Professional Action Learning
Professional Action Learning (PAL) is a learning methodology used at Fremont College. PAL was developed over the course of Dr. Sabrina Kay’s Master’s Degree and doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Education and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. PAL is designed to make use of the operating concepts behind the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) and action learning methods to determine students’ learning strengths and actively engage students in the learning process.
Steps involved in PAL
As practiced in the classroom, PAL involves a six-step process:
1) Content delivery via lectures, textbooks, anecdotes, and current events.
2) Questioning dialogue based on class content.
3) Group discussion: students collaborate in small groups on topics and projects.
4) Teachback, in which students take different roles and present group project results.
5) Final reflective summary: students complete journals, exams, and papers.
6) Students’ work becomes a part of the school’s learning archive and becomes future content.