Iowa State University



Experiential Learning: Do – Reflect – Apply!

Lesson Plan Winter 2013

Pre-Meeting Preparation:

• Gather supplies and handouts listed in 4-H 4013A

• Gather county specific handouts and information for meeting

• Prepare refreshments

• Hang 4-H Equation and Experiential Learning posters on wall

• Set up Floating Centers for pre-meeting activity and training

• Put out Volunteer Training Attendance sheet (4H-4013D) and pen, name tags and markers

• Set up ISU logo, door prize (optional)

• Have camera available for photos (or small group photos)

Objectives – During the Winter 2013 training:

• Introduce the basic principles of the experiential learning model

• Provide hands on experience – so volunteers learn and practice the share, process, generalize and apply questions

• Provide an experiential learning activity that volunteers may replicate with young people

• Model fun learning!

• Introduce STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)

Arrival and warm up

Have volunteers sign in on the attendance form, put on a name tag, sign up for door prizes (optional). Volunteers participate in Floating and Sinking activity.

Floating and Sinking: pre-meeting activity

a. Find a variety of 20 items that will either sink or float to use in this experiment (some from inside, some from outside)

b. Prepare a number of “float stations” based on number of volunteers you anticipate attending (4-5 volunteers per float station. Float stations are basins that will hold water – think shallow Rubbermaid totes, wash basins, large aluminum baking pans such as turkey size).

c. Divide the 20 items among the float stations.

d. Give each volunteer handout 4H-4013D Floating or Sinking table.

e. Ask volunteers to predict which items will sink and which will float and record their predictions.

f. Volunteers move around the float stations testing their predictions - placing check marks by those items that they predicted correctly.

Welcome & Rationale

(Connect 4-H with ISU and ISU Extension and Outreach)

Call the meeting to order and introduce the presenters.

Say

Welcome! Thank you for coming to the volunteer training on the Experiential Learning Model. As a volunteer for Iowa State University and the Iowa 4-H Youth Development Program, you are an important part of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in ______ County (point out ISU banner, Extension logo, or 4-H t-shirt, as a visual). We appreciate your commitment to training to insure that 4-H and Clover Kid members have a positive, safe, educational, and fun experience.

(Show or refer to the 4-H Equation.)

As we look at our 4-H Equation, we see “Our Reason”, “Our Method”, and “Results”. The Equation is based on youth development research that has been ongoing for a number of years. By participating in this training, you are putting 4-H youth development research to practice.

Today’s training focuses on the Experiential Learning Model that is used to help members become Successful Learners. (point to Experiential Model poster) “Learn By Doing” is an integral part of 4-H, but there is more to Experiential Learning than just “doing”. Supportive, caring adults like yourselves help youth move beyond the “doing” to reflect on and apply the learning experience to similar or different situations. By practicing and utilizing the experiential learning model, volunteers are able to help youth look back at their experience critically, determine what was useful or important to remember, and apply the new information to real life situations. Volunteers and staff work together to make sure Experiential Learning is included in 4-H programming – whether it is a club meeting, a camping trip, an afterschool program, a Clover Kids program, a project workshop, or any other fun, learning experience designed for and with 4-H youth.

Introductions and identify club:

Before we start analyzing our Floating and Sinking pre-meeting activity, let’s go around the room, introduce yourself, your club or Clover Kids program, and share how many young people are in your program.

Transition to next Topic:

We are excited to have you all here working together to learn more about the Experiential Learning process and learning the importance of taking time to reflect and apply

ASK Why do we use the Experiential Learning Model?

Why is it important to take time to Do-Reflect-Apply?

Record answers on flip chart

Say

When you first came in you participated in a “Do” part of a learning experience with the floating and sinking activity. Now let’s move on to the “Reflect” and “Apply” that accompanies this activity.

ASK

Reflect

1. What did you notice about items that float? What did they have in common? What was different?

2. What did you notice about items that sank? What did they have in common? What was different?

3. Did any items seem to both float and sink?

4. What could you do to modify an item that sank and make it float?

5. What could you modify on an item that floated and make it sink?

Apply

6. What conclusions can you make about what sinks and what floats from your observations so far?

7. What new questions do you have as a result of this experiment?

Say

Why is Experiential learning important? Experiential learning helps young people learn and master new skills. Think about some of the skills you’ve learned during your lifetime. Were you able to master the skills the first time you did it or did you require some practice? Most skills can’t be learned in a single experience. Mastery only comes after trying, learning, and trying again...the “learn-by-doing” concept. The reflection and application process helps us learn from our attempts. Reflection and application helps us learn from our findings by shifting our knowledge from preexisting conceptions to a more accurate understanding of a concept. We then need to try again using the new knowledge gained.

The sequential steps of the Experiential Learning Model help youth identify what they have learned and apply it to other situations.

Activity 1: Build Your Best Boat

Say:

Because we have all this water sitting around we are going to have another Floating and Sinking learning activity! Then, after the floating and sinking activity and processing, we will move onto another experiential learning activity to give your group a chance to think about how you can utilize Experiential Learning model in project areas.

