5 Practical education

In many cases it is difficult to carry out practical or skill-based training online. In preparation for learning a skill, it is possible to guide the student through a number of steps prior to the actual action or skill. For example, by having them analyse videos of others performing the same action or by working with case studies.

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Didactics and execution

According to Marzano (in Ebbens & Ettekoven, 2005, p.34), learning skills follows these steps: 

  1. Do it
  2. Make your own
  3. Automatise

Use existing practical examples

Search in professional media libraries for existing visual material such as animated or reenacted situations or experiments. Often publishers of study material have suitable online material available. The school library and staff can also help you with this. It is also useful to see which (360’) videos are already available on Youtube. Using FeedbackFruits Interactive Video (see 3.) you can add questions before or after crucial moments to direct attention.

Offer your own practical examples

In the context of "doing it" you could make a video yourself (See the options in 1. Record lecture) or broadcast live (for manuals see the options in 2. Interactive lecture). Make sure that you film from the perspective of the person presenting it. The student must be able to see which actions you are performing in order to learn the skill. Next, you could discuss the critical moments when performing the skill with the group.  In the context of "making your own", you could optionally ask students to film themselves while performing a skill. These videos could be exchanged within the group with the assignment to give each other general feedback on the critical points.  "Automation" is difficult to do online. For skills where the student needs little or no materials (think of bandaging a hand, supporting someone climbing stairs) you can ask the students to practice this at home to become skilful. If you ask a student who has a good command of the skill to record a video, you will have an instruction video for next year’s students.