A method of learning in which students are actively or experientially involved in the learning process. There are different levels of active learning, based on the amount of  student involvement. Some example active learning practices are:
- Interspersing demonstrations of content
- Group discussion / projects
- Problem-solving models

Active Learning

Learning Design Sequence

A theory that recognizes the learners' understanding and knowledge based on their own experiences prior to entering school. Rather than simply taking in knowledge, learners take the opportunity to reinforce and build their own understanding of the topic, derived from what they already know and what is being presented to them.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Georgetown University

Haverford College in Pennsylvania

San Jose State University

Villanova University

- Cognitive theory of drawing construction
- Learning by conceptual level
- Expectancy-valence theory
- Self-determination Theory (SDT)
- Modes of learning
- Efficacy of Traditional Teaching Methods
- Constructivism
- Engagement
- Learning Analytics (LA)
- Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI)
- Achievement Gap in Education
- Desirable difficulties

Focuses of Learning Science

Two Viewpoints of Core Knowledge Theories in Cognitive Development

The view that knowledge does not exist as a singular objective truth, but rather as a collection of constructions made by humans. We can only interact with reality through our interpretation of it. No interpretation is more or less “accurate”, but rather more or less applicable/helpful to our own experiences.

Epistemic Constructivism

- Dialogism
- Sociocultural theory of learning
- Social constructivism

Theories of Dialogic Teaching

Siegler, R., Saffran, J. R., Eisenberg, N., Deloache, J., &amp; Gershoff, E. (2017). How Children Develop (5th ed.). Worth Publishers, Inc.

How Children Develop Textbook

Humans can only learn one or at most two conceptual levels at a time. A person is able to learn the next level of concepts only after they have a stable understanding of the original. From then on, we are able to fine tune our understanding of the lower level concepts, while our learning focus is on the next level of abstraction.

Learning by Conceptual Levels

Readers may translate text into visual information by selecting, organizing and then integrating. Graphical representations such as concept maps, flow diagrams, and tree diagrams can be used to depict the structural and conceptual relationships found in text. By generating diagrams, readers are able to leverage spatial memory to develop a coherent understanding of the text.

Cognitive Theory of Drawing Construction

People behave based on the value that they perceive doing the behavior has to them. It takes into account expectancy (effort), instrumentality (performance) and valence (value/reward).

Expectancy-Valence Theories

Analyzes the effectiveness of passive teaching styles (i.e. lecturing or exams) on student learning. 

Efficacy of Traditional Teaching Methods

A theory of human motivation that posits that the reasons why an individual chooses to participate and exerts effort, are based on self-determined regulations (such as intrinsic motivation). It states there are 3 desires that promote optimal function and growth:
- 1) Autonomy
- 2) Competence
- 3) Relatedness

Self-determination theory (SDT)

The measure and study of sustained interaction with the medium. Engagement is different from Motivation in that it focuses on the user's willingness to continue interacting, rather than what inspires or spurs them into action.

Engagement

Learning analytics (LA) is the idea that datasets acquired through teaching or learning activities can be used to enhance student learning, academic progress, and teaching practices.

Learning Analytics

- MOOCs (massive open online courses)
- Blended Learning
- Online Learning
- Distance Learning
- E-learning

Mode of Education

The intersecting three-presence framework, consisting of Social, Teaching and Cognitive Presences, that represented all the important activities in an educational experience.  

Community of Inquiry Framework

A proposed hierarchy of understanding that can be used to evaluate a student's comprehension of a topic. From the highest level to the lowest level of understanding, they are:
- Creation / Create
- Evaluation / Evaluate
- Analysis / Analyze
- Application / Apply
- Comprehension / Understand
- Knowledge / Remember


Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning

A learning task that requires a considerable but desirable amount of effort, thereby improving long-term performance.

Examples:

- Interleaving Materials
- Spacing Studying
- Generation Effect
- Retrieval practice (testing)
- Varying Study Conditions

Desirable Difficulties

Constructivism (in Education)

The achievement gap is a persistent disparity in academic outcomes, such as grades, test scores, and graduation rates, observed among students from different demographic groups. These groups are often defined by ethnicity, race, and, in certain subjects, gender.

Definition of the Achievement Gap in Education

Nativism is based on the assumption that children begin life with 4 core-knowledge systems. These 4 systems are inanimate objects, minds. of people who are capable of goal-directed actions, numbers, and spatial layouts.

Nativism

The theory that what we consider “reality” is a collection of collaboratively constructed views of the world created through social interactions that then become the basis for shared assumptions, meanings, and ascribed values within a society.

Social Constructionism

Dialogism is the notion that meaning is made from interaction (dialogue) between multiple perspectives.

Dialogism

Proposed by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, the sociocultural theory of development posits that human cognitive development is fundamentally rooted in one's culture. According to this perspective, a child's social environment provides the foundation for the formation of language and thought. Consequently, the language an individual speaks and their cognitive processes are shaped by their cultural background. Vygotsky also emphasized the significance of historical influences on an individual's developmental process.

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