It is helpful to think of active learning as an approach to instruction in which students actively engage the material they study through reading, writing, talking, listening, and reflecting.  Active learning stands in contrast to traditional instruction in which teachers lecture and students are passive.

 

     The University of Wisconsin's Teaching and Learning Center describes the difference this way:  "Think of the difference between a jar that's filled and a lamp that's lit. In the former case, liquid is poured into an empty vessel–an apt metaphor for the traditional educational paradigm in which students sit passively in a classroom and absorb the knowledge transmitted by an expert.   A growing body of research has made it clear, however, that the overall quality of teaching and learning is improved when students have ample opportunities to clarify, question, apply, and consolidate new knowledge. In this case, instructors create opportunities for students to engage new material, serving as guides to help them understand and apply information. They help "light the lamp" of student learning."  (Unversity of Wisconsin Center for Teaching and Learning, 2013)

 

     Wittrock's (1992)  generative learning strategies--discussed in other parts of this website--provide a basis for the activities that together comprise active learning.   Research has shwon that active learning has resulted in improved critical thinking skills, increased retention and transfer of new information, increased motivation, and improved interpersonal skills.

 

     This does not mean that we abandon the lecture format, it is still a very efficient means for transferring knowledge--particularly with a highly motivated group of students.    Lecturers who use active learning often break from the lecture--perhaps as frequently as every 15 to 30 minute--to have students actively construct answers or talk about concepts.  They may ask students to respond to a question, to summarize important concepts in writing, or compare notes with a partner.   At EVMS we often use groups or dyads when we have students work together. 

 

 

Click on the button for a description of some of the basic elements of active learning followed by guidelines for using them in your classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

 

University of Wisconsin Center for Teaching and Learning. (2013). What is active learning?   Retrieved December 23, 2013, from http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/active/what/index.html

 

Wittrock, M. C. (1992). Generative learning processes of the brain. Educational Psychologist, 27(4), 531-541.