Blog Post #5: Active Learning: QR Codes

 

Active Learning: QR Codes

image source: remark.com

What is active learning?   

It's no secret that the way students learn has changed over the years. Every generation is slightly different than the last, and it is important for educators to make content relevant to students. This week, I explored how active learning is beneficial in the classroom. Active learning is student-centered, interactive, and allows students to take ownership of their learning. According to the University of Minnesota Center for Educational Innovation, "Active learning is any approach to instruction in which all students are asked to engage in the learning process."  Active learning promotes 21st century skills, keeps students engaged in their work, and encourages problem solving and critical thinking skills. Some strategies for successfully implementing active learning include reciprocal questioning, group discussions, self-assessment, and peer-teaching activities (Prodigy).

image source: teachit.so

My experience with active learning

At the start of my teaching career, I had a position at a high school that implemented Project Based Learning (PBL). While it took me some time to get used to the concept, I quickly understood the benefits of using PBL to motivate students and teach important skills for high school, college, and beyond. Students were encouraged to solve a problem collaboratively and learn content and skills along the way. Assignments were not simply just turned in, but presented in front of and evaluated by peers. For one of the projects in my class, I decided to have my students work together to create a rubric for assessment. Students had to build a consensus and decide on what an excellent, acceptable, and unacceptable project could look like. Another project involved students studying digital citizenship. Each group contributed a blog post about a topic and then presented their information to the class. The peer-teaching aspect of this project was empowering to students, as they presented content and answered questions from their classmates.

QR Mysteries Blog

This week, I also looked at an activity that promotes active learning. I chose to review the QR Mysteries activity. You can reference my thoughts on the activity in the picture below.

image created using Google Jamboard

The QR Mysteries activity is an activity intended for Black History Month. Students first learned about the concept of quotes and then reviewed some famous quotes. Students then used iPads to scan QR codes and worked in pairs to find missing words to mystery quotes. After this activity, students created their own quotes with missing words using QR codes. 

This activity ties into active learning because it is student centered and encourages collaboration and engage in the process of learning. A teacher is not simply reading them famous quotes, but students are asked to find missing words to complete quotes and then create their own. Students also work in pairs, which allows for collaboration and discussion.

I would use this activity for a gallery walk of images, videos, or poems. I think this is an interesting way to have students view a variety of media instead of just printed photographs or text. A few years ago, my students completed a Harlem Renaissance gallery walk activity in my American Literature class. Photos of famous art pieces, poems, and other literature were taped on walls across the classroom. Using QR codes and iPads would allow me to add music and videos to this activity, making it more interactive for students. 

Using Active Learning

Active learning is an important part of everyday lesson planning. Active learning makes assignment and projects meaningful and motivates students to take control of their own learning. The teacher is a facilitator rather than a lecturer, and students have an opportunity to teach the class as well. Students today need to continue to practice 21st century skills such as collaboration, speaking and listening, and working with technology. It is entirely possible to make learning an active opportunity each day and give students the skills they need to be successful in school and after graduation. 

Sources

Active learning. Active Learning | Center for Educational Innovation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://cei.umn.edu/active-learning. 

Game, P. (n.d.). 8 active learning strategies and examples [+ Downloadable List]. Prodigy Education. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/active-learning-strategies-examples/. 

Zumpano, N. (2013, September 12). Qr code mysteries. QR Code Mysteries. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from http://zumpanotechlab.blogspot.com/2013/02/qr-code-mysteries.html.