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Kirchoff, Bruce [1].

Active Visual Learning of Plant Lifecycles.

In this workshop we will use hands-on activities to explore one of the most effective active learning modalities: active visual learning. In active learning students create input-output cycles where they recreate the material from memory, receive feedback, and have an opportunity to correct their mistakes. Active student engagement of this sort is essential for effective learning. In passive learning, the student only receives information from the source. There is only one direction of information flow. There is no input-output loop, no real engagement with the material. In active visual learning the student gets the added benefit of working with photographs, symbols or diagrams that summarize information in a cohesive way. In this workshop we will work with active visual learning of plant life cycles. Life cycle drawings summarize isolated bits of information and combine them into meaningful schema. Use of these schematic diagrams helps students overcome the biggest limitation to reasoning, the limitation of working memory. Working memory can hold only 7-9 bits of information at one time. For this reason, the limitations of working memory are the most significant impediments to effective learning. Instead of having to memorize isolated bits of information, lifecycle diagrams aggregate these bits into coherent pictures that can be used to actively recall details of the lifecycle. After an introduction to basic plant lifecycles and some work with a standardized method of drawing the lifecycles, we will introduce and do several types of exercises that can be used as study aids, and as effective homework. One of these will be paper-based, and the other will make use of active learning software developed by Metis LLC (http://metisllc.com/). The software is freely available and can be downloaded and installed before the workshop. Both PC and Mac versions of the software are available. You will need a laptop to get the most out of this workshop.

Broader Impacts:


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Related Links:
Active Learning Blog
Visual Learning Software


1 - University of North Carolina At Greensboro, Department of Biology, PO BOX 26170, GREENSBORO, NC, 27402-6170, USA, 919-304-2991

Keywords:
lifecycles
teaching
learning
visual learning
active learning
life cycle
instructional software.

Presentation Type: Array
Session: WS07
Location: Melrose/Riverside Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 28th, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM
Number: WS07001
Abstract ID:32
Candidate for Awards:None


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