Introducing contemporary controversial subjects through a carousel
Introducing contemporary controversial subjects through a carousel
Dr Christina Magkoufopoulou
What is the idea?
A carousel is an interactive approach to teaching and learning. By introducing a carousel in a session, you allow students to move around different stations where different activities can take place. Although this idea can find applications in many formats, I have used this idea to introduce contemporary controversial subjects such as ethics and policies on genetic modification in a 2nd year undergraduate course.
Why this idea?
A carousel is a fun way to allow students to experience different activities during a single session. The type of learning that takes place in such an active-learning method could vary significantly depending on the type of activities designed at each station.
However, a carousel activity, when designed effectively, will align with the main principles of active and experiential learning. Students are taking a central role in their learning, but learning becomes collaborative as student interactions are encouraged. Through this process students are supported to practice, develop and reflect on their skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and communication (Wurdinger & Carlson, 2010).
When this idea takes place in a physical space, it also allows students to move from one station to another, allowing them to take a break and refocus for the next activity. The importance of the structure of active learning spaces has been explored extensively in the literature and it shows how the physical space, where such activities will occur, needs to be carefully considered (Nicol et al., 2017).
How could others implement this idea?
There are endless variations that could be used in a carousel, however there is a set of key considerations for designing stations and those are:
The aims of the session. Clearly defined aims are essential for further designing the activity. In this workshop, I wanted to raise students’ awareness of ethical issues around genetic modification, and to have the opportunity to discuss contemporary cases on genetic modification. This would further allow them to develop their skills in forming arguments and presenting their ideas to their peers.
Topic of each station. The selection of topics or mini-activities for each station need to be carefully considered, to avoid repetition and retain students’ interest. To that end, I designed 4 stations to discuss genetic modification of different organisms (i.e. plants, animals, micro-organisms and humans).
Number of students per station. The number of stations and number of students in class are strongly interlinked. You wouldn’t want to have a very small number of stations that end up being overcrowded, but neither a large number of stations, that will result in a very limited interactivity/discussion amongst peers. A recommended number of members per group is usually between 6-8.
Level of interactivity at each station. This is an important factor, as