Most
definitions of active learning focus on two key components: “doing” and
“reflecting” --- involving students in doing things and thinking about what
they are doing.
However,
lecturing, a time-tested teaching method, remains the most frequent method of
instruction in education. It can prove masterful when offered by inspiring
teachers, who are also gifted orators. But too often students sit passively,
disconnected from the lecture. Nonetheless, because it provides a convenient
and efficient way to deliver content to large number of students, lecturing
persists.
On the other
hand, active learning is a crucial element of the new thrust towards what is
commonly called “learned-centred” teaching. If teachers desire increased
student learning, active learning is an essential component of effective
teaching.
When using
active learning, students are engaged in more activities than just listening.
They are involved in dialogue, debate, writing, and problem solving, as well as
higher-order thinking, e.g. analysis, synthesis, evaluation.
Active
learning is not busy work, but is purposeful instruction that guides students
towards learning outcomes. In recent years, numerous educators have studied and
measured the effectiveness of the traditional lecture method. Results
consistently show that students retain far fewer course concepts when sitting
passively listening than when they are actively engaged in the learning
process.
The lecture
is not eliminated entirely from active learning, rather the instructor lectures
for a shorter time. In practice, active learning refers to activities that are
introduced into the classroom. The core elements of active learning are student
activity and engagement in the learning process. Active learning is often
contrasted to the traditional lecture, where students passively receive
information from the instructor.
Active
learning can involve individual students in doing things and reflecting on what
they have done, or it can involve students working cooperatively in pairs or
groups. Some examples of active learning approaches include ‘Minute Papers’ –
indicating the most important thing learned and a point that remains unclear.
‘Direct Paraphrasing’ – putting a definition in their own words for a specific
audience. ‘Lecture Summaries’ – writing down the key points of materials,
covered earlier.
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