Active Learning

When students just sit and listen to a classroom lecture that is called passive learning. However, when you engage them in an activity that reinforces the lesson and promotes individual observations and skills in higher thinking, this is called active learning. This particular technique is derived from the assumption that people learn in a variety of ways and that learning itself is an active process.

It is important to note that there is a time and place for active learning just as there is a time and place for a lecture or teacher discussion. The active portion of learning requires mapped out content and objectives so that the teacher does not lose control of the class. Students become engaged because they are doing more than just listening to a lecture. Through reading, writing and discussions of various subject matters, students can explore cerebrally, analyzing and evaluating different thoughts and ideas in an open forum.

One active learning technique that has shown some success is brainstorming answers. Students are given a problem to analyze on their own for a few minutes before pairing up with another student to brainstorm some more. Then, the problem is opened up to the class with the students providing input.

Other active learning techniques include student led discussions, test questions created by students and even collaborative learning groups. Sometimes a video pertinent to the subject matter at hand is presented and the class can evaluate it and present their theories and such. Games, puzzles and more are other types of active learning that engage students and open up new avenues of critical thinking and evaluation.

Mapping out ideas, analyzing case studies and even participating in student debates are types of learning activities that require active participation. Studies have shown that participating actively in class like in one of the above listed scenarios has actually produced higher levels of learning and understanding.