What is active learning?
Active learning is about the variety of teaching methods offered to students that require them to actively contribute to the learning process. It goes beyond the passive transmission of knowledge and seeks to actively engage the mind, encouraging students to think critically.
Active learning can be defined as “a pedagogical approach that focuses more on developing students’ skills than on transmitting information and requires that students do something—read, discuss, write—that requires higher-order thinking” (Centre for Teaching, Vanderbilt University, 2016). This approach is rooted in constructivism, an educational theory that emphasises learners’ active construction of knowledge by building upon their existing understanding.
Fostering engagement and collaboration
Right from the start, students are engaged in their own education by reflecting on and monitoring the processes and the results of their learning. Additionally, a closely related theory —social constructivism— holds that active learning best takes place when the construction of knowledge occurs in collaboration with others. This involves creating a dynamic learning environment where students actively participate in constructing their understanding through tasks, interactions, and collaborations.
Benefits of active learning
- Engaging Students
By involving students in the learning process, active learning promotes their active participation, critical thinking skills, and motivation. It helps students connect their prior knowledge with new concepts, facilitating deep understanding and retention. This means that students learn more and remember more. - Inclusivity
Active learning promotes more equitable participation within the learning environment. Because more students are actively involved with the content in a variety of ways, it reduces the reliance on methods whereby only a few students are willing to volunteer their answers before their peers. This fosters a more inclusive learning environment as all students can engage with the content themselves, rather than passively observing others. Collaboration can also promote connection and a sense of community among the students, which enhances a sense of belonging as well as motivation. - Developing skills
The learning activities from active learning foster the development of important skills for students. These skills include taking initiative, being action oriented, collaboration and communication. The activities provide learning opportunities for students to practice these skills, which they will need in their future jobs as well. - Feedback on your students learning
The active learning activities offer feedback on your students’ learning progress. These formative assessment opportunities allow you to identify the areas they grasp well and those that require further explanation. It also provides students with insight into their own understanding of the material.
References
- Barkley, E. F. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. Jossey-Bass.
- Centre for Teaching, Vanderbilt University. (2016). Active Learning | Center for Teaching | Vanderbilt University
- Finelli, Cynthia J., Carroll, Laura, Prince, Michael, & Husman, Jenefer. Promoting adoption of active learning and use of strategies to reduce student resistance to active learning. Research in Engineering Education Symposium, (2001). Retrieved.
- Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(23), 8410–8415.
- O’Neal, C., & Pinder-Grover, T. (2021). Introduction to Active Learning. Centre for Research on Learning and Teaching.
- Kinchin, I. M. (2014) Concept mapping as a learning tool in higher education: A critical analysis of recent reviews. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education 62(1), 39-49.
- Marzano, R. (2012) Art and science of teaching: The many uses of exit tickets. Educational Leadership 70(2), 80-81.
- Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223-231.
- Rajapriya, M. and Kumar, N. (2017) Effectiveness of mind mapping in higher education. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology 8(4), 975-98.
- Stead, D. R. (2005). A review of the one-minute paper. Active Learning in Higher Education 6(2), 118–131.
- Theobald, E. J., Hill, M. J., Tran, E., Agrawal, S., Arroyo, E. N., Behling, S., … & Freeman, S. (2020). Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(12), 6476-6483.
- 20 ways to make lectures more participatory – the Bok Center
- 5 tips voor activerend onderwijs – Edumundo – Tips on how to create an activating learning environment. Some could be used in big lectures as well.
- Actief leren met Moodle – Based on the book ‘Wijze lessen: 12 bouwstenen voor effectieve didactiek’. This document lists practical tips on active learning with Moodle. Tip 5 is about making sure students are actively progressing the material. These tips could also be applied through a system other than Moodle.
- Actief leren! – Universiteit Twente. A brief orientation of literature on active learning.
- Active learning – Bok Center Harvard. You can find examples on activating work forms for big lectures here.
- Activerende werkvormen – een praktische gids voor je onderwijs – UMC Utrecht. A long list of activating work forms, of which some could also be applied in big lectures.
- Astrachan, O. L., Duvall, R. C., Forbes, J., & Rodger, S. H. (2002, November). Active learning in small to large courses. In 32nd Annual Frontiers in Education (Vol. 1, pp. T2A-T2A). IEEE. Gives examples of interactive lectures, in small as well as in large groups.
- Brame, C. (2016). Active learning. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved May 1, 2024 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/active-learning/. On this page, underneath the heading ‘what are techniques to use’ you will find brief, easy supplements for lectures.
- Frederick, P. J. (1987). Student involvement: Active learning in large classes. New directions for teaching and learning, 1987(32), 45-56. Frequently cited so might be worthwhile, despite it being dated. Lists examples on how to give interactive lectures including variations and explanations.
- Hoorcollege: hoe activeer je studenten? – Universiteit Gent – How to activate students in college rooms. From broader tips about safe environments to concrete work forms like the jigsaw method.
- Michael, J. (2006). Where’s the evidence that active learning works? Advances in physiology education.
- Miller, C. J., McNear, J., & Metz, M. J. (2013). A comparison of traditional and engaging lecture methods in a large, professional-level course. Advances in physiology education, 37(4), 347-355. This study supports the hypothesis that engaging lectures would produce an increase in student performance on unit and final exams. They report positive changes in student behavior when using active lectures.
- Praktijkboek activerend hoger onderwijs – (2014) Peter van Petegem; University of Antwerp. On page 91, activating work forms for bigger groups are listed. Because explaining the work form is essential, they give short explanations on how to do that for each work form. On page 109 you can find common attention points for active work forms.
- Snell, Y. S. L. S. (1999). Interactive lecturing: strategies for increasing participation in large group presentations. Medical Teacher, 21(1), 37-42. In this article the authors mention different ways of creating an interactive lecture. They also give a definition of interactive lectures, why it is important and what might prevent teachers from creating interactive lectures.