Transcript Promoting active learning through animations

Animating your students –
Promoting active learning
through animations
Donald P. French, Ph. D.
Department of Zoology
Oklahoma State University
[email protected]
zoology.okstate.edu/zoo_lrc/biol1114
Overview
Why use animations?
How to involve students using
animations
Where to get suitable animations
What am I NOT talking about
Why use animations?
Dual-coding Theory
Presented together, visual and auditory
materials allow the brain to use either
for retrieving information (Paivio, 1986;
Sanger & Greenowe 2000)
Animations may promote formation
of dynamic mental models resulting
in deeper encoding and more expertlike models (Abraham and
Williamson (1995).
…and
Guided explorations using
visualizations helped college students
engage in active learning and
construct knowledge (Khoo and Koh
1998).
However….
Animations without narration are
ineffective if students cannot
determine to what the elements and
actions within the animation refer
(Mayer & Anderson 1991).
More effective if words and
animations presented contiguously
(Mayer & Anderson 1991).
Live narration appears to work better
than recorded (Burke et al. 1998)
Narration still teacher-centered!
Constructivist teaching is not about
what the teacher tells the students…
…It is about what the teacher has the
students do.
Let the students do the talking and
explaining
Let the instructor do the guiding
How People Learn
People are not blank slates or empty
vessels to be filled
They don’t retain isolated information
They must organized it
But how does this organization arise?
Organization reflects connections
Concept
Fact
Concept
Concept
fact
fact
Theory of Constructivism
People come with prior knowledge
People must find a connection
between new and old knowledge to
be able to incorporate the new
Some prior knowledge may be
misconceptions that must be
(self)identified and changed
Students must be actively engaged
Thomas Lord (2002) provided examples of
how properly designed challenge questions
can be used to provide students
opportunity to “uncover” concepts.
Scott Cooper – Formative Assessment in
Large Biology Lecture (MIC-2003) – PBL /
Student Interactions
Darrel Pearson – Assessing Learning
Outcomes (MIC-2003) – Performance
Assessment / Providing Context /Active
Learning
Animations can provide tool to
allow students to gather
information they need
Jose Flores – Animated Multivariable
Calculus (MIC 2003) – Student
Interactions
Animations can provide students with
non-verbal guide to the information
Students translate visual information
to words with instructor’s guidance
How to use animations…..
Present a visualization of a concept
Allow students time to observe
Provide students basic printed image
Have students record/describe their
observations
Flow lines, arrows, labels
Have students work in collaborative
setting.
Don - Stop talking and let them
see what you are talking about !
Sample image v. animation
(Contact McGraw-Hill for Lewis Life 4e animations)
or view this alternative from OSU
How to use…. (continued)
Keep class open to questions and
requests
Fill in information as needed/requested
Guide students by helping them recall
related phenomena & interpret
Have student propose explanations of
phenomenon (or hypotheses for)
Write out complete explanation
Steps
Function
Variables that affect
Sample Image v. Animation 2
(Contact McGraw-Hill for Lewis Life 4e animations)
…and
This sets up the opportunity for
dialogue where the instructor can
assess students understanding
guide students to correction of
misconceptions
and students can work together to
construct concepts
This is NOT a replacement for actual
experiments or other active-learning
techniques – it is another tool.
Style issues
Level of complexity
Realism
Sound effects
Add realism – heart sounds
Add humor/entertainment – pinball
Confuse students – vacuum cleaner
Text explanations
Another mode of information transfer
Tempt students to copy and ignore
discussion
Discourages students from developing
explanations in their own words
Sources of Animations
Make your own
GIF animator ($45) – animated .gif
Fireworks ($99) – animated .gif
Flash ($99) – flash .swf
Some interactivity, Very web friendly, timeline,
frame-by-frame, tweening, path
Director ($500) – shockwave, .exe
As above + tremendous control, 3D,
interactivity, complexity; very steep learning
curve
Authorware ($500) – WWW, .exe
path animation, tremendous control,
interactivity, Computer based instruction, less
difficult to program, integrates with above
Sources of Animations
Get from textbook Publisher
(Contact McGraw-Hill for Lewis Life 4e animations)
Sources of Animations - WWW
Sample animation of Protein Synthesis
Copyright © Gary E. Kaiser
All Rights Reserved
Updated: May 24, 2001
http://student.ccbc.cc.md.us/biotutorials/protsyn/peptidea.html
Sample animation of botulism and
synaptic transmission
Copyright © Dr. Glen Songer
University of Arizona 1998
http://www.microvet.arizona.edu/Courses/MIC420/lecture_notes/clostridia
/clostridia_neurotox/movie/botulinum_movie.html
Get from WWW.MERLOT.ORG
Find Peer Reviewed Materials
Thank You
[email protected]
zoology.okstate.edu
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