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1. what did you find 1.1. interesting about the article? We found all of the examples (i.e. puzzle box/cat, fish is fish, throwing darts, etc) particularly interesting because they clearly demonstrated the concepts presented. We also enjoyed the "Key Findings" section at the end of the paper. This section summarized 3 key points for how students should learn and how teachers can be more effective (including the classroom setting). Finally, another fascinating section was the "Bring Order to Chaos", where the author explains that different teaching strategies cannot be judged against each other. In our experience with different subjects (humanities vs. physical sciences), different teaching methods must be applied in order for students to grasp the course's content. For example, in humanities the lecturing method combined with discussion setting will be more effective, whereas in an operating systems course, more hands-on experience is necessary. 1.2. not interesting about the article? The conceptual analysis for many concepts were overly complicated and difficult to understand. After reading the examples, we were able to better understand the concept itself. 2. what do you consider the main message of the article? Active learning is the future of education. Through past experience, teaching methods have evolved to improve ways in making the classrooms more condusive to learning. The more we understand the mind, the better equiped we will be to making learing/teaching more effective. The principles of learning environments can be applied equally to child and adult learning where are learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, and community-centered. 3. analyze and describe how you have learnt a complex systems (e.g.,“Microsoft Word” or a similar system incase you have never learnt MS-Word, Photoshop, Java, using the Web effectively, …)? We typically learn new languages by looking for examples or asking others who have experience in online forums. We can also ask people we know (classroom or workplace). In other words, the prefered method of learning involves heavy use of collaboration and sparse usage of documentation/manuals or generic lecturing. 4. describe the most interesting / exciting learning episode of your life! Divya- I took a course here in CU called Humanities for engineers. I loved the class since it was a discussion class and also we read a lot ph phylosophical/Drama books which made me think more about life and how to make it fulfilling. It made me think wether I was living my life just becuase I am here in this world or am I living it to the fullest,and whether my life has any meaning. I haven't come up with all the answers to these questions but it has helped me understand myself better. Henry - On my first day of work, I was essentially "thrown into the fire", learning all the skills required for my job in a "live" setting, meaning working with real customers, real products, and real product deadlines. I was expected to learn on the run, solving issues as they came up and asking for help from co-workers when necessary. Obviously, my first few days were very stressful since I had no previous experience and was asking for assistance every 5 minutes, but the rapid-pace combined with pressure was very effective in learning the skills. 5. write in one short paragraph (a) what the following concepts mean and (b) which role they have played in your personal learning (e.g., where you have encountered them) 5.1. learning by being told This is education gained from another individual who has more experience in the subject than you. For example, in our primary education, our teachers knew more about multiplication tables than we did, so they were able to transfer that knowledge to us. 5.2. self-directed learning This is where the indiviual acquires knowledge with their own motivation/initiative. For example, we wanted to learn how to make websites, so we taught ourselves static HTML. 5.3. learning on demand Usually a method used when going for a particular goal. This is commonly found in work environments, where you learn what you need to do your job as you go along. For the most part, you will not know everything you need to know when first starting your career. As projects, assignments and new technologies arise, you learn them at that point. For example, for our senior projects class, we needed to learn how to run a Tomcat server, program using struts controllers, etc to accomplish our final goal in implementing a room-reservation system for NCAR. 5.4. discovery learning This type of learning occurs when going for some goal and you fall upon another finding, one that you weren't necessarily looking for, but may still be useful in the future. For instance, in the typical process of testing a program, you may encounter bugs which you did not know existed. 5.5. experiential learning This seems to be analoguous to the "trial-and-error" method. By making several attempts and encountering many failures, you gain a greater prespective on the subject. In the case of cooking, you will never make the perfect dish the first time. It takes many attempts and will gained much knowledge in the process (i.e. which ingredients to use, temperature, duration of cooking time, etc). This also implies learning science through experiments (i.e. learning about gravity in middle school). 5.6. informal learning This category can include learning with regards to all subjects, where knowledge is not gained in a traditional setting (work, school, etc), but rather through more common, everyday experiences. For example, you can learn the rules of football by leisurely watching a few games on television. 5.7. collaborative learning With this method, learning is done through interaction with peers. This type of learning is common in school and work environments were people are in the same situation and can help each other with their own experiences. For example, in senior projects, we all must learning how to run a Tomcat server. When we run into a problem, we can ask each other or solve it together since we're all working in the same circumstances. 6. which media support have you used and are you using for your learning? Computers, the Internet, television, newspapers, video games, books, and our surrounding environment/community.
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