CYCLE ONE - SETTING THE STAGE
Research Question
The question’s for cycle one is, “ will weekly group discussion boards lead to a better understanding of information presented in DEH-16 Preventive Dentistry and will situated learning activities in small groups increase student communication with one another making it easier for students to share their understanding of the concepts discussed in this class?” The situated learning activities created for this cycle:
Role-playing, having the students’ do a video on the different toothbrushing methods.
Creating a website that the students could use in clinic to educate their patients on oral health.
The outcome I wanted was for the students to understand that an important aspect of learning is for the student to be able to communicate what they know, or think they know. This means being able to verbalize their own knowledge so that they can learn more efficiently. When trust is established between community members, it makes it easier for students to share experiences with one another, they benefit from hearing their classmates explanations on concepts being explained from different points of view and in ways that might be closer to the students way of thinking. When students listen effectively they generate questions to further everybody’s thinking and learning.
The question’s for cycle one is, “ will weekly group discussion boards lead to a better understanding of information presented in DEH-16 Preventive Dentistry and will situated learning activities in small groups increase student communication with one another making it easier for students to share their understanding of the concepts discussed in this class?” The situated learning activities created for this cycle:
Role-playing, having the students’ do a video on the different toothbrushing methods.
Creating a website that the students could use in clinic to educate their patients on oral health.
The outcome I wanted was for the students to understand that an important aspect of learning is for the student to be able to communicate what they know, or think they know. This means being able to verbalize their own knowledge so that they can learn more efficiently. When trust is established between community members, it makes it easier for students to share experiences with one another, they benefit from hearing their classmates explanations on concepts being explained from different points of view and in ways that might be closer to the students way of thinking. When students listen effectively they generate questions to further everybody’s thinking and learning.
Action
Taking the knowledge I gained from my literature review I first implemented the discussion board. I spent time researching the type of environment I wanted to create, including:
A social environment where students collaborate and are engaged with their peers
and can process and synthesize information.
An environment, where the students are engaged in learning and are creating
meaning for themselves.
Developing learning activities that involve active participation where students can gain new knowledge.
The students were introduced to the discussion board on the first day of class and I explained its purpose. It is important to know that these students are in their first semester of the dental hygiene program and they have no basic knowledge of dental hygiene to draw upon. I don’t believe the students have ever used the discussion board before. Some of the students embraced it and some did not. I also explained what the video and website activities would entail.
The discussion board was set up to discuss the basic concepts and topics addressed in class and the textbook. At the end of the course, the students were asked to complete a six question survey to obtain their thoughts and opinions on the use of the discussion board, website, and videos and did it allow them to expand their knowledge and/or strengthen their understanding.
Evaluations
The students were required, as a part of their grade, to participate on the discussion board weekly by responding to my post and the post of two of their classmates. The discussion board was not embraced by all of the students. Each week I made a post asking the students to share their knowledge on a specific topic that had been reviewed in class. The utilization of the discussion board was to allow the students to get the basic concepts to build upon with the implementation of the website and videos.
The students were asked to produce a video (role playing) applying what they had learned about the various toothbrushing methods available to recommend to their patients. For this activity I briefly shared with the students what the video was to include. I purposely did not give a lot of details because I wanted to see what the students would come up with. The students were put into groups of three, one student would be the patient, one student would be the clinician and the last student would record the activity.
The website was implemented midway through the semester. I hadn’t planned on implementing this activity but I felt it would provide the students the ability to build on their basic knowledge and to develop resources for future learning and problem solving.
Evidence
Discussion Board
The depth of understanding exhibited was important in the assessment process. The range was from no understanding to minimum-to-moderate knowledge. The discussion board was designed to help the student attain a basic understanding of the information presented in class. The way the discussion board and the concepts were designed had an impact on the depth of knowledge and demonstrated the students increased understanding as the discussion progressed.
Video Activity
The video assignment was designed to allow the students to display their knowledge of the different toothbrushing methods in authentic contexts - settings and situations that would normally involve that knowledge. Social interaction and collaboration were essential components of this situated learning activity. The students were divided into groups of three. Each group was assigned a different toothbrushing method to demonstrate on a video. Purposely, the activity was presented with limited guidelines. I wanted to see how creative the student’s would be and if they would be able to apply what they have learned. The students chose to record the video in a clinic setting. One student was the clinician, one was the patient, and the third recorded the demonstration. The students surpassed my expectations! The video’s demonstrated the knowledge attained and their deep understanding of the methods studied. . The video is available here: http://goo.gl/IWIwm
A social environment where students collaborate and are engaged with their peers
and can process and synthesize information.
