This week I'm going to try to stay away from specific assignment-driven one shots I've done in the past and focus more on concepts that could be transferable across all classes regardless of assignment. I just might need to tweak activities to better fit the needs of the instructor.
We focused on some different theories this week, and in my one-shots I can see behaviorism and cognitivism playing heavy roles in my classroom. I could see constructivism as well, but it's not a primary role (unless the assignments have this built in like the job outlook assignment I've mentioned in earlier posts).
Here are some activities/assignments/exercises based on behaviorism:
Positive reinforcement through the giving away of 'prizes.' These prizes could be candy, pens, pencils, sticky notes, and other free items my library usually gives away at resource fairs and market days. I would probably not use these items all the time though. I think I would keep their use to large classes that will require more effort to keep focused, or for high school AP/DE/IB programs which we get a few times a year. The primary mode for giving these out would be during discussions and moments where I specifically ask them to answer my questions. I can think of two instances: 1- the discussion following the viewing of the Yavapai College databases video, and 2- discussion while working through the primary vs secondary tutorial as a group. In each of these cases we could discuss as a whole class, which would work well for small classes of less than 15 people, or in small groups and report back to the greater whole. In particularly large classes, I think it would be best to list a few questions on the screen, break them into groups to discuss, and then ask each group to respond to a question as everyone else listens. For the primary vs secondary tutorial, I could break the class into groups and assign each group a question to work on. Then they report back to the class about their answer and explain how they came to their conclusion. My only concern is that the group work would take up a lot of precious time!
Here are some activities/assignments/exercises based on cognitivism:
To teach the concept of evaluating resources properly, I could use the CRAAP Test. I could pull up a couple examples on the screen and ask them to evaluate it using this method. I could also put the 'chart' on the screen and then give them examples to pull up on their own computers in small groups. They would then evaluate the resource on their own and do short 2 minute presentations to the larger class. I would not use the CRAAP test while teaching AP/DE/IB students because I would be concerned about their reaction to the acronym.
Another example would be drawing Venn diagrams to explain Boolean searching- specifically AND, OR, and NOT. I have done this sort of activity in previous classes, and I ask the students to think critically about what function will produce which results, and I ask them to give their predictions. I then do search demonstrations to show them how it works, and ask them to follow along on their computers. With each demonstration we evaluate whether our predictions were correct.
Here's an activity using Constructivism:
I saw another student in this course post about self-evaluations at the end of class. I really like that idea, and I think it's something I could occasionally offer in these one-shot classes. At the end of the class I could offer them either a paper or online format 3-5 question assessment that asks them questions about their understanding of the material and the ways they could apply it in the future. This will make students evaluate the success of their learning and also recognize that what they have learned can be applied later in life. Realizing the connection to post-graduation could cause students to find more meaning in what they learned, therefore combating the notion that students begin forgetting what they learned the moment they step away from the computer. I could collect them at the end of the class for my own course evaluation as well.
Motivation
There are a few ways I can motivate my class to learn. Perhaps the most significant motivator is that what they learn can directly improve their grade on the assignment at hand (achievement motivation). Students generally feel the need to do well and achieve good grades so they can obtain their degree. Based on the activities I mentioned above, there is also some extrinsic orientation, as students will be asked to participate and answer questions correctly as a means to receive a reward (pencil, candy, etc). Curiosity may be a motivator for some students that feel interested in and connected to their topics, especially if it's a for an assignment like their job outlook after graduation. Regular feedback will also build confidence, which can motivate students to take risks and try new things (like different search strategies), as well as satisfaction as they perform successful searches.
That's it for week 3! I'm looking forward to compiling everything and turning it into something I can actually use in my upcoming one-shot classes.
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