Active Learning in Political Science

Description

Based on 25 years of working with Active Learning pedagogy, my contribution raises questions and asks questions about four techniques and strategies I use in my teaching interventions with politics, IR and ES students:
(1) Student Response Systems (SRS) in large lectures – experiences and feedback on the use of Shakespeak SRS for a new course in International Public Administration for 200+ bachelors’ students.
(2) Media Seminars – thoughts and feedback on the use of media such as videos, documentaries and cinema in existing courses; as well as the design and creation of a new course in Popular Political Culture for 25 masters’ students.
(3) Jigsaw Cooperative Learning – experiences and feedback on the use of the Jigsaw Technique for encouraging active learning through cooperative strategies in seminars. Reflections based on using the technique in bachelors’ and masters’ seminars on Glocal Environmental Governance, Global Public Governance, and EU as Global Actor for 25-50 students.
(4) Theme Studies – reflections and future design thoughts on the use of Theme Studies to allow for transdisciplinary learning and immersive active learning experiences. Reflections based on the introduction and use of the pedagogic strategy for year-groups of 100 bachelors students.

1. Flipped Presentation - Colleagues will profit from hearing about how Active Learning techniques and strategies have been designed, and custom-fitted for bachelors and masters courses and seminars in politics, IR and ES. Questions and feedback from the audience will provide an opportunity for interaction of the challenges and joys of AL in lectures, seminar rooms, and other learning spaces.

2. Best Practice Sharing - Colleagues will profit from using two of the Active Learning techniques through short sessions in the use of the Shakespeak Student Response System and/or Jigsaw Cooperative Learning (JCL) for bachelors and masters courses and seminars in politics, IR and ES. Best practice can be share by a session on SRS that uses the tool as part of the session. Similarly, JCL best practice can be shared through a session that uses the technique in the session.

3. Hands-on Workshop - Colleagues will profit from, and share in providing peer feedback for one Active Learning technique, SRS, used in big (200+ students) lectures on International Public Administration; and one Active Learning technique of Media Seminars being designed for a new masters’ seminar (25 students) in Popular Political Culture. I would prefer to have peer support through comments on the course designs and intended AL techniques. By the end of the session, I would like to hear what SRS questions work, and which AL Media Seminar techniques would work.

Period	9 Jun 2016
Event title	2nd European Conference on Teaching & Learning Politics, International Relations and European Studies
Event type	Conference
Location	Brussels, BelgiumShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International