Active learning involves students participating in the learning process, rather than just listening to lectures. Techniques include asking questions, group work, and written assignments. It can be used for all ages and subjects, and encourages critical thinking and retention of information.
Active learning techniques encourage students to be involved in the learning process and to participate regularly in the classroom in order to facilitate learning. Rather than simply sitting in their seats and listening to the lecture, active learning involves them in the process, making it more likely that they will retain and apply the information learned. Some of the most common active learning techniques involve asking questions of the class, requiring students to work in partnerships and sharing information, and asking them to summarize what they have just learned in a one-page written assignment or journal.
While specifics will require modifications based on class age groups and topics covered, active learning techniques can be effective for students of all ages, from elementary school to college. Many teachers will employ these techniques directly in the lecture. For example, giving lectures for a brief period of time in class and then pausing to ask a few questions about what was covered, and randomly inviting students to answer them, requires students to be actively involved and take notes. After a lecture or presentation, instructors have even more opportunities to use various types of active learning techniques.
One of the theories behind active learning is to have students put what they have learned in their own words and apply it to existing knowledge and critical thinking skills. As a result, instructors often employ cooperative learning as an active learning method and place students in pairs or small groups, ask a question, and ask students to discuss and resolve an answer. This could lead to a class discussion in which all groups should participate, reinforcing the information they just learned. If possible, practical activities can also be carried out.
Some active learning techniques can be applied independently. Students may receive a pop quiz upon entering class, based on last night’s assignments. They may be asked to keep a journal, reflecting on what they learned, or write a brief one-page summary of what was covered in the day’s lecture, to be turned in at the end of the class. Asking students to think or ask themselves questions about what they find unclear is not only a great way to get students to really think about the material and read more carefully, but also to provide the instructor with clues about what they or she needs to cover more in depth.
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