Moving Away from the Sage on the Stage
Objectives Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to: - Evaluate their own use of active learning strategies in the classroom.
- Translate/adapt active learning strategies from the face-to-face environment to the virtual classroom.
Overview “There is no end to claims about the wonders of the web.” So says Tiffany Barnes in “Throw Technology at It! Rethinking Online Instructional Design: Transforming Teachers into Learner-Centered Designers.” She continues: “We’ve now seen that the web doesn’t automatically give us interactivity, effective self-pacing, tailored teaching, or address the needs of diverse students.” Well, of course not. Those instructional characteristics are left in the very capable hands of instructors and course designers—in other words, YOU! But if you’re a novice online educator, you may feel a little overwhelmed by all the possibilities offered by the virtual classroom. Judy Davis-O’Kane gives voice to these concerns in her article “Active Learning Online”: Most of us have heard predictions of the death of the lecture and the demise of the “sage on the stage.” To some, the talk of the coming of a new age of active learning and student-centered, as opposed to professor-centered, approaches to teaching, is yet another sign of the end of Western Civilization. Others are curious and think, “Sounds great, but what does it mean? How do I do it? And can new online technologies help my students become active learners?”
These are precisely the questions we hope you’ll explore here, starting with Readings section of this module. Previous: Preliminary Questions
Next: Readings
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