The Events of a Learning Experience: What They Are and What They Do
When creating lesson plans, I can use several templates or structures to make sure that students are engaging in the proper activities and making excellent use of their time. On my previous portfolio page, I discussed how there are several methods or approaches when trying to create a learning experience, such as the "biological" or "innovation" approaches. These were simply a way to get started in thinking about how to create a learning experience, and while they may help teachers to a certain extent, the key to getting a learning experience is by writing out the events that should be included.
The events in a learning experience are the stages within the lesson the students will be completing. These stages are launch, explore, apply, present, and closure. At each of these, I must prepare specific activities or targets that will engage students but also give them choice and freedom to generate critical thinking about the subject matter. The order is imperative to these events because at each stage, students are preparing themselves for the next stage. For instance, by launching the lesson, students are getting ready to explore the topic by using their prior knowledge and other experiences on the topic. Each event is thus imperative to a lesson because each one allows students to get the most out of their learning experience in an orderly and structured way.
The events in a learning experience are the stages within the lesson the students will be completing. These stages are launch, explore, apply, present, and closure. At each of these, I must prepare specific activities or targets that will engage students but also give them choice and freedom to generate critical thinking about the subject matter. The order is imperative to these events because at each stage, students are preparing themselves for the next stage. For instance, by launching the lesson, students are getting ready to explore the topic by using their prior knowledge and other experiences on the topic. Each event is thus imperative to a lesson because each one allows students to get the most out of their learning experience in an orderly and structured way.
There is a great difference between teaching the content and having students learn and retain the content. Learning experiences allow students to actively store the information in their minds by providing a meaningful lesson.
While a lesson can still function when I simply addresses the required state standards, how can I be sure that students are understanding the information on more than just a surface level?
Having events in the lesson is a sure way for students to be engaged because the activities I am preparing for a meaningful learning experience are following the characteristics of the events. In other words, each event offers a brief description or a list of key words or actions students must be completing or exhibiting during the predetermined activity time. While there is no guarantee that a student will learn a set amount of content in a small window of time (or however large the window is), making sure that they are at least being presented with valuable content through thought-out and meaningful tasks is an excellent way to get started with the learning process.
While a lesson can still function when I simply addresses the required state standards, how can I be sure that students are understanding the information on more than just a surface level?
Having events in the lesson is a sure way for students to be engaged because the activities I am preparing for a meaningful learning experience are following the characteristics of the events. In other words, each event offers a brief description or a list of key words or actions students must be completing or exhibiting during the predetermined activity time. While there is no guarantee that a student will learn a set amount of content in a small window of time (or however large the window is), making sure that they are at least being presented with valuable content through thought-out and meaningful tasks is an excellent way to get started with the learning process.
The Events: Getting Started
Each of these events are meaningless if they are not used together within a lesson plan. They cannot stand alone, but rather work more effectively and seamlessly if a teacher incorporates each aspect into a lesson. In other words, each part is a vital component of the "meat" of the lesson, so a teacher needs to make sure that each part is completely developed and well thought-out. They are the most crucial part, because students will be remembering the activities they completed in a lesson, not the standards they fulfilled or the objectives they mastered.
As a future educator, I see the importance of making learning meaningful, but I also know that students will not be engaged unless they are provided with a structural framework that is attentive to their needs for constant content stimulation. Explaining the definition of these events helps me better understand them, and I know that when the time comes for me to be creating my own lessons in my classroom, I will be referring to this page as well as the other resources I have linked at the bottom to assist me with my task.
As a future educator, I see the importance of making learning meaningful, but I also know that students will not be engaged unless they are provided with a structural framework that is attentive to their needs for constant content stimulation. Explaining the definition of these events helps me better understand them, and I know that when the time comes for me to be creating my own lessons in my classroom, I will be referring to this page as well as the other resources I have linked at the bottom to assist me with my task.
LaunchIn this stage, the I create an introduction which connects the prior knowledge of the students to the content area. This stage is for making the initial steps towards gaining the interest of the students to the subject matter. This can also be based on the backgrounds of the students, whether that is knowledge or cultural backgrounds.
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Possible Actions
The students should:
~Ask questions ~Recall information ~Relate to prior experiences ~Make connections to other content areas such as reading materials |
I should:
~Ask questions to facilitate discussion ~Allow active engagement ~Guide through activity/discussion/discourse ~Illustrate new procedures and activities |
Below is a link to an example of a launch activity for a lesson, which takes an entire classroom period to complete (the launch is the first topic listed).
Students in this stage must also be making use of the 21st century skills (the 4 Cs) in order to add a level of depth to the learning.
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ExploreThis "explore" stage is for the students to begin to discover the content of the lesson, or to begin to understand the material on a deeper level by engaging in a task that requires them to act critically or utilize scientific skills such as classifying and examining. They are usually also completing some sort of task that will allow them to later create a tangible piece of evidence for what they learned.
This event must be attended to throughout the entire learning experience, both in the beginning and in the end. Students must never stop exploring in the lesson, and should stay mentally active throughout. |
Possible Actions
The students should:
~Analyze information collected from task ~Ask questions regarding information from activities ~Research information to gain understanding ~Gain level of inquiry on subject matter ~Solve critical thinking problems |
I should:
~Ask questions to facilitate exploration ~Encourage critical thinking skills on task ~Listen to the ideas of the students |
Below is an example of a science experiment which directly targets discovering, predicting, and observing---all of which are actions the students can take during this stage for effective exploration of the content.
