Active learning is a learner engagement strategy that can be defined as a class assignment that pushes students to think deeper as they build comprehension and mastery of a skill or idea (Brame, 2016). Active learning is important to student learning as it helps students feel connected and included in their learning (Brame, 2016). In order to promote active learning in the classroom, educators must provide their students with the opportunity to share and discuss their own personal beliefs and ideas. When students share what they think and listen to what their peers think, it helps expand their perceptions and thought processes (Brame, 2016).
A learning product that I found useful to promote discussion through active learning is Parlay. This product is an online discussion tool that can be used with both in-person and virtual learning. Teachers can initially sign up for free and have a limited amount of uses before they are required to pay a fee. Once signed up, you can choose either a live roundtable or an online round table. The live round table can be used to connect students who are virtual in a synchronous manner and the online round table is better for asynchronous learning. Once you decide your option, you can add a variety of content from questions to polls. You can make your own content or you can use something from the Parlay Universe, a diverse library of premade content. Students can be added to the discussion with a code or link. If they are doing the online roundtable, they will do it on their own time. If they are doing a live roundtable, you will see them appear on the assignment and you can even select who is the speaker and who is up next to speak. When you finish your discussion, you can download assessment data to use for grades or to reflect on for future discussions.
Parlay exemplifies the active learning strategy because it helps students build curiosity about a subject and their peers as they explore the unknown (Keller & Deimann, 2018, pg. 80). Parlay allows students to share and respond to various ideas. Students can take in new information and then process it to add it to their current knowledge (Brame, 2016). Through the asynchronous online roundtable choice, students are provided with time to really dig deep and pursue a variety of experiences. They can take their time to carefully read through the provided text and think about the questions posed in relation to the text or their personal experiences. According to Krahenbuhl (2020), time is of the utmost importance when it comes to providing a safe space to have a worthwhile conversation (pg. 29). Students should not be rushed through a discussion or they will not be able to go deeper than surface level.
Parlay also exemplifies the active learning strategy because it helps students find meaning and purpose in their learning (Keller & Deimann, 2018, pg. 80). Parlay allows students to share what they think about a topic or text in a way that helps them feel heard. When a student joins a Parlay discussion, they know the specific topic and are given the same text to read before they join the discussion. This preparation before the discussion is important as it helps students all start out on the same playing field as well as guides the expected structure of the discussion. According to Krahenbuhl (2020), educators should only be a guide in a discussion. Students should have to struggle a bit to process the ideas presented in order for them to motivated to dig deeper (pg. 32). Another important feature of Parlay is that in the live roundtable choice, students can be queued so they know what order they need to speak and who is speaking. This allows for every voice to be heard. Students want their learning to be relevant to them and when they get to share their own personal beliefs, they feel relevant (Keller & Deimann, 2018, pg. 80).
Lastly, Parlay exemplifies the active learning strategy because it helps students know they will be successful before they begin an activity (Keller & Deimann, 2018, pg. 81). The Parlay website allows you to lay out specifics on what you want them to accomplish. Completing the tasks is as simple as reading and responding to the text and questions provided. As long as students support their ideas with evidence, there really is no right or wrong answer. This really frees students to let go of their fear of failure because they feel like they have a sense of control over their learning outcome (Keller & Deimann, 2018, pg. 81). According to Krahenbuhl (2020), having “specific outcomes” is important because it helps students see upfront what is expected and what they need to accomplish by the end of the discussion. Students will be more likely to stay on track and use their discussion time wisely (pg. 31).
Additional Resources:
References
Brame, C., (2016). Active learning. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/active-learning/.
Keller, J.M. & Deimann, M. (2018). Motivation, volition, and performance. In R.A. Reiser, & J.V Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.) (pp. 80-81). New York, NY: Pearson
Krahenbuhl, K. S. (2020). In Class Discussions, Slow and Steady Wins: Classroom conversations should be a refuge from our fast-paced, me-first culture. Educational Leadership, 77(7), 28–32.
Capability and active learning
Capability refers to a person’s knowledge, and active learning is a positive opportunity for students to be able to share the information they know and have learned, and it is a way to express their capability. In Active Learning Through Discussion, the learning product Parlay is mentioned as a learning product to promote active learning. Parlay is an online discussion tool that can be used in-person and virtually, with live and online round table discussions. (2021)
Active learning presenting opportunities
When presented with new information it builds curiosity and allows space and opportunity to discuss with their peers. From what I have read about Parlay, I want to include it in my class discuss…
Motivation in satisfying learner outcomes
Parlay is an internet technology tool used to assist teachers and students in classroom discussions. One of the challenges of classroom discussions is being able to do it effectively (Dallimore et al., 2004). Classroom discussions are a great way to assess students and parlay seems like a great tool to use. Verbal classroom discussions can be intimidating for some students. Some students can dominate the conversation leaving some students behind in the conversation. On the flip side, classroom discussions can be interactive and help students speak in a group to articulate their ideas. Parlay is a program that can bridge the gap. Students are able to give their independent perspectives and their peers get a…
Engagement through Active Discussion - Parlay Application
Parlay is a virtual discussion-based interactive curriculum for educators and students. Educators and students have the ability to collaborate locally and globally with other participants. The virtual platform have various components to engage users. There are predesigned lesson for educators. Assessments, social, emotional, health and career resources available to its members. The application supports diversity, inclusion and blended learning through round table discussion sessions. Continued participants engagement on various topics deemed Parlay as a great tool for online discussion groups. Access to exploration of the website is limited to membership subscribers.
Cognitive Motivation with Limited Technology
According to the, "Welcome to the online discussion group; Toward a diagnostic framework for teachers," many rural…
Meaningful Goals with Parlay
Ludlow addresses the discussion aspect of engagement through pairing the instructional technology platform, Parlay. This online tool promotes discussion through active learning, either synchronous or asynchronous (Ludlow, 2021). “In a discussion, students construct new cognitive structures or access existing ones to subsume the new information and experiences”(Robert A. Reiser; John V. Dempsey, 2018, p. 270). Teachers have the opportunity to use the content provided by Parlay or add their own class lessons and discussion topics for “conditions within which purposeful learning takes place are contingent upon the degree to which learners engage in meaningful tasks” (H. et al., 2021, p. 209). Setting goals and learning targets to outline the criteria for success will allow students to…
Yolanda Davis
Nov 7, 2021
So the questions are, (1). How do we as educators keep our students engaged and connected (Brame, 2016) during each instructional period? (2). How do we, as educators create active learning environments for each student? To begin, active learning occurs when our students are encouraged to do some reflective thinking. And, we know from experience that passive learning does not require our students to do any reflective thinking. Accordingly, an effort to keep our students engaged requires various instructional approaches which will allow our students to exchange facts, opinions, beliefs, and perceptions with each other. This process will enhance the learning outcomes for the students and the teachers. I believe that teachers are life learners…