# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Personally, I don't like to lecture during my lessons. Traditional methods of instruction are based on a lecture format where the teacher controls most, if not all, of the learning. Students have a passive role in their learning, entrusting the teacher to cultivate their mind. However, methods like Active Learning seek to put power into the student's hands. Students become instructors, advocates, and creators. Teachers become a facilitator instead of a lecturer, guiding student's thinking and providing them with the resources to achieve their goals.

This week, I explored Ms. Malhiot's American Revolution photoshop project, which can be found here. After reviewing the activity, I created a Padlet that summarized my findings and thoughts on the effectiveness of the activity. Below is a screenshot of my Padlet:

The American Revolution: It's Like We Were There!

Ms. Malhiot's activity was for students to photoshop themselves in a picture depicting a historical figure and/or event during the American Revolution. Students had to either photoshop their face or body into the graphic. Some students chose to add a dialogue bubble. A Quick Response, or "QR" code, is attached to the poster where the student can provide a brief description of their project. The QR code will take you to a platform called "AudioBoom" where students can record themselves providing a description of their project. Although the links are not valid on Ms. Malhiot's page anymore, the platform still exists. An example of the activity can be seen below:

I thought this activity was a great way to engage students because it uses multiple modalities of relaying information such as writing text, photoshopping images, and recording audio. However, as I mentioned in my Padlet, losing access to the Audioboom made the activity feel incomplete and photoshopping students making a silly face (as seen in the left photo) on an event that contained a high death toll can be seen as inappropriate. As a social studies teacher to middle schoolers, it can be difficult to navigate between novelty and seriousness. However, we need to be mindful of these things in order to create compassionate learners who are respectful to the history they are learning.

Aside from my critiques, I found this activity to be a great example of Active Learning. The students didn't simply learn about the event through lecture and move on. They had to understand the figures and events, their importance to history, and demonstrate their knowledge using the dialogue bubbles and audio file. On a mechanics level, they also had to learn how to photoshop their faces onto a graphic, learn how to record an audio file, and create a QR code. To me, this is an impressive feat for students and its a great way to get them to use technology with intent.

Integrating Active Learning

It is integral to keep Active Learning in mind when developing lessons. Active Learning fosters curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking by going beyond paying attention to a traditional lecture. Students need opportunities to experiment with different activities/products and discover their strengths along the way. In addition, many of the Active Learning activities depend on communication and demonstration. These two skills are vital to creating effective presenters and debaters.

It can seem overwhelming to think about incorporating Active Learning on top of all the other demands educators are faced with. Luckily, the University of Minnesotacreated a graphic depicting Active Learning activities from "simple" to "complex". The graphic, which is featured below, helped me generate ideas when I was creating lesson plans:

My Experience with Active Learning

Using the graphic above, I noted that I have used several methods of Active Learning. My go-to activities are usually a Think-Pair-Share or Case Studies. If I have more time to plan an activity, I love to do Jigsaw Discussions, Active Review sessions (i.e. Quizziz, Gimkit, and Kahoot), and Inquiry Learning. While I have not experimented with it yet, I have seen a rise in " virtual fieldtrips" due to remote learning. This would be a cost effective way to have students have an experiential learning "trip"!

I spent some time looking at past lessons and compiled examples of Active Learning for this blog! You can access my activities (some with student's work) by clicking on the hyperlinks:

1. University of Minnesota. (2022). Active Learning. https://cei.umn.edu/teaching-resources/active-learning

2. Malhiot, K. (2015, May 5). The American Revolution: It's like we were there!. Ms.Malhiot's Math and Science Page. http://msmalhiot.weebly.com/blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Personally, I don't like to lecture during my lessons. Traditional methods of instruction are based on a lecture format where the teacher controls most, if not all, of the learning. Students have a passive role in their learning, entrusting the teacher to cultivate their mind.

# data[].attributes.body
§  http://zumpanotechlab.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-american-revolutionits-like-we-were.html

# data[].attributes.body
After students studied the American Revolution, they had to demonstrate their knowledge by incorporating their faces into events from the time period. Students not only had to edit their faces into the photos, but had to add dialogue or descriptions that would be accurate to the person and/or event they choose to photoshop themselves in.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The only AI-powered creative companion you'll ever need to grow your brand. Get it all done with Picsart's ultimate creative suite.

Get started for free

Design for every purpose

Start with a customizable template or from a blank canvas. However you begin, the end is a design that's all yours.

Get started for free

Get connected

Engage a creative community

Join our community of 150 million+ creators just like you. Picsart unlocks fresh creative avenues, empowering you to explore AI creation, share your ideas, and connect with others who share your interests in Spaces.

For mobile and web

On the web or on the go, create wherever inspiration strikes. It's flexibility and design power, always at your fingertips.

Get started on web

Also available for mobile:

Free Get started Craft exceptional content
Selection of free images, videos, and templates to create original content, without breaking the bank.

Learn about Plus

Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime.

Elevate your designs
Access to premium content and templates to level up your designs.

Learn about Pro

Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime.

Maximize creative efficiency
Full suite of powerful AI tools, with centralized billing and admin controls to scale as your business grows.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Picsart is the largest all-in-one creative platform of photo, video editing, and design tools. An ecosystem of free-to-use content and inspiration from other creators.

# data[].attributes.body
Some students find it difficult to pay attention to older eras because it is feels "too far in the past". Having them put their photos into old artwork depicting people and events bridges that divide. Having their face on their work also gives them a sense of accountability.
In a couple of the student's projects, they did a dialogue between them and a historical figure. This is a great way to encourage research so they knew the appropriate dialogue to exchange.

# data[].attributes.body
This activity is a great example of active learning because the lesson was not purely a lecture. The teacher may have had to have some time to lecture to provide context. However, then the students had to summarize what they learned by acting as if they were in the American Revolution interacting with key figures like Henry Clay or Benedict Arnold.

# data[].attributes.body
I wish the teacher asked the students to print a transcription of their Audioboom in addition to having the Quick Response (QR) code. This way, they can reference their work throughout the year without having to scan the QR code each time.
I would also encourage educators to be mindful of photoshopping students onto pictures of historical figures and/or events given the sensitive context of some of the events. For example, we must acknowledge the risk of being disrespectful when we photoshop non-Indigenous students onto Indigenous figures who had to suffer through colonization. Above all, we want to avoid making war into a novelty. It definitely is a hard balance at times.

# data[].attributes.body
Students not only had to understand the American Revolution, but they had to put themselves in the colonist's perspective. This is a skill that is difficult for some students, so this activity is great practice for building perspective-based thinking.

# data[].attributes.body
Students could have recorded a Flip video and acted as news reporters during the American Revolution. There is also a journaling prompt in the "Resources" column.