to handle increasingly more complex material and exercises. How can you structure your course to facilitate a better progression of ideas?

24. Gameful Design Another gameful design element recommended by researchers is control. Learners given control over their learning process can develop greater intrinsic motivation, engagement, and therefore learning.

25. 3. The Application

26. Student Control We can’t realistically give students control over everything in the class. Things they don’t get to control: • Course learning outcomes • Core course content

27. Student Control What are some things you can let students control? • Which assignments to complete • Manner of demonstrating mastery • Weight of assignments • Pathway to success

28. Which Assignments Create a variety of assignments that cover the course learning outcomes and allow students to choose which assignments to complete. Increased autonomy can improve student ownership of the work and engagement in the process.

29. Demonstrating Mastery Allow students to choose how they show you they have mastered the course content. Can a poor test taker write an essay instead? Produce a podcast episode? Write a song? What can you accept as a demonstration of mastery?

30. Assignment Weight Give students the chance to commit to their work by deciding how much it is worth towards their course progress. When students place a greater weight on an assignment, they are more likely to work harder to excel at it.

31. Pathways to Success Some of the most interesting games allow players to determine the best pathway to success. Is it possible to allow your students to craft their own approach to mastering the material?

32. Pathways to Success Some possible pathways to success: Trying the test before the related material to see what students already know. Watching recorded lecture material instead of attending class one day.

33. Pathways to Success Some possible pathways to success: Spending extra time on one section of the course after others have successfully passed. Demonstrating mastery through a one-on-one conversation instead of in a written format.

34. 4. An Example

35. Choose Your Own Homework Intermediate Grammar students complete assignments related to the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are given some control over how many and what type of assignments they submit.

36. Choose Your Own Homework Most grammar topics have several options students can choose to complete if they want. They simply need to finish the minimum number of assignments for each skill by the end of the semester.

37. Choose Your Own Homework Listening options: • Listen to a song and identify verb tenses or verb forms we’ve studied • Watch a short video of real interviews to answer questions • Watch a comedy sketch and pick out noun phrases

38. Choose Your Own Homework Reading options: • Read a passage of The Hobbit and identify verb tenses. • Identify articles used in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. • Find various types of nouns and noun phrases in Harry Potter.

39. Choose Your Own Homework Speaking options: • Tell me about a memorable experience from your past • What questions would you ask a famous person of your choice? • Survey five native speakers and summarize their responses

40. Choose Your Own Homework Writing options: • Post 3 bucket-list items on a discussion board & comment on others’ posts • Write emails to your professor • Write good getting-to-know-you questions and answer others’.

41. Choose Your Own Homework Students commit to assignments they are interested in completing and skip those that don’t interest them or seem too hard. The minimum number assures that they get enough practice in the different skill areas.

42. Choose Your Own Homework If students complete more than the minimum number of required assignments, the lowest score(s) get dropped.

43. 5. More Examples

44. Political Theory Course Students could choose two of four main assessment types: • “Boss battles” (short tests in class) • Academic essays • Blogging • A group project

45. Political Theory Course Students also decided how to apply 60% of the course grade to those assignments. The remaining 40% was earned through more “traditional” methods.

46. Information Studies Course Students were allowed to choose “quests” to complete to earn “XP” (pts) in the class. Overabundance of options: • Adventures (regular assignments) • Pick-up quests (explore campus resources or participate in special class events)

47. 6. The End

48. Questions?

49. Handout Slides Handouts

50. Thanks! Rik Andes Dixie State University andes@dixie.edu