So let’s break into small groups (depending on room and attendance - about 4 to a group) – here is a way you can organize your club or group members into smaller groups for activities………(choose one of the ideas on the handout 4H-4013M)

Pass out handout 4H-4013G

Say

Your challenge in the next 20 minutes is to Build Your Best Boat! As members of the Archimedes 4-H Club you are learning about buoyancy and why things float or sink. You need to build a boat to ship a cargo of copper from Syracuse to Palermo. If you can build a boat that carries more copper than the Marcus Claudius 4-H Club you will win a huge prize from the Roman Emperor. By studying your namesake Archimedes’ Theory of Buoyancy, you know that if the amount of water displaced by an object weighs more than the object itself, the object (boat and cargo) will float. Your club needs to design a boat that will displace a heavier amount of water than the combined weight of your boat and cargo of copper. Buoyancy is the upward force that keeps things afloat.

Please follow along on handout 4H-4013G as I read the instructions. On the flip side of the handout is the table you will use to record your data.

1. Use a 8 x8 inch (or 20cm x 20cm) square of aluminum foil to design and build a boat that will float on the water and carry a cargo of copper (pennies).

2. Place your boat the large container of water. See if it floats! If not, reshape it and try again.

3. Describe and/or draw your boat design in the table under Trial 1.

4. Estimate how many pieces of copper can be loaded into your boat without sinking the boat. Record the estimate in your data table.

5. Place copper pieces into the boat until you reach a point where the boat sinks. Count the number of pieces that were in the boat before it sank. Record this information in your data table.

6. Reflect on your boat design. How might you reshape it to hold more copper?

7. Reshape your boat – see if it floats. Record and/or draw your boat design in the table under Trial 2.

8. Estimate how many pieces of copper can be loaded in your boat without sinking the boat. Record the estimate in your data table.

9. Place copper pieces into the boat until you reach a point where the boat sinks. Count the number of pieces that were in the boat before it sank. Record this information in your data table.

Do

|Data Table: | | |

|Trial 1 | | |

|Describe and/or draw Boat Design | | |

|Estimated pieces of copper that can be | | |

|added to boat without sinking. | | |

|Actual pieces of copper that were in the | | |

|boat before it sank. | | |

|Trial 2 | | |

|Describe and/or draw boat design | | |

|Estimated pieces of copper that can be | | |

|added to boat without sinking. | | |

|Actual pieces of copper that were in the | | |

|boat before it sank. | | |

Reflect and Apply

Ask

Has everyone finished with their data collection?

Say

Now that you’ve done the “Do” in the Experiential Learning Model, we will ask a series of questions that will help you “Reflect” and “Apply”. But first take a quick look at the keychain being passed out. The cards on the keychain have sample questions to use as you help young people share, process, generalize, and apply after they’ve participated in a learning activity.

You will notice that each card has a section titled “Make it more Inquiry based!” You will hear the word “inquiry” connected to the acronym STEM that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Inquiry-based learning or scientific inquiry is still experiential learning – it just has more of a STEM focus and youth learn more science process skills through the hands on learning. Think about all the science, technology, engineering, and math skills young people can learn in 4-H through their project work. 4-H volunteers in Iowa have been teaching STEM for over 100 years – since 4-H started!

Now, let’s start reflecting on our boat building learning activity and see how we can apply what we learned.

[Facilitator keeps track of answers on newsprint.]

Ask groups to share

1. What planning did you do to build your boat?

2. How did you feel when you were building your boat?

3. How did it feel when you were testing it?

4. What did you think would happen when you launched your boat?

5. What did you expect to happen when you added the copper cargo?

6. What planning did you do about how to load your cargo?

7. What boat held the most copper pieces?

8. How is the boat that held the most copper pieces designed? [Have team whose boat held the most copper draw a picture of it and describe their design process.]

9. Why do you think that design held more copper pieces?

10. How did your estimate and actual number of copper pieces compare?

11. Did how you loaded the pieces of copper in the boat make a difference? What did you discover to be the best technique for adding copper pieces into the boat?

12. What did you learn about boat design?

13. What did you learn about including everyone in your team in the process?

14. How can you use what you learned? [if they struggle for answers, relate to Iowa waterways such as canoes or barges on the Mississippi]

15. Name some careers where understanding buoyancy would be important. [plumbers – think toilet floats or automatic waterer floats; barge operators, ship builders, Navy personnel, canoe trip river guides,….]

16. Anything else you want to share?

Connect

Now let’s take a closer look at the Reflect and Apply part of the Experiential Learning model using our cards. Look at card #1. We begin with a planned Experience that is designed to provide an opportunity to learn a specific skill. It will probably be something new for the learner and should push the young people beyond previous experiences. In this activity, we used the building and floating of a boat to involve you in a hands-on learning-by-doing activity.

As you look at the #2 card titled Share you will see the sharing process begins with asking questions designed to get young people to share reactions and observations and to discuss feelings generated by the experience. We ask these types of question to help the young people reflect on what they’ve done. These are generally questions associated with senses (seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting) and levels of difficulty.

As we processed the boat activity we asked the share questions. Examples of these are: How did you feel when you were building your boat? How did it feel when you were testing it? What did you think would happen when you launched your boat? What did you expect to happen when you added the copper cargo?

