{"id":1713,"date":"2016-09-08T18:50:45","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T18:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1713"},"modified":"2017-03-16T20:30:32","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T20:30:32","slug":"text-active-learning-on-your-own","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/chapter\/text-active-learning-on-your-own\/","title":{"raw":"Text: Active Learning on Your Own","rendered":"Text: Active Learning on Your Own"},"content":{"raw":"Many instructors\u00a0conduct their classes mainly through lectures. The lecture remains the most pervasive teaching format across the field of higher education. One reason is that the lecture is an efficient way for the instructor to control the content, organization, and pace of a presentation, particularly in a large group. However, there are drawbacks to this \"information-transfer\" approach, where the instructor does all the talking and the students quietly listen: student have a hard time paying attention from start to finish\u2014the mind wanders. Also, current cognitive science research shows that adult learners need an opportunity to practice newfound skills and newly introduced content. Lectures can set the stage for that interaction or\u00a0practice, but\u00a0lectures alone don't foster\u00a0student mastery. While instructors typically speak\u00a0100\u2013200 words per minute, students hear only 50\u2013100 of them. Moreover, studies show that students retain 70 percent of what they hear during the first ten minutes of class and only 20 percent of what they hear during the last ten minutes of class.[footnote]Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Center.\u00a0\"Active Learning.\" Columbia.edu. n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2016.[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nThus it is especially\u00a0important for students in lecture-based courses to engage in active learning outside of the classroom. But it's also true for other kinds of college courses\u2014including the\u00a0ones that have\u00a0active learning opportunities in class.\u00a0Why? Because college students spend more time working (and learning) independently and less time in the classroom with the instructor and peers. Also, much of one's coursework consists of reading and writing assignments. How can these learning activities be active? The following are very effective\u00a0strategies to help you be more engaged with, and get more out of, the learning you do outside the classroom:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Write in your books<\/strong>: You\u00a0can underline and circle key terms, or write questions and comments in the margins of their books. The writing serves as a visual aid for studying and makes it easier for you\u00a0to remember what you've\u00a0read or what you'd\u00a0like to discuss in class. If you are borrowing a book or want to keep it unmarked so you can resell it later, try writing key words and notes on Post-its and sticking\u00a0them on the relevant pages.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Annotate a text<\/strong>: Annotations typically mean writing a brief summary of a text and recording the works-cited information (title, author, publisher, etc.). This is a great way to \"digest\" and evaluate the sources you're collecting for a research paper, but it's also invaluable for shorter assignments\u00a0and texts, since it requires you to actively think and write about what you read. The activity, below, will give\u00a0you practice annotating texts.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Create mind maps<\/strong>: Mind maps are effective visuals tools for students, as they highlight the main points of readings or lessons. Think of a mind map as an outline with more graphics than words. For example, if\u00a0a student were\u00a0reading an article about America\u2019s First Ladies, she might write, \u201cFirst Ladies\u201d in a large circle in the center of a piece of paper. Connected to the middle circle would be lines or arrows leading to smaller circles with\u00a0visual representations of the women discussed\u00a0in the article. Then, these circles might branch out to even smaller circles containing the attributes of each of these women.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe following video discusses the process of creating mind maps further and shows how they can be a helpful strategy for active engagement:\r\n\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/static.3playmedia.com\/p\/projects\/20361\/files\/1291198\/plugins\/11085.js\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/iframe_api\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script>\r\n<iframe id=\"myytplayer\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L0XzZCd2tPE?enablejsapi=1\" width=\"440\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n\r\nIn addition to the strategies described above, the following are additional ways to engage in active reading and learning:\r\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Work when you are fully awake, and give yourself enough time to read a text\u00a0more than once. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Read with a pen or highlighter in hand, and underline or highlight significant ideas as you read.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Interact with the ideas in the margins (<\/span><span class=\"s4\">summarize<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> ideas; ask <\/span><span class=\"s4\">questions<\/span><span class=\"s2\">; <\/span><span class=\"s4\">paraphrase<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> difficult sentences; make personal <\/span><span class=\"s4\">connections<\/span><span class=\"s2\">; <\/span><span class=\"s4\">answer<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> questions asked earlier; <\/span><span class=\"s4\">challenge<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> the author; etc.).