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TitleInformal Learning Reflection
SourceCASLS Activity of the Week
Body

This activity was prepared to complement this week’s Topic of the Week article in which we highlight the necessity of working with groups of traditionally marginalized learners so that their informal learning experiences might be used to the benefit of the classroom space.

Objectives: Learners will be able to:

  • Identify the ways that they best learn in informal environments
  • Develop a plan to use their informal learning tendencies to support their formal educational goals.

Modes: Interpersonal Communication, Presentational Writing

Procedure:

  1. Explain to your learners that it is important for you as their teacher to understand how they learn outside of the classroom so that you can use those strengths within the classroom. Let them know that the questions that you will ask them will only be used so that you know how to best attend to their specialized needs.
  2. Ask your students the questions listed below. You may provide them as a handout to learners or write them on the board.
  • Think about the stories that you learned as a child. How did your family or caretaker teach you stories growing up? Were they read to you? Were they recited to you? How often were images used to support the stories?
  • What types of stories did you learn growing up? Were they fictional? Family histories? Mythological? Fables?
  • What values, if any, did you learn from the stories that stuck with you? For example, were there any morals embedded within the stories that you learned?
  • Outside of school, where do you turn to for information now? Your parents or caretaker? Your friends? Books? Social media? Something else?
  • What is important to you in determining the credibility of a source? A variety of facts and figures? The reputation of the person providing the information? Your gut reaction?
  • When you are learning to do anything (ride a bike, play a video game, write a Tweet), what types of activities do you most enjoy? Is it observing others do the activity/use the knowledge well? Is it trying the activity/using the knowledge yourself? Is it working with others to understand and eventually engage in the activity/use the knowledge? Is it having individual reflection time?
  • What technology do you regularly use? What technology can you regularly use?
  1. After reviewing everyone’s answers, provide the class with a brief overview of what you saw. Then, work with the learners to make a list of strategies for learning classroom material that reflects their strengths and tendencies as formal learners. Post a classroom list somewhere to refer to throughout the school year. Also, allow learners to make their own personal modifications to the classroom list that more closely represents their individual needs.

Notes:

The proficiency level of learners will determine how much of this activity can be carried out in the target language.

Publishdate2016-11-07 02:15:01