Abstract:

The idea to incorporate active learning and student-centered techniques across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics was in focus much earlier than in the modern times of crisis caused by COVID19. The necessity to shift to fully distance education led us to highlight practices that engage students in educational activities as effectively as possible. It is necessary to keep students engaged during on-line classes, make them active participants, and implement the motivational function of the class – the development of cognitive interest in the discipline.

We are to discuss some of the commonly used active learning techniques that we practiced in teaching physics and mathematics to first- and second-year students of the Institute of Physics and Technology in Petrozavodsk State University.

Here, according to one of the existing approaches, we define active learning as task activities that students complete during class time. We used such virtual learning environments as Zoom, Moodle, and Blackboard which provide on-line interaction and make it possible to implement the following in-class techniques of active distance learning.

The Think-Share technique is suitable both for lectures and practical classes in calculus. Students were assigned a short task of doing a computation, generating examples to illustrate a theorem or a definition, or formulating the conjecture of the theorem under consideration. After several minutes given to think, students shared their results with the whole class in a chat or a video report. On the one side, it encouraged students to participate actively in learning, on the other side, it helped to divert attention from a monotonous distance lecture.

Another pedagogical technique that focuses on learner-centered instruction is the flipped classroom. Distance courses, developed by the authors, contain lecture materials, glossary, examples, videos, and assigned readings. Students read the material in advance and used in-class time for such active learning tasks as preparing reports for seminar presentations, discussing some difficult theoretical aspects of a lecture course. The performance of virtual laboratory experiments does not allow all the functions of a laboratory practicum to be implemented, and the flipped classroom turned out to be especially useful for organizing laboratory classes in physics in the distance format. In the article, the authors discuss possible ways to organize them.

Within problem-based learning, the authors provided the topics on which students were asked to prepare mini-research projects for seminar presentations. The report topics were developed at the intersection of physics and mathematical analysis in such a way that students integrated the knowledge acquired in these disciplines while preparing for a presentation. Also, to pose a problem and involve students in a problem-solving process, it appeared to be a successful experience to discuss video clips found on the Internet that contain physical inaccuracies and errors.

Active learning techniques have really proved particularly useful in modern circumstances, which is confirmed by student survey data. The applied techniques helped to keep students engaged in the educational process, make them an active part of it, enhance their personal capabilities, contributing to the formation of the required competencies, and providing an atmosphere of development of their creative potential.

Keywords:

Student engagement, distance learning, teaching physics and mathematics, think-share technique, flipped classroom, problem-based learning.