Hello colleagues, Have you heard the term "naive tasks"? I came across this term recently when reading about the debate between lecturing and active learning. (By the way, active learning wins the day. Check out the link below if you want to read the January 15, 2019, article by David Goodblar.)
According to Becky Supiano,"Naïve tasks require students to make a decision about a real problem, then reflect on and discuss their reasoning. They stretch students by asking them to predict a result, rather than simply describe one that’s laid out in front of them." An example of a naive task would be asking students to discuss a fairly complex issue before they learn about it through reading, viewing a video, or listening to the teacher give a mini lecture on the content. Another example might be to give learners a quiz to answer either before or during reading, viewing or listening to the content.
The goal of naive tasks is to spark learners' curiosity, so they are more motivated to deeply engaged with the content. This strategy makes a world of sense to me. I'd love to hear what others think.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP
"How one teaching expert activates students' curiosity" by Becky Supiano
"Is it ever okay to lecture?" by David Goodblar
Members who are interested in the pros and cons of lecturing vs active learning may want to check out these two previous discussions on LINCS.
Comments
This sounds like an activity I’ve used called Agree/Disagree/Why or Anticipation Guides. Students are given a few statements based on what they are about to read. Students work in groups to decide if they agree or disagree with the statements. The members of each group must reach consensus. Then the groups report out on what they decided and why. After students read the text(s), they revisit the statements to see if they changed their thinking, and why. Controversial topics work well for this. I’ve created one on Japanese internment camps during WWII that I’ve used for workshops. Folks don’t know what they will be reading about until after they’re done with the Agree/Disagree/Why activity. Here are a few of the statements I use: In wartime, it is clear who the enemy is., People from other countries who have become American citizens are more likely to be loyal to the U.S. than to their country of origin., It is wise to put restrictions on immigrants from countries we are at war with even after they have become American citizens. There are always lively discussions among the participants.
Thanks for telling us how you have used "naive tasks," Di. You mention Anticipation Guides, and I agree that using an Anticipation Guide is a great example of a "naive task.". I have used Anticipation Guides and adaptations of Anticipation Guides -- similar to your description of questions for discussion before reading, viewing or listening to a text-- many times and found them to be powerful tools for activating learners' curiosity and deepening their learning.
Here is an example of an Anticipation Guide I used with a Newsela article on "zero waste." This activity was part of a unit on the environment. I'm including not only the statements drawn from the article, but also directions for the task, which required learners to interact with one another, and to cite evidence from the text.
Directions: Before reading the article about Zero Waste(1) READ the statements below and DECIDE if the statement is TRUE or FALSE.
(2) TALK with one or two partners about your answers. It’s okay if your answers are different because you will
(3) LISTEN TO and READ the article and then
(4) ANSWER the questions again.
(5) HIGHLIGHT the evidence in the article.
(6) DISCUSS the questions again with your partner. Did your answers change?
(7) SHOW your partner where you found evidence in the article for your answers.
ARE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE?
A. Nature does not create waste.
B. Oxygen is waste from animals.
C. Carbon dioxide is waste from plants.
D. Plants make food with light from the sun.
E. A refillable glass bottle is an example of zero waste.
F. Composting is important for zero waste.
G. Food scraps can provide nutrients for the soil.
Check out this link to find an explanation for how to create an Anticipation Guide as well as a template.
It would be great to hear from others about different versions of naive tasks.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP