Designing Active Learning Guide

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Creating Active Learning Workshops for Shift & New Blood

• Recognise how adults learn best
• Distinguish between active and passive learning
• Discover insights to create workshops for New Blood & Shift learners
• Deconstruct learning outcomes to create aligned workshops

• Design and develop accessible and active workshops

By the end of this guide you will be able to...

Check out the benefits of active learning below:

Tools & Tips

Practice Activity

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Guide Overview

Last Page

This guide is designed to take you through the design and developement process for active learning workshops. We recommend you follow the sections in order and grab a pen and paper to complete the practice activities. Below, you will find the key icons used to navigate through this guide.

Develop Step

Design Step

Design & Develop Process

Active Learning

Guide Overview

Experiential Learning Cycle

Active Learning

How Humans Learn

Active Learning

Thinking

Doing

How Humans Learn

The Domains of Learning developed by Benjamin Bloom teaches us all humans learn through thinking, feeling or doing or a combination of all these. For this guide, we will be using the thinking and doing domains for breaking down learning outcomes and creating active learning workshops. Check out the video and click the icons below to learn how the Bloom’s Taxonomy can be applied to your workshops.

70/30 PRINCIPLE

How to ApplY

Active Learning

Active learning encourages the learner to engage actively with what is being taught rather than passively receiving through sitting quietly and listening. This can be achieved through activities such as group discussion, role play, or experimentation. Learning is most effective when it involves practical application and problem-solving that can be applied to real-world situations. Check out the video and click the buttons for some tips to apply to your workshop.

How to ApplY

Experiential Learning Cycle

David Kolb's Cycle of Learning is a framework that describes the process of learning through direct experience. Learners don't simply pass through each stage once; rather, they cycle through these stages repeatedly, building upon previous experiences to deepen their understanding. Check out video and click the button below to learn how this cycle contributes to a more effective learning experience.

Design & Develop Process

Accessibility in Learning

Multi-Channel Learning

Design & Develop Principles

Now that you have an understanding of active learning, the remainder of this guide will take you through the design and develop steps. Rooted in design thinking, this process keeps the learner at the centre of the process. There are three key steps to create an active workshop. Click the buttons for a summary of each step

Design & Develop Process

Develop

Design

Discover

ACCESSIBILITY PRINCIPLES

TYPES OF BARRIERS

udl WEBSITE

ENGAGEMENT The "Why" of Learning

ACTION & EXPRESSION The "How" of Learning

Developed by CAST, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines provide learners equal opportunity to succeed by using a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning. It address the "why", "what" and "how" of learning by building in flexibility into the learning experience to allow for adjustments to every learner's strengths and needs. Check out the icons and buttons to learn more about how you can apply UDL to your workshop design and development process

Accessibility in Learning

REPRESENTATION The "What" of Learning

Physicality

Reasoning

Sound

Vision

Click on the icons for examples you can use in your workshop.

Multi-channel learning involves using different sensory channels to explain concepts and allow for appropriate practice and application. Higher education and corporate training traditionally rely on one or two channels (i.e. visual and auditory) to deliver a presentation. It is important to engage the all channels in the learning process as individuals often use more than one style while learning.

Multi-Channel Learning

Discover the Talent

Define Learning Needs

Design Building Blocks

Design Step

Step One

NEW BLOOD

Shift

You should have a good understanding of the characteristics, needs, and goals of new and emerging talent looking to enter the creative commercial industry. This includes their prior knowledge, skills and experiences, learning preferences, and motivations. By completing this step, your content will be accurate, up-to-date, and meet the needs of your target learner. Take some time to research New Blood or Shift to apply an empathetic lens to understanding their challenges and needs.

Discover the Talent

Bridging the Creativity Gap

Future Creatives Report

For more information about New Blood, click on the icons below:

New Blood Awards

New Blood Academy

New Blood Fesitval

New Blood Talent

The New Blood Awards are a great opportunity for advertising, design, digital and marketing students, recent graduates and emerging creatives to "respond to real briefs, set by real clients, judged by the industry's top creatives".

Role: Postgraduate Student Age: 25 Language: English Location: Canada

Role: Undergraduate Student Age: 21 Language: English Location: United Kingdom

Practice Activity

We have created some example learner personas for you to get a sense of our New Blood Talent. Click on each picture to learn more and complete the practice activity.