An environment, where the students are engaged in learning and are creating
meaning for themselves.
Developing learning activities that involve active participation where students can gain new knowledge.
The students were introduced to the discussion board on the first day of class and I explained its purpose. It is important to know that these students are in their first semester of the dental hygiene program and they have no basic knowledge of dental hygiene to draw upon. I don’t believe the students have ever used the discussion board before. Some of the students embraced it and some did not. I also explained what the video and website activities would entail.
The discussion board was set up to discuss the basic concepts and topics addressed in class and the textbook. At the end of the course, the students were asked to complete a six question survey to obtain their thoughts and opinions on the use of the discussion board, website, and videos and did it allow them to expand their knowledge and/or strengthen their understanding.
Evaluations
The students were required, as a part of their grade, to participate on the discussion board weekly by responding to my post and the post of two of their classmates. The discussion board was not embraced by all of the students. Each week I made a post asking the students to share their knowledge on a specific topic that had been reviewed in class. The utilization of the discussion board was to allow the students to get the basic concepts to build upon with the implementation of the website and videos.
The students were asked to produce a video (role playing) applying what they had learned about the various toothbrushing methods available to recommend to their patients. For this activity I briefly shared with the students what the video was to include. I purposely did not give a lot of details because I wanted to see what the students would come up with. The students were put into groups of three, one student would be the patient, one student would be the clinician and the last student would record the activity.
The website was implemented midway through the semester. I hadn’t planned on implementing this activity but I felt it would provide the students the ability to build on their basic knowledge and to develop resources for future learning and problem solving.
Evidence
Discussion Board
The depth of understanding exhibited was important in the assessment process. The range was from no understanding to minimum-to-moderate knowledge. The discussion board was designed to help the student attain a basic understanding of the information presented in class. The way the discussion board and the concepts were designed had an impact on the depth of knowledge and demonstrated the students increased understanding as the discussion progressed.
Video Activity
The video assignment was designed to allow the students to display their knowledge of the different toothbrushing methods in authentic contexts - settings and situations that would normally involve that knowledge. Social interaction and collaboration were essential components of this situated learning activity. The students were divided into groups of three. Each group was assigned a different toothbrushing method to demonstrate on a video. Purposely, the activity was presented with limited guidelines. I wanted to see how creative the student’s would be and if they would be able to apply what they have learned. The students chose to record the video in a clinic setting. One student was the clinician, one was the patient, and the third recorded the demonstration. The students surpassed my expectations! The video’s demonstrated the knowledge attained and their deep understanding of the methods studied. . The video is available here: http://goo.gl/IWIwm
Student Created Website
This was a project the students worked on the second half of the semester. It was designed to further expand on the basic knowledge attained on the discussion board and class lectures. I wanted to present the student with opportunities for learning with a view to helping the students build on prior knowledge and understand how to construct new knowledge from authentic experiences. Learning is successful when students can demonstrate conceptual understanding.
The purpose of the project was to create a website that the student’s could use during clinic to help educate their patients’ on oral hygiene. The students were given four previously discussed topics: Flossing, fluoride, orthodontics and toothbrushing. The information they gathered was posted on the discussion board. As they came to a consensus on what information to present, the students transferred the information to web pages. Originally, a website shell was going to be provided but I decided to see what the students would create researching this on their own. Again, the students performed well beyond what I thought they were capable of. The website displayed the depth of knowledge and deep understanding on the topics researched. It is important to note here that the students demonstrated their cognitive knowledge in passing their quizzes and exams. The website assessed their ability to apply the information. To view click on the link below: https://sites.google.com/site/mvcdentalhygiene2013/
At the conclusion of DEH-16 Preventive Dentistry, the students were given a six-question survey. The response (100 percent response rate) to the questions produced mixed results. The following represents the results of the student survey on three questions.
Question #1: Do you feel your work on the discussion board allowed you to strengthen your understanding of the information presented in class?