PresentHere, students are presenting, showing, and sharing the ideas they have found or explored during the previous stage. As long as the students are presenting, or showcasing their information, this component can be addressed properly.
There are an infinite number of ways a teacher can go about making presenting and sharing a meaningful experience, by first facilitating the discussion and allowing plenty of discourse to take place. |
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Possible Actions
The students should:
~Share exploration results ~Discuss shared ideas and generate new connections from those ideas ~Summarize content from exploring |
I should:
~Ask questions for student involvement ~Make connections between shared ideas and content area ~Allow elaboration for expansion of knowledge to foster connections of content |
Below is a link to several examples of how a teacher can incorporate sharing into a classroom. In this way, the students can discuss the information they have gained from their explorations and experiments in a structured method.
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ApplyIn this stage, students are asked to make sense of what they have learned by drawing connections between the information presented. In the process, they are creating a piece of evidence that can be used to show an extension or expansion of their learning. The task they are completing will be comprised of all of the learning that has taken place from the lesson, and students are given the chance to acknowledge this learning by putting it to use in various forms.
This stage can include any number of activities from meaningful projects to hands-on activities and creations. As long as the students are allowed to apply their information to the task, and are creating a product in the process, this stage will be addressed in the lesson. |
Possible Actions
The students should:
~Create a tangible, measureable piece of evidence ~Showcase their understanding ~Acknowledge learning through the use of completing a task |
I should:
~Ask questions to facilitate meaningful task completion ~Monitor students for proper engagement on content ~Give adequate feedback for student improvement and assessment on task |
At the link below, one can find several examples of application activities that can serve as measureable evidence to show mastery of the content for this stage of a learning experience.
ClosureThe closure is conducted at the end of the lesson, and is used to allow the students a period of reflection. Usually at this stage, the teacher wraps up the lesson by having an assessment (either formative or summative) which gives evidence for the students' accomplishments.
Activities for the closure stage can include exit cards, response sheets, or self-reflections and self-evaluations. If students |
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Possible Actions
The students should:
~Reflect on content learned ~Ask questions or inquire on similar topics of study or on same content from lesson to further understanding ~ |
I should:
~Ask questions to facilitate student understanding and to guide students to developing their own questions ~Assess the depth of the students' knowledge |
Below is a link which leads to a power point slide discussing the definition and the effects of proper exit cards that can be used in this closing stage of a learning experience.
Addressing the Events: Editing in Action
Below is a link to a lesson plan I found on the internet. I really like this because in elementary school, we also studied the life cycle of a flower and it was one of my favorite and most memorable lessons. Although students may still find this lesson interesting and fun, it does not make use of the events of a learning experience, making the learning taking place rather one sided. To edit this lesson, I have included components and activities which would apply for each event or stage.
Launch
Simply recapping that plants need light and water is not enough to qualify as a launch activity. Students are not doing anything or are not engaging in any sort of task to activate their prior knowledge. Playing a Youtube video about the needs of plants would be more effective than simply explaining because it offers the students a chance to activate prior knowledge of videos while also presenting the information they may already know about how to take care of flowers.
Explore
Within the original lesson, students are not given the chance to explore the content on their own. To adequately address this after the introduction, the students can engage in learning centers or places around the room where they can read or view several types of media and research the topic themselves. These learning centers can be reading books, watching movies, and engaging in critical thinking activities on the subject of flowers. The "explore" activity the lesson includes can be used as one of these stations but can be made more in-depth with the creation of more learning centers such as the ones below.
Present
During the previous event, students can be completing a KWL chart to document their learning, because it provides them with a tool to see how much they have learned. In this way, the teacher is also able to use this as a formative assessment. Presenting findings through carousel brainstorming is a way to showcase learning, which can lead to a classroom-wide discussion of the points included.
Apply
To apply their knowledge of the life cycle of plants, students can do any number of application activities. Below is a helpful link of numerous activities and projects which can be done with plants, or to cover the knowledge they have learned about plants.
Probably my favorite activity to do with plants is to have students create their own plant garden on the school grounds. The information they learned about caring for plants will be put to use, and through the process of planting the seeds, teachers can check student knowledge of the "explore" section by having paper cut-outs of flowers which students must plant in the order of how they look. For instance, the teacher will have cut out a seed shape from a piece of construction paper, along with a fully grown flower cut-out, and each cut-out of the steps along the way. Students will have to put these in the correct order on a patch of land in their garden before they are allowed to receive their seeds for planting.
This application activity will be on going because the plants will continue to grow throughout the school year.
This application activity will be on going because the plants will continue to grow throughout the school year.
Closure
The type of activity that the students are completing in the lesson can be used as an adequate closure because it requires that students reflect and remember what they were taught through the other events. In addition, other closing activities can include exit cards, learning logs, journal entries, or anything which allows the lesson to come full circle.
The Events: Examples on the Web
I really like getting other perspectives of learning experiences and events from other sources because I find it interesting how others see or define them, but still amount them to the same purpose. By doing this I get a stronger understanding since I can expand my schema of these events. Continuing to research these definitions will help me in my own classroom since I will have many resources I can use to assist me in creating effective lessons. Below are a few of the best sources I found on learning experiences and these events:
This blog post uses "discover, define, immerse, build" and "contribute" as events, which while a bit different than the other explanations, still meet the purpose of the basic definitions I initially used. The meanings are a bit altered, but it is understandable since these stages are adapted for all grade levels and learning levels.
Information on events is adapted from "Events of a Learning Experience" for EDCI397, Lisa A. Bote, Ph. D., Spring 2013