INTERACTIVE LEARNING

Prepared by: Lion Neville A. Mehta, Intl Secretary, India, South Asia & East Africa

What do we mean by INTERACTIVE?

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• Getting people involved

• Letting people in the class talk

• Doing activities in class

Why do you want your class to be INTERACTIVE?

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• Adults learn better when they participate

• Lectures can be boring

• It’s easier to keep people’s attention when they are involved

Why do learners or participants want training to be INTERACTIVE?

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• They can voice their thoughts and opinions

• They can share with others

• Learners can relate their own experiences

Interactive Learning

Interactive means acting with each other.

A conversation / exchange between people is called interaction.

The quality of being interactive is known as interactivity.

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Interactive Learning Objectives

• Utilize a variety of question/answer techniques

• Use verbal and nonverbal signals

• Choose appropriate group activities

• Manage learning activities using 3-step process

Interactive Learning

Lecturing and stand up presentation skills are important but equally important is involving your students in the process of learning

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Let’s brainstorm some ideas on why question and answer might be a valuable tool in training.

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• Feedback on learner understanding

• Different points of view

• Shared experiences

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Question and Answer

Overhead

Direct

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• Encourage discussion

• Challenge group

• Provide wide range of responses

• Do not put individuals in embarrassing position if they don’t have answer

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• Allow talkative learners to take over

• Can lead to group going off on tangents

• Can get confusing when too many answer at once

• Can get very quiet if no one answers

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• Makes sure everyone is involved by distributing participation

• Allows quiet learners to get involved

• Makes it easier to manage the discussion

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• Too much control

• Inhibits learner-to-learner communication

• Makes people uncomfortable

Question and Answer

Overhead Direct

Best when used in small groups & seminars where learners are naturally talking & sharing “at large”

Best with large groups & when lecture is the chosen delivery style

Contd..

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When you do use direct questions to:

• Give the individual sufficient time to frame an answer and

• Deal with the answers you get in a positive way

Question/Answer

Just as there are 2 general categories of questions – Direct and Overhead, there are also 2 questioning techniques –

Open ended and Closed

Contd..

Question/Answer

Open ended questions offer a vast choice of possible responses and are thought provoking and non restrictive. They can be used to:

Allow for a choice of answers and viewpoints

Promote open participation

Learn the feelings of participants on subject matter

Contd..

Question/Answer

Closed questions elicit a single response and ask for a specific piece of information. They can be used to:

Seek confirmation or denial – YES / NO

Assess the level of learning of participants

Gain feedback in a short period of time

Handling Responses

Asking of questions – direct or overhead, open ended or closed is important and we will obtain all types of answers – correct, partially correct and incorrect.

How we respond to them is another important aspect of interactive learning.

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Handling Responses

• Correct

• Incorrect

• Partially correct

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Responding to Questions

• Relay

• Reverse

• Answer

• Defer

Responding to questions

Relay: Turn the question over to the group through an overhead question.

Reverse: Turn the question back to the person who asked.

Answer: Provide an answer & if possible relay or reverse it afterward for participant input.

Defer: Offer to get back to the question later

If you do not know the answer, be honest & admit it or offer to find out & get back

Contd..

Responding to questions

There are times when we get:

Just right amount of input and answers

However, sometimes we must use signals to keep the discussion going as we need more inputs

Or at times we must curtail the discussion as we are getting sidetracked and need to move on

Verbal and Non Verbal Signals

To keep the discussion going: VERBAL

“Good!”

“Can anyone give us more?”

“What do others think?”

“Can you expand on that?”

Contd..

Verbal and Non Verbal Signals

To curtail the discussion: VERBAL

“I think we’ve covered it”

“Could we continue this discussion after class?”

“Thank you for all your input?”

“Does everyone has this down?”

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Discussion Management Tips

• To curtail the discussion … NON VERBAL

• Put down chalk or marker

• Turn flipchart page, pick up eraser

• Move physically from direct sight of learners

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Discussion Management Tips

• To keep the discussion going NONVERBAL

• Nod positively

• Smile

• Gesture with hands to continue

So far we have learned:

Meaning and need for interactivity

Examined 2 categories of questions – overhead & direct

Looked at 4 possible ways to handle questions asked by learners

Discussed open ended & closed questions

Studied handling correct, partially correct & incorrect answers

Examined verbal & non verbal signals that can be used to continue or curtail discussions

Group Activities

Ice Breaker

Case Study

Panel discussion

Brainstorming Session

Role play / Simulation

Game

Small Group Discussion

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Take 15 minutes to:

1. Briefly review the assigned topics: what is activity? When and how can it be used? What are the benefits of using it in training?

2. Determine a specific example of the activity that you might use in Lions training.

3. Be prepared to explain in five minutes or less the activity concept in general and to share with the entire class your specific example including:

• The situation• What your learners would do• Why this activity would be helpful• How you would debrief the activity• What you hope the learners would gain from the

activity• After 15 minutes, ask each group to present its

activity overview

• What have we learned from our presentations and discussions

• Will we incorporate group activity into our own Lions training endeavours

Activity Management

Criteria of success & failure of a group activity is dependent on:

Trainer / facilitator

Learner and nature of activity

Choice of activity

Proper management

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Managing Learning Activities

• Introduce

• Monitor

• Process or Debrief

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What might happen if we don’t take the time to properly introduce an activity?

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• Confusion

• Frustration

• Failure of group to complete the activity

• Perception that the activity is not important

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What might happen if we don’t properly monitor the activity?

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• Confusion,

• Groups might give up

• Perceived as being ‘busy work’ with no real significance

• Groups might get off target.

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What might happen if we don’t conduct an effective debrief ?

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• Learners don’t see relevance or use of information

• No future action or application of learning principles will take place

• Learners don’t make a connection to their prior experience

• Group will feel it was a waste of time.

• Further activities will not be favourably received

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Interactive Learning

• The ability to involve your students actively in the learning process is a vital training skill.

• Utilize proper techniques of questioning, responding to learner questions, and handling participant answers.

• Use verbal and nonverbal techniques to manage discussions

• Identify and choose appropriate learning activities• Manage learning activities using a 3-step

management process