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Active learning, as the name suggests, is a process whereby learners are actively engaged in the learning process. This process if often contrasted against the "passivity" which occurs when observing a lecture.
Students who actively engage with the material are more likely to recall information later and be able to use that information in different contexts. However, adopting active learning does not mean eliminating the lecture format. Activities that encourage student involvement are incorporated into the teaching plan. Example activities include: class discussion, small group discussion, debate, posing questions to the class, short written exercises and polling the class.
Active learning often involves team-based learning, also known as cooperative learning, wherein partners or group members work together to solve problems. This ensures that students really understand the concepts being covered. Team learning is especially beneficial in that ‘weaker’ students are presented with the material from a source other than the professor (i.e. their partner/group mates) and ‘stronger’ students reinforce their knowledge by explaining the material to others.
Importance of active learning
Research has consistently shown that traditional lecture methods, in which professors talk and students listen, dominate college and university classrooms.
Many believe that all learning is inherently active and that students are therefore "actively involved" while listening to formal presentations in the classroom.
Research suggests that the use of active learning techniques may have a positive impact upon students' learning. For example, several studies have shown that students prefer strategies that promote active learning rather than traditional lectures. Other research evaluating students' achievement has demonstrated that many strategies promoting active learning are comparable to lectures in promoting the mastery of content but superior to lectures in promoting the development of students' skills in thinking and writing.
Further, some cognitive research has shown that a significant number of individuals have learning styles best served by pedagogical techniques other than lecturing. Development and implementation of these techniques requires that teachers become knowledgeable about active learning strategies and alternative approaches to instruction.
Incorporating active learning in the classroom
The modification of traditional lectures (Penner 1984) is one way to incorporate active learning in the classroom. Research has demonstrated, for example, that if an instructor allows students to consolidate their notes by pausing three times for two minutes each during a lecture, students will learn significantly more information (Ruhl, Hughes, and Schloss 1987). Two other simple yet effective ways to involve students during a lecture are to insert brief demonstrations or short, ungraded writing exercises followed by a class discussion.
Certain alternatives to the lecture format further increase students' level of engagement: (1) the feedback lecture, which consists of two minilectures separated by a small-group study session built around a study guide, and (2) the guided lecture, in which students listen to a 20- to 30-minute presentation without taking notes, followed by their writing for five minutes what they remember and spending the remainder of the class period in small groups clarifying and elaborating the material.
Discussion in class is one of the most common strategies used for promoting active learning. If the learning objectives of a course are to promote long-term retention of information, to motivate students toward further learning, to allow students to apply information in new settings, or to develop students' thinking skills, then discussion is preferable to lecture (McKeachie et al. 1986). Research has suggested, however, that to achieve these goals faculty must be knowledgeable of alternative techniques and strategies for questioning and discussion (Hyman 1980) and must create a supportive intellectual and emotional environment that encourages students to take risks (Lowman 1984).
Several additional strategies promoting active learning have been similarly shown to favorably influence students' attitudes and achievement. Visual-based instruction, for example, can provide a helpful focal point for other interactive techniques. In-class writing is another way to involve students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing. Two popular instructional strategies based on the problem-solving model include the case study method of instruction and Guided Design. Other active learning strategies include debates, drama, role playing and simulation, and peer teaching.
It may be implemented by giving students topics they could research and make papers about it.
Perceived barriers
Certain specific obstacles are associated with the use of active learning, including limited class time; a possible increase in preparation time; the potential difficulty of using active learning in large classes; and a lack of needed materials, equipment, or resources.
Perhaps the single greatest barrier of all, however, is the fact that faculty members' efforts to employ active learning involve risk--the risks that students will not participate, use higher-order thinking, or learn sufficient content, that instructors will feel a loss of control, lack necessary skills, or be criticized for teaching in unorthodox ways. Each obstacle or barrier and type of risk, however, can be successfully overcome through careful, thoughtful planning.
Some instructors find it difficult to change their teaching style to incorporate active learning because they have never done taught that way before. Choosing low-risk strategies can help. Short, well-planned exercises, focused on subject matter that is neither too abstract nor too controversial, and familiar to both the instructor and the students can allow an instructor to experiment with different strategies.
See also
Selected References
- Chickering, Arthur W., and Zelda F. Gamson. March 1987. "Seven Principles for Good Practice." AAHE Bulletin 39: 3-7. ED 282 491. 6 pp. MF-01; PC-01.
- Hyman, Ronald T. 1980. Improving Discussion Leadership. New York: Columbia Univ., Teachers College Press.
- Lorenzen, Michael. 2001. Active Learning and Library Instruction. Illinois Libraries, 83, no. 2: 19-24.
- Lowman, Joseph. 1984. Mastering the Techniques of Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- McKeachie, Wilbert J., Paul R. Pintrich, Yi-Guang Lin, and David A.F. Smith. 1986. Teaching and Learning in the College Classroom: A Review of the Research Literature. Ann Arbor: Regents of The Univ. of Michigan. ED 314 999. 124 pp. MF-01; PC-05.
- Penner, Jon G. 1984. Why Many College Teachers Cannot Lecture. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.
- Ruhl, Kathy L., Charles A. Hughes, and Patrick J. Schloss. Winter 1987. "Using the Pause Procedure to Enhance Lecture Recall." Teacher Education and Special Education 10: 14-18.
External links
- Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ERIC Digest. The original version of this article is from this public domain site.
- New Directions for Cooperative Education. ERIC Digest.
- The Essential Elements of Cooperative Learning in the Classroom. ERIC Digest.
- Active learning section of Geoff Petty's practical guide on improving teaching and learning.
- Active Learning and Library Instruction
"Active learning"