Free Article Review About Creating An Interactive Learning Environment

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Brief Summary

Harlow & Leak (2014) in their journal article entitled “Mapping students’ ideas to understand learning in a collaborative programming environment” reveals a study done among the elementary students on the use of technology specifically the TurtleArt in building an interactive and collaborative learning environment. It was a study done in a participatory manner where the researchers immersed themselves among the students using the TurtleArt to observe how it is affecting their attitude towards learning in a group. The students are given specific instructions on how to draw for example, rectangles and squares. They use the commands in the computer at the same time, they are encouraged to experiment. It was found out that the method help students to interact with one another while learning new things. They get excited and show their work to other students. The other students will get interested and try to learn how the student made the work. Indeed, it is helping in creating an environment where children help one another in terms of learning.

“How”

As a teacher among the first graders, it is hard to keep the focus and interest of the students in the subject matter at hand. It is natural that they are always distracted to other things. Today their distractions are mainly computer related activities that most of the time breeds individualism rather than cooperation. In line with this, the journal article of Harlow & Leak (2014) is useful on my part. I am now planning to use this technique to revitalize the learning process in my classroom. Starting next week, I will integrate this in my lectures. After the morning break, I will ask the students to use 30 minutes of the time to finish at least one educational computer game. Jetski Addition can be one of the games. It is a first grade computer game which will enhance their skill in addition. It will also help them focus as the game compels a student to answer the addition problems in order for the jetski to move. This activity will be a take-off for their math subject that will tackle addition. Because the excitement from the game is still fresh among the students, the lecture on addition is expected to be interactive. With their encounter of addition problems in the game, it will push them to ask questions of where their difficulty lies. It will also stimulate interactions among the students as they will be very interested to compare the levels that they have attained in the game.
Another computer game is Fun with the Fridge. In this computer game, they will recognize shapes, colors, and numbers as they drag items into the refrigerator. Variety of shapes, numbers, and colors are available and when they drag them to the refrigerator, a sound will play telling them of what they have dragged into the ref. The game is an easy take-off to a formal lesson. Because computer games excite them, it will stimulate their focus towards the formal lesson.

References

Harlow, D.B. & Leak, A.E. (2014). “Mapping students’ ideas to understand learning in a collaborative programming environment.” Computer Science Education, 24:2-3. 229 247, doi: 10.1080/08993408.2014.963360.