<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">As you read, keep the following in mind:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\">What is the <b>CONTEXT<\/b> in which this text\u00a0was written? (This writing contributes to what\u00a0topic, discussion, or controversy? \u00a0Context is <b>bigger<\/b> than this one written text.)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\">Who is the intended <b>AUDIENCE<\/b>? (There\u2019s often more than one intended audience.)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\">What is the author\u2019s <b>PURPOSE<\/b>? To entertain? To explain? To persuade? \u00a0(There\u2019s usually\u00a0more than one purpose, and essays almost always have an element of persuasion.)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\">How is this writing <b>ORGANIZED<\/b>? Compare and contrast? Classification? Chronological? \u00a0Cause and effect? \u00a0(There\u2019s often more than one organizational form.)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\">What is the author\u2019s <b>TONE<\/b>? (What are the emotions behind the words? Are there places where the tone changes or shifts?)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\">What <b>TOOLS<\/b> does the author use to accomplish her\/his purpose? \u00a0Facts and figures?\u00a0Direct quotations? Fallacies in logic? Personal experience? Repetition?\u00a0Sarcasm? Humor? Brevity?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\">What is the author\u2019s <b>THESIS\u2014<\/b>the main argument or idea, condensed\u00a0into one or two\u00a0sentences?<b><\/b><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Foster an attitude of intellectual curiosity. You might not love all of the writing\u00a0you're asked to read and analyze, but you should have something interesting to say about it, even if that \"something\" is critical.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","rendered":"<p>Many instructors\u00a0conduct their classes mainly through lectures. The lecture remains the most pervasive teaching format across the field of higher education. One reason is that the lecture is an efficient way for the instructor to control the content, organization, and pace of a presentation, particularly in a large group. However, there are drawbacks to this &#8220;information-transfer&#8221; approach, where the instructor does all the talking and the students quietly listen: student have a hard time paying attention from start to finish\u2014the mind wanders. Also, current cognitive science research shows that adult learners need an opportunity to practice newfound skills and newly introduced content. Lectures can set the stage for that interaction or\u00a0practice, but\u00a0lectures alone don&#8217;t foster\u00a0student mastery. While instructors typically speak\u00a0100\u2013200 words per minute, students hear only 50\u2013100 of them. Moreover, studies show that students retain 70 percent of what they hear during the first ten minutes of class and only 20 percent of what they hear during the last ten minutes of class.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Center.\u00a0&quot;Active Learning.&quot; Columbia.edu. n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2016.\" id=\"return-footnote-1713-1\" href=\"#footnote-1713-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Thus it is especially\u00a0important for students in lecture-based courses to engage in active learning outside of the classroom. But it&#8217;s also true for other kinds of college courses\u2014including the\u00a0ones that have\u00a0active learning opportunities in class.\u00a0Why? Because college students spend more time working (and learning) independently and less time in the classroom with the instructor and peers. Also, much of one&#8217;s coursework consists of reading and writing assignments. How can these learning activities be active? The following are very effective\u00a0strategies to help you be more engaged with, and get more out of, the learning you do outside the classroom:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Write in your books<\/strong>: You\u00a0can underline and circle key terms, or write questions and comments in the margins of their books. The writing serves as a visual aid for studying and makes it easier for you\u00a0to remember what you&#8217;ve\u00a0read or what you&#8217;d\u00a0like to discuss in class. If you are borrowing a book or want to keep it unmarked so you can resell it later, try writing key words and notes on Post-its and sticking\u00a0them on the relevant pages.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Annotate a text<\/strong>: Annotations typically mean writing a brief summary of a text and recording the works-cited information (title, author, publisher, etc.). This is a great way to &#8220;digest&#8221; and evaluate the sources you&#8217;re collecting for a research paper, but it&#8217;s also invaluable for shorter assignments\u00a0and texts, since it requires you to actively think and write about what you read. The activity, below, will give\u00a0you practice annotating texts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create mind maps<\/strong>: Mind maps are effective visuals tools for students, as they highlight the main points of readings or lessons. Think of a mind map as an outline with more graphics than words. For example, if\u00a0a student were\u00a0reading an article about America\u2019s First Ladies, she might write, \u201cFirst Ladies\u201d in a large circle in the center of a piece of paper. Connected to the middle circle would be lines or arrows leading to smaller circles with\u00a0visual representations of the women discussed\u00a0in the article. Then, these circles might branch out to even smaller circles containing the attributes of each of these women.