David Kolb’s Model

Perceiving: Describes our preferred means of acquiring new information, ranging from Concrete
Experience to Abstract Conceptualization

Processing: Refers to how we make sense of things, ranging from Active Experimentation to
Reflective Observation

Accommodators: They are activists who learn best when they become fully involved. They enjoy
simulations and case studies and are adventurous types who will try anything. They are intuitive
problem solvers who will often rely on others for information and analysis

Convergers: They are pragmatists interested in finding other practical application of ideas. They
enjoy solving problems, and tend to prefer technical tasks over social and interpersonal issues. They
learn well in laboratories and through fieldwork

Assimilators: They are theorists who enjoy working with ideas and constructing models. They tend
to be concise and logical and are more concerned with abstract concepts than their practical or
human implications. They learn well with lectures and papers

Divergers: They are reflective learners who prefer to learn by observing and making sense of
experiences. They enjoy lectures and benefit from recording their thoughts in a learning log.
Divergers are imaginative and tend to be interested in people and their emotions.

The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix: Using 2 x 2 Thinking to Solve Business ...

By Alex Lowy, Phil Hood
Integrating Arts into STEM

Coding – to create art and games

How the advent of radioactivity shaped Virginia Woolf’s use of language

How the church reacted against scientific advances like Copernicus heliocentric universe

Debating role of STEM in politics

Religion or medical ethics in medical care

Learning the science needed to create the perfect sandcastle

https://educationcloset.com/2016/03/25/life-cycle-theatre/

Strategies for bringing STEM into Elementary Education

1. Make STEM experimental and engaging

2. Focus activities on real-life issues and problems
3. Invite real life professionals into the classroom
4. Extracurricular activities like competitions

https://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2014/02/13/gaining-steam-teaching-science-though-art
http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/EngagingAdultLearners.pdf

Teaching Adults:

• Didactic Teaching

A didactic approach can be very effective when used to encourage students to analyse the course
content rather than just learn it by rote. This can be done by encouraging learners to ask questions,
thus initiating the learning process themselves. Further, if a student asks a question to which the
teacher does not know the answer, Jarvis stresses the importance of asking the class if anyone
knows the answer, and then suggesting students go out and find the answer themselves. When a
teacher admits to not knowing the answer and trusting the students to be able to figure it out, this
demonstrates a respect for the students’ knowledge and experience, as well as facilitating their
independent learning (Jarvis, 2004, p. 150).

• Socratic Teaching

The Socratic method “introduces questioning into the teaching and learning process; it consists of
the teacher directing a logical sequence of questions at the learners, so that they are enabled to
respond and to express the knowledge that they have, but which they might never have crystallized
in their own mind.” The Socratic method is an effective method to employ when teaching adults
because it: “utilizes both their store of knowledge and their experience of life” & “help the learners
create rather than reproduce knowledge” & actively engage learners in the learning process (Jarvis,
2004, p. 151).

• Problem-Based Learning

The distinctive feature of problem-based learning, and the one that makes it so well suited to adult
learners, is “the focusing of the learning process on the identification, exploration, and attempted
resolution of realistic problems” (Tight, 2003, p. 105). By presenting “a problem as a simulation of
professional practice or a ‘real life’ situation… getting students to identify their own learning needs
and appropriate use of available resources, and reapplying this new knowledge to the original
problem and evaluating their learning processes,” the instructor has engaged adult learners in
relevant problems, given them responsibility over their own learning, and valued their existing
knowledge and experience (Tight, 2003, p. 105).

Control a system: Experiment with a model of part of the real world. What happens when you
change something?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814046126

Teaching Strategies: What Works Best

By Ginny Osewalt

Good teachers know that the best teaching strategies are based on research. Most of this research
looks at how students take in what they’re learning and how the best teachers give students
information. Here are some teaching strategies that work for all children, including those with
learning and attention issues.

Begin a lesson by reviewing the last lesson.

The best teachers make sure students really understand the skills they need for the day’s lesson.
That’s because the new lesson builds on the lesson of the day before. A study found that when
teachers spent eight minutes every day going over homework and common mistakes, and practicing
skills their students needed to memorize, students got higher test scores.

Present new information in small steps.

The place in our brains where we process information is small—so when we’re asked to learn too
much at one time, we can get overwhelmed. A strategy called “chunking” can help with this.
Chunking means teaching in small steps while checking for understanding along the way.

Ask many questions and talk about the answers.

Effective teachers ask lots of questions. They ask their students to explain how they got their
answers. In a recent study, one group of teachers was asked to teach new material by asking
questions and discussing. Their students ended up with higher scores than students whose teachers
did not teach this way.

Provide models.

Good teachers show examples of problems that have already been solved. This can be very helpful,
especially in math.

Ask students to explain what they learned.

Asking a student to think out loud while solving a problem or when planning to write an essay helps
the teacher identify areas where a student needs more help. Research shows that this kind of out-
loud thinking works much better than when a teacher simply asks students “Are there any
questions?”

Provide scaffolds when teaching something difficult.

“Scaffolds” are teaching aids. Research tells us that aids like cue cards and charts can help children
think more clearly as they learn new information. When teaching difficult material, teachers expect
that students will make mistakes. So they show them ahead of times examples of the kinds of
mistakes that are likely.
Review.

We know that students need a lot of practice and review to build and keep track of new ideas in
their long-term memory. It’s easier for students to solve new problems when they have a wealth of
background knowledge. Children will often forget material if they don’t keep practicing it.