RSA #3: Research Based Learning

Links to resources

If students designed their own schools...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RElUmGI5gLc

Resource-Based Learning
http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Resource-Based_Learning

Sir Ken Robinson:  Bring on the learning revolution!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I

Refining Assessment for Resource Based Learning
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=80acab7f-aac7-4e26-9c0e-043c1a7a224c%40sessionmgr4003&vid=2&hid=4104&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zODQxOTIzOSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=trh&AN=2333443

The Effective Implementation of Resource-Based Learning
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=a98142d2-5605-42ea-9e94-d8928b9fee85%40sessionmgr4004&vid=0&hid=4104&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zODQxOTIzOSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=trh&AN=9508185284

Summary of assigned readings

Tsai (2015) exemplifies Research-Based Learning (RBS) as students working independently to find an answer to a self-derived inquiry.  He shows students working on independent projects were on Monday they come up with a question based on one of their core subjects, their midweek is then based on research, and they share their findings of what they learned on Friday.  They are motivated by their own passions and learning becomes a group activity.  To encourage their independence, the students come together to push each other, give constructive criticism, give support and praise, help each other be creative, learn to ask questions, and find and use resources that they need.  This support become peer pressure that is stronger than a test and in fact feels far worse to them when they let their peers down.

            Campbell, Flageolle, Griffith, and Wojcik (2014) begins their description of RBL by giving an example of Mr. Hartman and Ms. Russell collaborating on creating a RBL project about the American Civil War for Fourth graders.  They then go on to explain that RBL is an educational model that is designed to engage students with multiple resources.  RBL is to give them the responsibility in selecting resources which are incorporated into tasks that give students the opportunities to develop skills and effective users of information.  Those resources can be print or non-print, human, video, guest speakers, or hypermedia presentations.  They then give steps on how to implement RBL, go over the role of a teacher, and share Benefits that RBL can provide.

            In the Popular TED talks (2010), Sir Ken Robinson lectures about how there is a current crisis of human resources and how current education systems has dislocated us from our talents.  He explains that common sense is getting in the way of how learning should be, organic.  He shares that time changes when you are passionate about something.  An hour can feel like five minutes, when you are working on something interesting.  He laments that Education does not feed the spirit and that humanity needs to create conditions where the spirit will flourish.

Summary of new online resources

Macdonald and Mason (1999) note that technology has opened up a new dimension into RBL now that resources can be found and delivered online.  They conduct a research project to study student perspectives on assessment for a resource basked UK Open University course to see if it supports student learning effectively.  They find that students need to practice working in a RBL setting as they are not used to it.

            Mullan (1995) conducts an action research to be deliberate in improving her teaching of a mixed ability group in a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) course.  She explores different factors that can be promote learning through the use of learning resources.  She finds that the new methods are slower than her usual methods of teaching, but yields better results.

How the new online resources relate or contrast to the module topic

When comparing the resources it is interesting to see where their focus lies.  As Macdonald and Mason wrap up their research they note that, “The more time students need to spend on learning new skills, the less time they may have to spend on constructing an understanding of course content” (1999).  Which is different from what Tsai is exemplifying.  The students in Tsai’s video (2015) are given a whole semester to work on a personal inquiry. They come wanting to investigate and the results are amazing.  Students spend hours on writing poetry, others have solved logic problems, and one student has even learned how to play the piano.

Mullan’s research (1995) finds that as she introduces factual information her pupils failed in learning and comprehending what was presented.  “The inclusion of too much information resulted in confusion and pure 'rote extraction' “ (Mullan, 1995).  She does find through the active learning process of RBL the students appeared more interested and so their enthusiasm continued.  She finally states that through the process “genuinely leaving things open for discovery also necessarily leaves open the opportunities, too, for not discovering them.”  This is more consistent with the assigned readings.  Campbell et al. (2014) states that students are engaged when RBL is designed correctly.  Sir Ken Robinson, in his TED talk (2010), confirms that learning should be more organic and what can be more organic then students truly interested and enthused about a topic. Tsai’s video (2015) clearly shows an open-endedness to the RBL process.  Students are led by their interests and not necessarily the curriculum.

Concepts applied to an Educational Setting 

In a typical classroom where the curriculum is developed by a school district or department, Macdonald and Mason would be correct in what they say about time being devoted to learning new skills versus learning the course content (1999).  But in a RBL classroom, the learning isn’t driven by a sole curriculum, but more of the individual interests that the students may have.  Yes, the curriculum may not be covered.  However, that is not the point in RBL.  In a classroom that utilized the RBL process, the point is not about the destination, but how you get there.  Tsai (2015) showed how that could be properly done, what the students learn and do may cover more than any curriculum can cover.

            So for example when students ask about how math can be applied in real world situations, you as a teacher can return the question with a provoking question.  You can ask what they are interested in becoming and challenge them to find the math in a real world situation that interests them, such as building a bridge, developing video games, tuning cars, or designing the newest styles on a New York style runway.   Once the imagination of a young student is captured, just as the Ted talk by Sir Robison emphasizes, learning becomes organic (2010).  Student become interested and enthusiastic as Mullan (1995) notes.  And yes, you might not cover what you set out to cover as a teacher, but what more doors of opportunities have you opened for your students to dig deeper and to learn more?

 References

 

Campbell, L., Flageolle, P., Griffith, S., Wojcik, C. (2014). Resource-based learning. Retireved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Resource-Based_Learning

Macdonald, J., & Mason, R. (1999). Refining Assessment for Resource Based Learning. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education, 24(3), 345.

Mullan, A. (1995). The effective implementation of resource-based learning. British Educational Research Journal, 21(3), 387.

TED. (2010). Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution!. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I

Tsai, C. (2015). If students designed their own schools. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RElUmGI5gLc