I chose to do my peer review on Brain Breaks

Hello Brain Breaks group! 

I found your slide three, “know, wonder, learn chart”, to be very effective in following your constructivist approach by stimulating the learner to incorporate pre-existing knowledge into their mental processing of the learning resource. However, when working through slide three, I also noticed that a brief description was provided for what the learner was supposed to include for “know” and “wonder”; however, for “learn”, it seems to me that it is missing a descriptor? Considering that your learning context is geared towards a younger audience (elementary and middle school) that may require more direction, it might be good to include information on how and when students should engage with the “learn” column. 

     On another note, I really liked the placement of the response activity on slide six. Through my schooling experience, I have found that activities and applications usually begin once all the material is provided. However, I find your use and placement ensures that students are reinforcing and solidifying ideas when they are still fresh in their minds and before they have experienced too much of an overload of information. One thing you might want to consider to help make slide six even more effective is using a form of media that has higher ease of use than email (possibly a link to Padlet?). The reason is that elementary students most likely don’t have email addresses, which may create more barriers and challenges for younger students to effectively and smoothly engage with this part of the activity.

     Furthermore, I like how you guys included lots of reflection and application in the lesson. I think it’s a critical component of your second selected learning theory (cognitivism) as it helps learners process how they will organize, store and retrieve the information for future use. However, it looks like all the reflection and applications will be done individually? I think our working memory is very limited, and constant individual-based work may cause cognitive overload (“What impact,” 2022). Therefore, including some group activities may better help students transfer the lesson material to long-term memory through its sharing of perspectives, thought processes, and enhanced communication (“What impact,” 2022).  

     Overall I was incredibly impressed with the effort that went into developing this learning resource. Your detail and coverage of the material are extensive, allowing the students to build a firm grasp on the desired learning outcomes. Furthermore, you presented the information in an inspiring way that encouraged the learner to be a more active participant in their learning process. My mom is a middle school teacher, and your work is something I would gladly pass along to her – with your permission, of course! 

Citations 


InnerDrive Ltd. (2022, March 3). What impact does group work have on cognitive load? Inner Drive. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://blog.innerdrive.co.uk/impact-of-group-work-on-cognitive-load