The third step in the model is to identify the Process or how the experience was actually carried out. How were specific problems or issues addressed? In this step, we encourage the group to look for recurring themes.

Questions that encourage discussion about process usually involve how participants actually did the activity and if there were any problems that arose. If so, how were these problems dealt with?

Ask:

What were some process questions we asked in the Build a Boat activity?

Step four is when we begin to Generalize from the experience. This is when the learner begins to apply what was learned to what she already knew. This step helps young people determine how the experience was important for them. Listing key terms that capture the learning can be a helpful exercise in this step. Questions that encourage discussion about generalizing include: What was learned from the experience?

Ask:

What was a generalize question that was asked in the Build a Boat activity?

In the fifth step, we help the young person think about how to Apply what was learned during the experience and think about how the information learned can be applied to other situations. Questions to use that encourage application include: How can learners use what they learned? How does what they learned apply to other parts of their lives?

Remember that asking questions – reflecting and applying is what moves an activity to a meaningful learning experience.

Activity 2: connecting to 4-H project areas

Keep same small group or re-divide into a different small group

Pass out handout: 4H-4013H

Say:

You’ve practiced using the Experiential Learning model and have participated in an activity that used science technology engineering and math. We’ve got one more exercise to help you practice setting up learning activities in your 4-H club or group, this time using a variety of project areas.

Say

On the handout [4H-4013H] different project areas are listed. In your group, please select a project area of your choice and plan a hands-on learning activity you could do in your club or group.

Remember that when planning learning experiences in your club that:

1. Every hands-on activity should have a learning objective.

✓ When creating the “do” part you need to have a clear objective of what you want youth to learn or discover

2. Every activity should include time to reflect on the experience and ask questions

✓ Utilize reflect and apply questions to assist youth as they share, process, generalize, and apply

✓ Ask open-ended questions – ones that require more than a yes or no answer

✓ Listen carefully to the youth

3. Support each young person’s unique learning style

4. Use your keychain tool to help you move through the processing questions – moving on to the next step based on the young people’s responses (listen to the young people and be ready to move on)

5. Don’t be afraid of saying “I don’t know the answer” – because together we can find out!

6. Remember to look to curriculum from Land Grant Universities for learning activities!

For this exercise, we want your group to report back with this information: [included on the handout]

• identify at least one learning objective that is part of the educational activity (see examples on handout)

• brainstorm how to incorporate STEM into the activity

• write at least 2 “reflect” or “apply” questions that you would use ask young people after the “do” of the experience (use your keychain to help)

Project area

Environment and Sustainability

Identify the learning objective(s) for an activity. Examples: how to plan and execute a canoe trip down a river, water quality, environmental hazards.

Photography

Identify the learning objective(s) for an activity. Examples: take photo, crop different ways, rule of thirds, angles (bugs eye view), lighting

Food & Nutrition

Identify the learning objective(s) for an activity. Examples: changing ingredients, gluten free, less sugar, less fat, less salt

Livestock

Identify the learning objective(s) for an activity. Examples: rations, increase or decrease protein, roughage, alternative protein sources affect growth rate and quality

Clothing

Identify the learning objective(s) for an activity. Examples: fabric durability, purpose for clothing, universal design (for elderly population, handicapped), cost comparison, if you are creating an item that will be worn one time one time - can you afford expensive fabric?, pattern adaptation

Horticulture

Identify the learning objective(s) for an activity. Examples: drought, growing cycles, growing zones, varieties, climate change

Ask:

What group wants to share the fun learning activity they’ve planned? [depending on time, not all groups need to share]

What was the project area you chose?

• identify the learning objective

• identify the STEM

• identify 2 processing questions

Wrap up

Ask:

How did you feel about this last activity?

How hard was it for your group to do?

What did we do during this training that will help you strengthen the experiential – hands on learning process in your club or group?

How will you use hands-on learning and the processing questions in your 4-H club or group?

Say

I hope this training has been helpful to you as you work with young people. Today we’ve

• Introduced the basic principles of the experiential learning module

• Provided a hands on experience that you can replicate in your club or group

• Provided you with a tool to help you with share, process, generalize and apply questions

• Modeled fun hands on learning!

• Introduced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)

Another handout we are giving you has additional resources about ships, and history, and buoyancy – just in case you have some young people who want to learn more.

Thank you for coming and learning more about the experiential learning process and thank you for all you do as a 4-H volunteer.

Resources:

A COLLECTION OF ENGINEERING DESIGN PROBLEMS [2009 Edition]; University of Arkansas; Contributing Authors: Troy Blunier, Michael K. Daugherty, Laura Morford, pgs. 11-13. Used with permission from Michael K. Daugherty

Experiential & Inquiry-based Learning with Youth in Non-formal Settings

4-H 101



4-H Essential Elements



4-H Professional Development: Building Understanding



Who Sank the Boat?



This work by The Science House is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. NC State University science-

Training adapted from resources by:

Chris Gleason, Jane Hayes-Johnk, Mary Kramer – ISUE&O 4-H Youth Development program specialists

[pic]

Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cathann A. Kress, director, Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download