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New Learning Approach

Experiential Learning & Authentic Assessment Project

 

 

Learning Scenario: Learning to speak in public

 

Part 1: The Experience

 

  1. Go to a Toastmasters meeting and participate fully as a guest. (Experiential event)

  2. Come back and decide what your goals are

  3. Make a note about why this is important to you

(Items 2 & 3 - Andragogy: Self-authoring goal setting, defining the thing that is relevant to you, identifying a problem to solve, etc.)

 

Post Experience Learning Activities

 

  1. Read the Instructions for the first 5 speeches in the Toastmaster’s Competent Communicator’s manual (Provides Cognitive frameworks, clear performance criteria, for speech structures and desired behaviors)

  2. Complete and deliver the first four speeches in the manual (Scaffolding: Each speech adds one new skill focus. Behavioral: You get public and well-structured, supportive feedback from an evaluator, positive and negative reinforcement, you are competing to win the best speech (positive (award) or negative feedback (losing) - this is also scaffolding. Connectivism is at play because you are in a network of people who are in a network of clubs and all this knowledge is potentially accessible to you.

  3. Be sure to collect, read and save all the Evaluation Forms completed by club members (Andragogy: active participation)

  4. Be sure to take good notes when you are formally evaluated by your speech evaluator, note:

  • What you did that worked (supports knowing what you know)

  • What areas you could develop in (identifies relevant personal goals and problems)

  • Any specific things that were suggested that you could do to improve your speech & your delivery (Andragogy: Active participation, scaffolding)

 

 

PART 2: Authentic Assessment - Process

 

Deliver Speech #5

  1. Have the evaluation form completed by everyone attending the meeting, especially the more experienced speakers and evaluators.

  2. Again, take good notes given by the person who delivered your Evaluation in front of the group and from the Evaluators written feedback in your Competent Communicators manual

 

 

Authentic Assessment Activities

 

Complete a self-assessment using

  • Using the Eight (8) Item Evaluation sheet provided at the Toastmasters meeting as an outline. Build it by synthesizing:

  • All previous assessments of your speeches by others

  • Your own personal assessment of where you are in each of the 8 Categories

 

Create your Development Plan

 

  1. Then review your self-assessment and pick three developmental areas that you want to work on

  2. Identify one activity you could do that would help you improve in each of these three areas area (Items 1 & 2incorporate: Self-direction & Active Learning)

  3. Discuss all your findings with an experienced Toastmaster from the club, whom you respect, and get their input on your goals and your activity plan to accomplish those goals. (Scaffolding by an MKO)

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