I love your observation about your own switching time! It reminds me of a paper by Martella et. al. my journal club read last term about how much active learning is too much active learning, which was interpreted in part using cognitive load theory. It also makes me think about distraction, and the switching time to come back to task after any attempt at multitasking in class. It seems to me that more frequent active learning would also help reduce distraction, in part because there would simply be less time for it, but I observe that for longer, non-synchronous class activities, the students who finish quickly often turn to some type of off-topic activity after they finish (my context is 200-person intro college astronomy).
Thank you for sharing this paper! Very interesting results. I do wonder if the results hold true in a classroom setting, especially one that engages students in peer-peer discussion.
Interestingly, we're halfway through the semester and I no longer experience an obvious switching time when my instructor puts up Think-Pair-Share questions. So that's interesting - I've adjusted to my instructor's lecture pattern and I find it's much easier to switch between listening and doing now (though we never "pair" for the Think-Pair-Share activities, so I can't speak to how easy it is to transition in and out of those mini-discussions with peers).
I love your observation about your own switching time! It reminds me of a paper by Martella et. al. my journal club read last term about how much active learning is too much active learning, which was interpreted in part using cognitive load theory. It also makes me think about distraction, and the switching time to come back to task after any attempt at multitasking in class. It seems to me that more frequent active learning would also help reduce distraction, in part because there would simply be less time for it, but I observe that for longer, non-synchronous class activities, the students who finish quickly often turn to some type of off-topic activity after they finish (my context is 200-person intro college astronomy).
You inspired me to revisit the Martella paper; helpful summaries are here: https://michellemillerphd.substack.com/p/r3-25-april-1-2024-a-new-look-at and here: https://teaching-community.monash.edu/teaching_approach/
Thank you for sharing this paper! Very interesting results. I do wonder if the results hold true in a classroom setting, especially one that engages students in peer-peer discussion.
Interestingly, we're halfway through the semester and I no longer experience an obvious switching time when my instructor puts up Think-Pair-Share questions. So that's interesting - I've adjusted to my instructor's lecture pattern and I find it's much easier to switch between listening and doing now (though we never "pair" for the Think-Pair-Share activities, so I can't speak to how easy it is to transition in and out of those mini-discussions with peers).