ACTIVITIES
Absorb Activities
The absorb activities in this presentation align with cognitive neuroscience research and adult learning principles. Content is broken down into manageable chunks, each about 10 minutes long, to lessen demands on working memory.
Simple graphics are widely used, accompanied by narration. Blending the two enhances memory retention by utilizing both the verbal and visual input pathways in the brain. Dr. John Medina (2021), recommends using pictures as often as possible in presentations slides. "A picture is better at creating memories than text, as well as better at stabilizing them" (p. 199). Relying on graphics to transfer information also aligns with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, making information more accessible to learners who struggle with written language.
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Informational text is used sparingly so as not to overwhelm the brain's visual information processing system. Learners will be able to read and/or print the presentation's narrative script. Horton gives several rationale for offering a written form of the narration: giving learners control, enabling learners who have special needs, and offering an accessible review tool (Horton, 2011, pp.84-85). Utilizing best practices for UDL enhances learning for everyone.
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Horton, W. (2012). E-learning by design, 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons.
Medina, J. (2021). Brain rules for work: The science of thinking smarter in the office and at home. Pear Press.
Slide 2: Title page to introduce the topics that will be covered: the project's terminal objectives.
Slide 3: Motivational quote that serves as the GRACE World Language's Mission Statement .
Slide 4: A narrative list of the project's four terminal objectives.
Slide 5: Introduction to the presentation, a video storytelling the program's history and evolution, focusing on the benefits that both the World Language Program and the teachers will receive from creating common assessments.
Slide 6: First terminal objective and its enabling objectives, serving to inform learners of upcoming content.
Slide 7: Enabling objective #2.
Slides 8-15: Absorb activities. Mixture of videos, image-heavy content, and examples. There will be a voiceover explaining the content, accompanied by a transcript.
Do Activities
Active participation in the learning process increases memory retention for several reasons. "Whole swaths of the brain not only turn on, but also get functionally connected when you're actively exploring the world" (Yates, 2010). Yates explains that self-paced activities allow learners to "adjust the pacing of (processing) the new information to match their own attention state" (2010). This both enhances memory retention and gives learners control of their learning experience.
After presenting each new micro-lesson of information, learners will have the opportunity to "immediately confirm their understanding of the concepts presented" (Horton, 2012, p. 88) by completing "Do" activities--activities that "transform that information into knowledge and skills" (p. 129). The activities in this presentation are all formative assessments. They are not graded as they learner is still forming knowledge. Immediate feedback is given after each question, explaining the rationale behind the correct answer. The questions and the rationale for correct answers are included in the presentation's narrative script.
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Horton, W. (2012). E-learning by design, 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons.
Yates, D. (2010, December 6). Study reveals how taking an active role in learning enhances memory.
ILLINOIS. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/205467
Slide 2: Second terminal objective and its enabling objectives
Slide 3: Enabling objective #1
Slides 4: Formative assessment/Activity directions.
Slides 5, 7: Learner must match the Can-do Statement to the appropriate proficiency level. The guide at the top of the page reminds learners of proficiency level characteristics.
Slide 6: Example of feedback.
Slide 8: Continued matching activity. Learner no longer has the guide.
Slide 9: Instructions for the following activity, multiple activities in one.
Slide 10: Activity.
Slide 11: Example of feedback.
Connect Activities
"Memory is enhanced by creating associations between concepts" (Medina, 2021). Each micro-lesson in the presentation includes a connect activity that either accesses prior knowledge or transfers the newly acquired information. "[Connect activities] prepare learners to apply learning in situation they encounter at work, in later learning efforts, and in their personal lives" (Horton, 2012, p. 163). Accessing prior knowledge at the beginning of a lesson recalls existing schema in the brain. Attaching new information to an established schema expands working memory,
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Providing connect activities at the end of a lesson is another way to solidify learning acquisition. "Thinking or talking about an event immediately after is has occurred enhances memory for that event even when accounting for differences in types of memory" (Medina, 2014, as cited in Pillow, 2013). To accommodate the presentation's self-paced format, several of the connect activities involve self-reflection.
One of the activities asks learners to consider how they would apply what they learned in an upcoming unit. "When you provide students with opportunities to apply learning -- especially through authentic, personally meaningful activities -- facts move from rote memory to become part of the memory bank" (Willis, 2011). Regardless of when they appear in a lesson, connect activities are a powerful tool to assist the transfer of learning.
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Horton, W. (2012). E-learning by design, 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons.
Medina, J. (2014). Brain rules (updated and expanded): 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work,
home, and school. Pear Press.
Pillow, T., & Pillow, T. (2013, October 3). Brain rules – part 2. Presentation Design for Medical Educators.
Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://designformeded.com/2013/10/05/brain-rules-part-2/
Willis, J. (2011, October 5). Three brain-based teaching strategies to build executive function in students.
Edutopia. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/brain-based-
teaching-strategies-judy-willis
Slide 2: Comes after the storytelling activity in the presentation's introduction. After learning about the World Language Program's history and its current path, learners will connect with their own experiences.
Slide 3: First terminal objective, enabling objective #2.
Slide 4: Learners will examine their experience teaching through a new lens, examine their instruction style, and envision what their future instruction can/should look like.
Slide 5: Second terminal objective, enabling objective #2.
Slide 6: Learners will apply what they learned by reimagining how they could assess content from a previous lesson.