Engaging audiences with innovative pedagogies

Every event, whether it is a teaching session, meeting or seminar, aims to inspire participants with new ideas and learning opportunities. In our ACES project, we have experimented with innovative pedagogical methods in classroom teaching, e-learning platforms, webinars, and project meetings. Our pedagogies are based on Kavanaugh’s Learning Arches design model (2019), and we have also applied the transformative learning process’s 7Cs. In this article, we share our experiences using these techniques.

What is a Learning Arch?

The Learning Arch consists of the three following phases (Kavanaugh 2019).

• Set: Create a favourable atmosphere for learning and spark interest in the topic.
• Hold: Delve into the topic through various tasks and discussions.
• Land: Conclude the lesson by reflecting on what has been learned and ensuring that the key points have been retained.

Every teacher is proficient with the Hold activities, which include a variety of lectures, exercises and group work. However, we always need to actively remember that students rush into our classroom from various places and situations. The Set activities help students acclimate to the learning environment properly. Even when starting a lesson in an asynchronous web course, the student needs to set themselves for the learning. Setting is also important at meetings, as it is beneficial to get everyone into a favourable mood for the topic at hand.

If lessons and meetings always seem to end in a rush, the Land activities may be of help. This means reserving enough time to properly conclude a session. As teachers we know that good reflection deepens learning and should be incorporated into our lessons. Landing a meeting also enhances understanding.

The 7 Cs of transformative learning

Transformative learning is a process that profoundly changes the way individuals perceive and interact with the world. Central to this approach is the 7C model, which outlines seven key principles (Conole 2014).

1. Connection: Building relationships and fostering a sense of belonging among learners.
2. Conditions: Clarifying working practices to create an environment conducive to learning.
3. Context: Illuminating the learning process by situating it within relevant frameworks.
4. Content: Engaging deeply with the subject matter to facilitate understanding.
5. Craft: Enhancing learning challenges through experimentation and practical application.
6. Character: Encouraging initiative and personal responsibility in the learning journey.
7. Confidence: Building self-assurance and ownership of one’s learning process.

In this model, it is essential to recognize that the learning process does not commence directly with content engagement. Instead, it begins with the initial phases of connection, conditions, and context, which set the foundation for effective transformative learning.

When combining the Learning Arches with the 7Cs, set activities are included to connect students to the topic, to clarify what will be done during the learning session, and to provide some context for the topic. Only then the process may move on to content and practical applications (Craft) which is part of the hold phase of the arch. The Land activities can include the last Cs by encouraging students to take personal responsibility (Character) on learning and building confidence.

Best practices for an encouraging learning atmosphere

For accounting and business teachers, our subject matter is often quite traditional, but also very practical. In our classes, we typically conduct lectures, perform calculations, or engage in business simulations. Sometimes this is done in a traditional teaching setting, other times in smaller or bigger project groups.

We often dive into the topic quickly as we have a lot to cover, which sometimes leaves us short of time at the beginning and the end of our lessons. However, we have come to understand that the effectiveness of a lecture, meeting or seminar will increase by taking time for an encouraging learning atmosphere at the beginning and time for reflection at the end.

We have implemented various approaches in our classes, and the ones below are our favourites.

Fun Fact Quiz is suitable at the end of a lesson. The class is divided into teams of about five students with the aim to write down three small things they learned during the lesson. The idea is to find something so detailed that it is not found on the other teams’ notes. The fun facts are then reviewed. Or if time is short, the aim is finding just one thing to share. This exercise helps review what was learned, but sometimes it reveals misunderstandings of the topics covered during the lesson.

Memory Game is an exercise suitable for a series of lessons. Each session starts by having students put away their materials and giving them one minute to write down all the key terms they remember from the previous lesson. The lists are then compared with a partner and the relevance of each term is explained. Alternatively, a word cloud can be created by collecting students’ keywords online and discussing them together as a class.

Post-it Method is a traditional but always effective method. At the beginning of a lesson, students write their intentions on a post-it note and bring the notes to the board. Intentions can be reviewed together at the beginning or alternatively, at the end of the lesson by reviewing whether the intentions were achieved. The exercise can also be used at the end of a lesson by writing one important thing learned on the note. When the notes are discussed, learning reflection happens simultaneously.

Snowball Fight with Paper Balls works in all phases (set – hold – land). Using this activity in the beginning of the lesson, students write their learning goals on paper, or at the end, their most important insight. The questions can be adapted. Then the papers are crumpled into balls, and a ‘snowball fight’ is held, where both students and the teacher throw the balls at each other. After a few minutes, everyone picks up a ball and reads it aloud. This playful activity breaks the ice and brings fun to learning (and teaching). If the exercise is done at the end of the lesson, the teacher gets an understanding of what the students actually remember and what could be reviewed. Additionally, the snowball fight gets the body moving and the blood circulating, which is refreshing the middle of any session.

Truth or Lies is a fun and engaging activity that promotes student interaction. Each student shares two truths and one lie, while their peers guess which statement is false. To tie this activity to a lesson topic, have students incorporate subject-related facts from the discussion. At the end of the lesson, they can challenge each other by stating one truth or lie, encouraging their peers to debate and justify what is correct or incorrect.

Engaged and curious students learn

We recommend everyone to experiment with new pedagogies, regardless of the type of event you are planning. Incorporating a structured approach to planning the learning event can benefit both beginners and experienced teachers. Trying out new techniques not only keeps the learning experience fresh and engaging for students but also helps educators grow and adapt to different teaching environments.

Applying different methods help keeping students engaged, sparking their curiosity, and preventing boredom. Many websites offer ready-made exercises for the different phases of the Learning Arch. The ACES project’s partner, the social network Impact Hub, uses methods from the Art of Hosting website. We encourage the sharing of ideas among fellow teachers.

Wrapping up this article, we leave the reader with a set-challenge: What key takeaway from this article will you apply to engage your next audience?

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