Page 140 - International Journal of Process Educaiton (Special Issue)

2002) helpfully presents the levels of learning as they activities with additional resources have made it easier than
specifically relate to the components of a learning activity, ever to enliven and enrich learning activities. The design
with special emphasis of how to structure problem-solving process itself hasn’t changed; what has changed is what
challenges that elevate learner knowledge to Level 4. constitutes the contents and implementation of specific
steps in the Activity Design Template/Methodology:
A Handbook and the Guidebook
4. Learning Model/Instrument
A major milestone for Process Education was the creation
of an Activity Design Institute Handbook that formalized 11. Pre-Activity
and brought together the Learning Process Methodology,
levels of learning, and a 21-step comprehensive Activity 13. Information and Resources
Design Template for faculty that can also be used as a
methodology for designing Process Education learning 18. Technology
activities (Apple & Krumsieg, 2007; see Figure 2).
Learning models can now include interactive animations,
The scholarship behind the Activity Design Handbook such as the interactive simulation of Hooke's Law offered
contributed to and leveraged from the Faculty Guidebook on the resources site for Foundations of Organic Chemis-
project, which included several modules directly related to try (Bucholtz, 2015; the model is available on the secure
activity design. Table 1 correlates these modules with the course site, but is also available at https://phet.colorado.edu/
steps in the Activity Design Template. Of global interest to en/simulation/mass-spring-lab), and flash animation of Gel
the design of learning activities are Overview of Learning Filtration Chromatography for Foundations of Biochem-
Activities (Wasserman, Davis, & Astrab, 2007) and istry (Loertscher, Minderhout, & Frato, 2015; https://www.
Designing Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Activities gelifesciences.com/gehcls_images/GELS/Related%20Content/
(Hanson, 2007a). The module, Assessing Learning Files/1314774443672/litdoc29091645_20140915112231.swf).
Activities (Loertscher & Minderhout, 2007) provides
critical information and two useful tools that allow faculty Foundations of Mathematics (Fremeau, 2006) was the
to assess not only the design of an activity, but also its first activity book to integrate pre-activities as a way to
impact in the classroom. Also useful for measuring the help students prepare for in-class activities. Foundations
effectiveness of an activity is Elevating Knowledge from of Learning (4th ed.) (Redfield & Hurley Lawrence, 2009)
Level 1 to Level 3 which, in addition to providing the modeled how that content can fully support the learning
methodology for constructing knowledge, also includes process by providing a package of reading to be done prior
the table, “Levels of Knowledge Across Knowledge to the classroom activity. In Learning to Learn: Becoming a
Forms,” which provides descriptions of what a learner Self-Grower (Apple, Morgan, & Hintze, 2013), the learning
should be capable of doing at each level of learning. activity was expanded into a learning experience consisting
of three activities to be done: before class, during class, and
Evolution of the Process after class. This strategy was used as a way to make the
most effective possible use of learner time.
Over the past decade, improvements in available
technology, the proliferation of open source content and In Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving (Ellis,
software, and the common practice of bundling learning Apple, Watts, Hintze, Teeguarden, Cappetta, & Burke,
2014), learning activities took advantage of web-based
learning objects, information and resource websites, real-

Figure 1 Methodology for Elevating Knowledge

1. Establish and solidify an informational base (Level 1).
2. Identify the cornerstones for the knowledge. Knowledge is built upon a foundation of prior knowledge (Level 2).
3. Identify the key inquiry questions for comprehension and key issues for constructing the knowledge (Level 2).
4. With the framework in place, test the conditions of the structure; use critical thinking to explore the assumptions

or logic of the knowledge model (Level 2).
5. Transfer and apply the knowledge to a familiar context to enrich understanding (low Level 3).
6. Transfer and apply the knowledge to another context that is similar (low Level 3).
7. Transfer and apply the knowledge to a context that is some distance from the original context (Level 3).
8. Transfer and apply the knowledge in a totally unfamiliar context with the teacher acting as consultant (Level 3).
9. Independently make a generalization of the new knowledge (Level 4).

138 International Journal of Process Education (February 2016, Volume 8 Issue 1)