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The following video discusses the process of creating mind maps further and shows how they can be a helpful strategy for active engagement:<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/static.3playmedia.com\/p\/projects\/20361\/files\/1291198\/plugins\/11085.js\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/iframe_api\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"myytplayer\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L0XzZCd2tPE?enablejsapi=1\" width=\"440\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In addition to the strategies described above, the following are additional ways to engage in active reading and learning:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Work when you are fully awake, and give yourself enough time to read a text\u00a0more than once. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Read with a pen or highlighter in hand, and underline or highlight significant ideas as you read.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Interact with the ideas in the margins (<\/span><span class=\"s4\">summarize<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> ideas; ask <\/span><span class=\"s4\">questions<\/span><span class=\"s2\">; <\/span><span class=\"s4\">paraphrase<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> difficult sentences; make personal <\/span><span class=\"s4\">connections<\/span><span class=\"s2\">; <\/span><span class=\"s4\">answer<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> questions asked earlier; <\/span><span class=\"s4\">challenge<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> the author; etc.).<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">As you read, keep the following in mind:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"li1\">What is the <b>CONTEXT<\/b> in which this text\u00a0was written? (This writing contributes to what\u00a0topic, discussion, or controversy? \u00a0Context is <b>bigger<\/b> than this one written text.)<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Who is the intended <b>AUDIENCE<\/b>? (There\u2019s often more than one intended audience.)<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">What is the author\u2019s <b>PURPOSE<\/b>? To entertain? To explain? To persuade? \u00a0(There\u2019s usually\u00a0more than one purpose, and essays almost always have an element of persuasion.)<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">How is this writing <b>ORGANIZED<\/b>? Compare and contrast? Classification? Chronological? \u00a0Cause and effect? \u00a0(There\u2019s often more than one organizational form.)<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">What is the author\u2019s <b>TONE<\/b>? (What are the emotions behind the words? Are there places where the tone changes or shifts?)<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">What <b>TOOLS<\/b> does the author use to accomplish her\/his purpose? \u00a0Facts and figures?\u00a0Direct quotations? Fallacies in logic? Personal experience? Repetition?\u00a0Sarcasm? Humor? Brevity?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">What is the author\u2019s <b>THESIS\u2014<\/b>the main argument or idea, condensed\u00a0into one or two\u00a0sentences?<b><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">Foster an attitude of intellectual curiosity. You might not love all of the writing\u00a0you&#8217;re asked to read and analyze, but you should have something interesting to say about it, even if that &#8220;something&#8221; is critical.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1713\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Jolene Carr. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>How to do Active Reading. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Chauna Ramsey. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: OER Commons. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oercommons.org\/courses\/how-to-do-active-reading\">https:\/\/www.oercommons.org\/courses\/how-to-do-active-reading<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>How To Use A Mind Map. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Two-Point-Four. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/L0XzZCd2tPE\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/L0XzZCd2tPE<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standard YouTube License<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section><hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-1713-1\">Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Center.\u00a0\"Active Learning.\" Columbia.edu. n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2016. <a href=\"#return-footnote-1713-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":20,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"Jolene Carr\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"How To Use A Mind Map\",\"author\":\"Two-Point-Four\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/L0XzZCd2tPE\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"How to do Active Reading\",\"author\":\"Chauna Ramsey\",\"organization\":\"OER Commons\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oercommons.org\/courses\/how-to-do-active-reading\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"15ed275f-f4c4-4d1f-9abf-6d8c201ccccf, 965f7428-d407-4ee8-b0a3-a308eb6efbe0","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1713","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":132,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2558,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1713\/revisions\/2558"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/132"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1713\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1713"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1713"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}