Introduction
Psychology and philosophy are typically discussed in the field of education, however, for the purposes of this blog, we will be exploring how Helskog’s 2019 study of psychology and philosophy can be utilized to directly enhance the instructors’ mastery of classroom engagement. The goal of this research is to identify three engagement techniques unique to his philosophical pedagogy and relate them to the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame’s (NIHF) Elevate project based learning modules.
Helskog’s (2019) ROBUST Group study focused on two groups with similar difficulty and equal weight on program completion, Life Skills and Democratic Citizenship. The instructors would elicit multiple philosophical strategies and measure the levels of engagement and performance. The three principles in focus for this research were the use of breakdown workshops, open dialogue/expression during class hours, and cyclical learning phases.
Products oriented towards the enhancement of classroom engagement vary vastly from self-help literature to fully immersive virtual reality experiences. A product demonstrating project based learning with dialogue and phase based learning would need to be kinesthetic or tangible. National Inventors Hall of Fame offers a project based STEM lessons which provides kit bags, lesson plan suggestions, digital and physical learning media. We will be exploring how NIHF’s Elevate program exemplifies Helskog’s (2019) principles.
Principle 1: Breakdown Workshops
Helskog’s Approach
Helskog’s (2019) study defined specific moments his educator were required to submit reflections on the progress of their class and the relationship between their break down how the class was Weekly Meetings or Regularly scheduled workshops. Using this information, they were able to adjust tactics based on direct feedback from students and mentors. This would allow them to make wiser decisions such as task length, environmental transitions, or lesson-dialogue control. This helped them prepare for resistance prior to the next lesson and prepared the students for constant change. (Helskog, 2019).
NIHF Approach
NIHF holds interactive video conferences with their educators on a weekly schedule. The discuss the product quality during engagement and how the environment facilitates the strenuous requirements of the project. For some projects, the learners may need to be outside, while the instructor is restricted due to weather. Adjusting the class is maintained by sharing experiences and past successes. Delivering feedback on a lack of relatability success, which seems to be a constant issue in many research papers, can elicit answers from other instructors in the call.
These types of workshops nature the development of unique tactics for specific tasks which would not be in a rote-rehearsal’s arsenal. “National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) professional development workshops address all your inquiry-based and project-based learning (PBL) needs by providing strategies and solutions that will empower your teachers and support their success.” (NIHF, 2023).
Principle 2: Open Dialogue Atmosphere
Helskog’s Approach
During the class, the instructors would break structure and allow students to have an open dialogue about the stresses inside and outside of the class, engage in controversial topics which affected them. It was the process of expressing their DIALOGOS, or process of exploring ethics and diversity, that allowed everyone to feel as though they were important. Once the cognitive issues were addressed, the course material could be related to the status quo and captivate the audience. (Helskog, 2019). This approach allows learners to express truth and boundaries without judgement when related to hot-button issues such as racial or social pressures, or difficulty in the ability to relate to the subject, personal challenges which may be suffered by the masses but done so in silence. Doing so creates a relatability amongst the learners and allows the instructor to address the obstacle.
NIHF Approach
National Inventors’ Hall of Fame provides a camp experience that is set outside of the typical classroom setting. They are encouraged to work together on projects, share ideas, and collaborate to fix issues. “By crafting experiences that challenge students to solve real-world problems through the act of invention prototyping, participants are invited to take risks and build confidence in an encouraging and supportive environment.”Learners in the camp workshop are encouraged to freely walk around during the building and testing phases to create new ideas and add t
o the projects in any way. Through open dialogue between learners, ideas can bounce around and evolve faster than an instructor can deliver theirs. (NIHF, 2023).
Principle 3: Cyclical Action Learning
Helskog’s Approach
Each class was limited in its exposure by means of scheduled interactions. While the students were in the Life Skills and Citizenship classes on a regular school schedule, the ROBUST Group projects were in affect for only 1 hour per week in each class. They held weekly courses for 20 sessions. This approach
of intermittent, acute exposure allowed for the intense transition and experience to fulfill its intended paradigm shift, yet promoted a non-overbearing experience for the learners. The goal of this tactic was in maintain the exciting and fun element of change and challenge with overwhelming the learner through the process. (Helskog, 2019).
NIHF Approach
Elevate is one of many projects available to the public and educational systems. Each program is developed in stages and modules which are self paced. They are designed with small attainable completion points so they can be integrated in small time frames and resist learner fatigue. The projects are sequential in STEM knowledge, therefore breaking them up into cyclical action learning chunks is easily attainable. The lessons within the projects correlate to lessons plan the learner are experiencing and can be variously implemented to match relevant top
ics which makes the cyclical capability adaptable to current goals and intrinsic curiosity the learner may already possess. (NIHF, 2023).
References
Belle,J. (2023, July 14) Full Sail University IDT520 Strategies for Learning Engagement Case Study Blogs. Experimental Learning and Student-Centered Classrooms. Retrieved from https://drdeason.wixsite.com/201911-blog-idt520/post/experiential-learning-and-student-centered-classrooms
Helskog, G. H. (2019). Philosophizing the dialogos way towards wisdom in education: Between critical thinking and spiritual contemplation (1st ed). Routledge. Doi10.4324/9781351033985
National Inventors Hall of Fame. (2023, August 19). Camp invention: A summer program rooted in innovation and STEM [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjKWAKZ9zoE
National Inventors Hall of Fame. (2023, August 19). One STEM learning solution works nationwide [Video] Youtube. https;//wwwlyoutube.com/watch?v=_7Z5lqMFTVs
National Inventors Hall of Fame. (2023, August 19). Professional developmental workshops[Video] Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKuSw1EZrVA
National Inventors Hall of Fame. (2023, August 19). STEM education programs | camp invention. Retrieved from https://www.invent.org/educators/cap-invention/elevate
Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Weiss, M. N., & Helskog, G. H. (2022). “They often have AHA-moments”: how training teachers to philosophize the Dialogos Way with their students can promote life skills and democratic citizenship in education. Educational Action Research, 30(2), 281–296. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1080/09650792.2020.1811744
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