Module 4: Principles of Learning Design and Active Learning

What authentic problem would you use to design a lesson using Merrill’s principles?

The authentic problem used to design a lesson using Merrill’s principles was teaching children about bullying. Bullying is very prevalent in school-age children. Unfortunately, most people along with myself have been or known someone who has been bullied. Elementary school is the first time for most that students are socialising and working with a new and wide range of classmates from different backgrounds, cultures and abilities. Therefore, spreading awareness about bullying and how to treat others with kindness is fundamental for social development at a young age.

When designing this lesson, Merrill’s principle that I thought would be helpful to use is activation. Sadly, most children have experienced some form of bullying or discrimination. Therefore, to set the sense of this important and very serious topic students could be asked to anonymously write about things that come to mind when they hear the word bullying. This allows students to share a personal experience (if they feel comfortable) or general thoughts about the topic in a stress-free nameless fashion. Growing up and even now, I consider myself very introverted and shy. My teachers used to use this method to get students to share their opinions on serious or embarrassing topics. I always thought it was helpful because in most cases I would not have responded to their questions in front of the entire class. So I thought it would be a good method to incorporate in my lesson as well.

Another Merrill’s principle that would be helpful to use is solving real-world problems. Using real-world problems can help students critically think about the knowledge they have gained, and apply it to the task at hand. Not only does it allow students to practice the new information, but it allows them to receive critiques on how they could have handled things in an alternative fashion. For instance, in the lesson I designed students could be given a short text or video scenario about a case of bullying. Afterwards, they could be directed to break off into small groups and collectively brainstorm ideas on how to handle the case. This gives them a chance to work collaboratively with others and share how each classmate would have handled things a little differently. I always really enjoyed group work. Sometimes I have a very rigid and black-and-white form of problem solving and thinking. So, getting the opportunity to hear from my classmates and peers always opens my eyes to a different way of thinking and perspective on ideas.

My Lesson Plan

My Experience with H5P

I had a great experience using H5P for the first time. One thing I enjoyed was the variety of activities it had. From drag and drop to image hotspots, it allowed me as the teacher to be very creative and tailor an activity exactly how I thought would be beneficial for the student. Moreover, the platform was also super user-friendly. Each activity type included a written and video help tutorial to guide the user if they got stuck at any point.

Please see the drag-and-drop tutorial I created to help children identify different bullying scenarios. Let me know what you think!

How I found the balance of passive and active learning in this course. And, how it compares to my experience in other courses?

I have had a great experience with the class and the different passive and active learning activities it includes. I enjoy the variety of materials we get to explore. For example, each module consists of a variety of readings, videos, blog posts, and media we get to try. I think this is nice because I find it keeps me engaged while learning. And if I ever get bored or and not in the mood for one type of learning source I can switch to another.

Coming from a science background, I found that my lectures especially were more passive learning- consisting mainly of readings and listening to the professor speak. It would have been nice for the teachers to incorporate active learning techniques into these classes. Such as group discussions, to help actively engage with the material. This would have aided with my understanding of the content, and I could have applied the theory and skills in question. Rather than just memorise and regurgitate the content.