This was a project the students worked on the second half of the semester. It was designed to further expand on the basic knowledge attained on the discussion board and class lectures. I wanted to present the student with opportunities for learning with a view to helping the students build on prior knowledge and understand how to construct new knowledge from authentic experiences. Learning is successful when students can demonstrate conceptual understanding.
The purpose of the project was to create a website that the student’s could use during clinic to help educate their patients’ on oral hygiene. The students were given four previously discussed topics: Flossing, fluoride, orthodontics and toothbrushing. The information they gathered was posted on the discussion board. As they came to a consensus on what information to present, the students transferred the information to web pages. Originally, a website shell was going to be provided but I decided to see what the students would create researching this on their own. Again, the students performed well beyond what I thought they were capable of. The website displayed the depth of knowledge and deep understanding on the topics researched. It is important to note here that the students demonstrated their cognitive knowledge in passing their quizzes and exams. The website assessed their ability to apply the information. To view click on the link below: https://sites.google.com/site/mvcdentalhygiene2013/
At the conclusion of DEH-16 Preventive Dentistry, the students were given a six-question survey. The response (100 percent response rate) to the questions produced mixed results. The following represents the results of the student survey on three questions.
Question #1: Do you feel your work on the discussion board allowed you to strengthen your understanding of the information presented in class?
Question #2: Do you feel your work on the class website project allowed you to strengthen your understanding of Preventive topics?
Question #3: Do you feel the toothbrushing video activity allowed you to demonstrate your knowledge on this specific Preventive topic?
Additional student comments on the survey represent the differing perceptions on the activities introduced. Here are a few examples of student comments:
Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom. When the discussion board was introduced, everyone did not embrace it. It was difficult to get some of the students to participate regardless of my request. After a few bumps in the road, there was weekly participation by the entire class. My general impression is that the students gained a better understanding of the concepts presented in class because of the implementation of the discussion board. I did not realize how much additional time this activity would entail for me personally. It took so much time thinking about the types of questions that I could ask that would lead to more effective discussions and encourage the students to think critically about the concepts being learned. In order for the students to gain insight into their learning and their understanding, frequent feedback by me was critical. The learning process includes making mistakes but what I realized was the students perceived this as negative. By the completion of this course the students have now embraced making a mistake because they now understand that is when they learn and grow the most.
It was interesting looking at the survey the students filled out. Four students felt strongly that the discussion board helped them gain a deeper understanding of the concepts introduced, three students felt it helped somewhat and four students somewhat disagreed that it helped. All of the additional comments except for one wrote that the discussion board helped them learn the concepts. The students contradict themselves on the same question. I am not sure how I am to interpret this contradictory information.
Reflection on the Video Activity
This situated learning activity accomplished the goal of seeing if the students could demonstrate their knowledge. I need to implement more activities that include video demonstrations because the students were engaged, collaborating with one another, and having fun.
Reflection on the Student Created Website
Learners of all ages are more motivated when they can see the usefulness of what they are learning and when they can use that information to do something that has an impact on others – especially their local community. My goal for the website project was to enable the students to:
Learn to experience (see and act on) the world in a new way
Gain the potential to join and collaborate with their classmates and patients
Develop resources for future learning and problem solving
Create a design space that engages and manipulates people in certain ways and in
turn create certain relationships with each other and with their patients
The challenge, however, was making sure the task wasn’t too difficult that it would cause frustration. This was a huge undertaking and was worth a third of their grade. The students again thought this was time consuming but they were motivated because the project was a substantial part of their grade. I watched to see if the students motivation on the website would start high and then dissipate as the novelty wore off. What I found was that the students were working harder, collaborating with one another, and becoming a community of learners. Students worked on their group topics during lunch, they stayed after school and even interviewed doctors during their free time. At the conclusion of the project the students were very proud of their website and said it was very rewarding. The website demonstrated the students being able to transfer their knowledge into practical application.
Although I have had some success in implementing the learning activities I introduced to the students, I need to do a more thorough job of explaining it’s intent. When reflecting back on my own experience in MALT, I felt uncomfortable sharing my thoughts and needed to know why we were doing things. I realize I was putting the students in the same position during this cycle. I had them engage in knowledge building through the discussion board, yet, they had no idea how to approach the problem nor why they were doing it.