Will

Aisha

New Blood Learner Personas

About Shift

Shift LONDON

Shift GERMANY

Shift SYDNEY

Shift NEW YORK

Shift SÃO PAULO

Shift

The Shift programme is on a mission to #ShiftCreativity by helping self-taught creatives entering the commercial creative industry from outside traditional pathways to SHIFT their creative talent into career-making skills. The next page shows examples of learner personas for Shift talent that you can use to create your workshop. For more information about Shift , click on the icons below:

Role: Unemployed Age: 22 Language: English Location: Sydney

Role: Employed part-time Age: 20 Language: English Location: New Jersey

We have created some example learner personas for you to get a sense of our Shift Talent. Click on each picture to learn more and complete the practice activity.

Practice Activity

Mia

Jamal

Shift Learner Personas

Step Two

Practice Activity

For this step, we will be referring back to Bloom's Taxonomy and the six levels of the thinking domain. You will take what you have learned from the your research to evaluate the learning needs from low to high order thinking (LOTS to HOTS). Your learner will have beginner to advanced levels of knowledge and skills, and beginner levels of direct experience in the industry. The goal of this step is to take each learning outcome to identify any gaps in knowledge in skills.

Define Talent's Learning Needs

Blooms Verbs & Activitiies

Step Three

HOTS

LOTS

EXPERIENCE L5: EVALUATE L6 CREATE

SKILL L3: APPLY L4: ANALYSE

KNOWLEDGE L1: REMEMBER L2: UNDERSTAND

ACTIVITIES

CONTENT

ASSESSMENT/FEEDBACK

Practice Activity

Based on the learning needs, come up with content, activities, and real-world experiences with accessibility considerations and alignment to the learning outcomes (LOs). The main parts of the learning experience are broken down into four main components that you will use to design, develop and deliver your action-based workshop. After breaking down your building blocks, brainstorm and sort all potential content, activities, assessment and feedback related to learning outcome.

Design Building Blocks

2 - 3 hours

60 to 90 minutes

30 to 45 minutes

Develop Step

Due to time constraints, only the most essential content can be covered within this timeframe.

• Start with an engaging introduction to set the context and capture learners’ attention.

• Concise discussions, focusing on key points and takeaways.

• Use interactive techniques such as small group discussions, polls, or quick problem-solving exercises to encourage active and social learning.

• Provide clear instructions and time limits for each activity to ensure efficient use of time.

• Provide learners with short case studies or scenarios and ask them to analyse the situation, identify key issues, and solutions.

30 to 45 Minute Workshop Considerations

With the extra time, a broader range of subtopics can be covered, providing a more holistic understanding of the core content:

• Provide learners with short case studies and ask them to analyse the situation, identify key issues, and solutions.

• Divide learners into small groups and assign them different roles or scenarios related to the workshop topic. They can act out the scenarios and discuss the outcomes.

• Present learners with a real-life problem or challenge and ask them to brainstorm and propose solutions within a limited time frame.

• Allocate sufficient time for participants to discuss and reflect on the concepts or skills being taught.

60 to 90 Minute Workshop Considerations

Allows for a thorough exploration of the core content. more in-depth discussions and reflections on the topics covered:

• Create a simulated environment or scenario where learners can apply their knowledge and skills.

• Organise a debate or panel discussion on a thought-provoking topic related to the workshop content.

• Provide learners with materials or equipment to conduct hands-on demonstrations or experiments related to the workshop topic.

• Provide opportunities for learners to reflect on their experiences and connect them to real-life situations.

• Incorporate at least two breaks to maintain energy and focus throughout the workshop.

• Allocate time for Q&A sessions to address questions and concerns.

2 to 3 Hour Workshop Considerations

Get to Know Aisha

Learning Environment/Location

Barriers to Learning

Expectations & Perceptions of Learning Experience

Goals & Aspirations

Educational Background

Get to Know Will

Barriers to Learning

Learning Environment/Location

Expectations & Perceptions of Learning Experience

Goals & Aspirations

Educational Background

Trainer/Leader

• My sessions are fairly hands-on with some skills practice

• I stand up front 60 - 80% of the time, but much more moving around and involvement with learners

• I am open to questions being asked at the end or throughout the workshop.

• I believe the best delivery is through providing knowlegdge, having a discussion and a debrief afterwards

Ideally, you should aim for 70% active and 30% passive learning content and activities.

Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning is a theory suggesting that we learn best when we are actively engaged in the learning process. When we are passively listening to a lecture, for example, we are only engaging our lower levels of thinking (remember and understand). However, if we are actively participating in a discussion or working on a hands-on project, we are engaging all six levels of learning.

Learning by Doing

Inspired by Bloom, Elizabeth Simpson's Psychomotor domain focuses on the development of physical and motor skills which help people to perform daily tasks in work and life. There are seven areas which outline the progression of mastery of a skill from observation to an original creation. Hover over each square to see examples of instructional active verbs for each area of this domain.

Learning By Doing

Origination

Adaptation

Complex overt response

Mechanism

Guided response

Set

Perception

For each LO, assess on the LOTS to HOTS scale to determine the appropriate level of knowledge, skill and experience for the workshop. See the example

Bloom's Action Verbs

Use Blooms’s Thinking Domain to break down the learning outcomes' (LO) action verbs into the building blocks for your workshop. Click the button to see some examples.

Example

Building Your Blocks

Click the buttons below to learn more about additional considerations for accessibility:

Minimise Cognitive Overload

Visual Design Principles

Accessibility Principles

Whole-Brain Learning

Get to Know Mia

Learning Environment/Location

Barriers to Learning

Expectations & Perceptions of Learning Experience

Goals & Aspirations

Educational Background

Bloom's Tool

After conducting your research, ask yourself:Where are the learners now and where do you want them to be by the end of the session?Identify where the learners are now and where they need to get to and then fill in the gaps with the correct LO:

• Learning Outcome:

• Entry Level: Level where you think talent is now

• Beginner, Intermediate, Expert in topic

• Target Level: Level where talent needs to be by the end of the session

• Level 1 through 6 (Aquired knowledge, skill or experience)

Analysis of Learner’s Needs

Observe learning to expand perspective, develop different points of view, and drawing new meanings.

Apply new knowledge or skills to a new situation and use intuition to solve problems with support and guidance.

Acting

Reflecting

Think deeply on feeling before, during and after learning experience.

Come up with creative and unusual original ideas or modify existing concepts.

Experiencing

Continous Experiential Learning Cycle

Thinking

Bloom’s Taxonomy of thinking skills is used to create learning outcomes for the session detailing what learners should know and be able to do by the end of the session. There are six different levels and the goal is to move learners from lower- to higher-order thinking through developing their knowledge, skills and experience.

• Level 1 - 2: Knowledge

• Remembering and understanding information

• Level 3 - 4: Skills

• Applying and analysing information

• Level 5 - 6: Experience

• Evaluating and creating something new based on old information

Learning by Thinking

Lecturer/Information Sharer

• There is little to no hands-on application from the learner, just a transfer of knowledge.

• I stay up front 90 - 100% of the time.

• I prefer questions to be asked at the end of the workshop as a debrief.

• I believe that formal delivery is the best way to impart knowedge and facts through presentation and vsual aids.

Examples of Active Learning Activities

• Gamification

• Guided Practice

• Quizzes and Polls

• Brainstorming Sessions

• Case Studies

• One Minute Reflections

• Learning through Play

• Role Play

• Debates & Discussions

• Group Projects

• Peer to Peer Teaching

• Think-Pair-Share

• Specific learning differences

• Learning style preferences

• Learner’s experience with technology

• Learner’s prior experience with topic

• Previous experiences with learning (formal or informal)

Accessibilitity Considerations

There may be potential barriers to a learners' experience in a course or session such as:

Facilitator/Coach

• I prefer questions to be asked throughout the workshop.

• I move around the room, and become 'part of the group'.

• My sessions are entirely hands-on and full of active learning.

• I believe the best delivery is through peer to peer learning and shared experiences.

Get to Know Jamal

Learning Environment/Location

Barriers to Learning

Expectations & Perceptions of Learning Experience

Goals & Aspirations

Educational Background

After conducting your research and reflecting on what you have learned, ask yourself:

Analysis of Learner’s Needs

How is the course topic related to the learners’ professional goals and motivations?

What does success look like once learners have completed the workshop?

What are your learners needs and expectations for a workshop?

What are the key knowledge, skills and experiences that learners must demonstrate after completing the workshop?

After conducting your research and reflecting on what you have learned, ask yourself:

Analysis of Learner’s Needs

How is the course topic related to the learners’ professional goals and motivations?

What does success look like once learners have completed the workshop?

What are your learners needs and expectations for a workshop?

What are the key knowledge, skills and experiences that learners must demonstrate after completing the workshop?