In the beginning I was nervous about moving myself out of the center of the classroom and sharing the stage with the students’. I wasn’t sure the learning environment I was designing would enhance the students learning. Designing a constructivist learning environment does not dismiss my active role of being the teacher, but it does modify that role, so that I can help students to construct knowledge rather than to reproduce a series of facts. I was surprised to find out that the students did not embrace this new learning environment, however, as time went on, things turned around.
I have found that the most capable students are not necessarily the ones who are able to solve complex problems. As a result, I plan to work on the student’s problem solving techniques and critical thinking skills throughout the year so they can be more successful.
- I feel like a more traditional approach of emphasizing on lecture and discussion in class would have been more beneficial. The discussion board was extremely time consuming.
- By role playing it helped me get a sense of what it will be like when I cover oral hygiene instructions with my patient and help me better prepare for it.
- Being able to research topics related to preventive really allowed me to learn.
- The website was helpful because we went more into depth on individual topics as a group and it helped me to learn. When we put all the group information together it was good to read and learn about the other topics.
- The website encouraged me to go to outside sources to learn new information.
- The website was definitely a lot of work, but very rewarding in the end. Through my research I not only learned new things but it allowed me to have a better understanding of the material. It was also helpful to look at my other classmate’s research and learn from that as well.
Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom. When the discussion board was introduced, everyone did not embrace it. It was difficult to get some of the students to participate regardless of my request. After a few bumps in the road, there was weekly participation by the entire class. My general impression is that the students gained a better understanding of the concepts presented in class because of the implementation of the discussion board. I did not realize how much additional time this activity would entail for me personally. It took so much time thinking about the types of questions that I could ask that would lead to more effective discussions and encourage the students to think critically about the concepts being learned. In order for the students to gain insight into their learning and their understanding, frequent feedback by me was critical. The learning process includes making mistakes but what I realized was the students perceived this as negative. By the completion of this course the students have now embraced making a mistake because they now understand that is when they learn and grow the most.
It was interesting looking at the survey the students filled out. Four students felt strongly that the discussion board helped them gain a deeper understanding of the concepts introduced, three students felt it helped somewhat and four students somewhat disagreed that it helped. All of the additional comments except for one wrote that the discussion board helped them learn the concepts. The students contradict themselves on the same question. I am not sure how I am to interpret this contradictory information.
Reflection on the Video Activity
This situated learning activity accomplished the goal of seeing if the students could demonstrate their knowledge. I need to implement more activities that include video demonstrations because the students were engaged, collaborating with one another, and having fun.
Reflection on the Student Created Website
Learners of all ages are more motivated when they can see the usefulness of what they are learning and when they can use that information to do something that has an impact on others – especially their local community. My goal for the website project was to enable the students to:
Learn to experience (see and act on) the world in a new way
Gain the potential to join and collaborate with their classmates and patients
Develop resources for future learning and problem solving
Create a design space that engages and manipulates people in certain ways and in
turn create certain relationships with each other and with their patients
The challenge, however, was making sure the task wasn’t too difficult that it would cause frustration. This was a huge undertaking and was worth a third of their grade. The students again thought this was time consuming but they were motivated because the project was a substantial part of their grade. I watched to see if the students motivation on the website would start high and then dissipate as the novelty wore off. What I found was that the students were working harder, collaborating with one another, and becoming a community of learners. Students worked on their group topics during lunch, they stayed after school and even interviewed doctors during their free time. At the conclusion of the project the students were very proud of their website and said it was very rewarding. The website demonstrated the students being able to transfer their knowledge into practical application.
Although I have had some success in implementing the learning activities I introduced to the students, I need to do a more thorough job of explaining it’s intent. When reflecting back on my own experience in MALT, I felt uncomfortable sharing my thoughts and needed to know why we were doing things. I realize I was putting the students in the same position during this cycle. I had them engage in knowledge building through the discussion board, yet, they had no idea how to approach the problem nor why they were doing it.
In the beginning I was nervous about moving myself out of the center of the classroom and sharing the stage with the students’. I wasn’t sure the learning environment I was designing would enhance the students learning. Designing a constructivist learning environment does not dismiss my active role of being the teacher, but it does modify that role, so that I can help students to construct knowledge rather than to reproduce a series of facts. I was surprised to find out that the students did not embrace this new learning environment, however, as time went on, things turned around.
I have found that the most capable students are not necessarily the ones who are able to solve complex problems. As a result, I plan to work on the student’s problem solving techniques and critical thinking skills throughout the year so they can be more successful.