How to apply active learning in your teaching?
Active learning fosters the development of certain skills, an inclusive learning environment and deep understanding by including interaction and reflection with the content and collaboration between students. Incorporating Active Learning into existing courses does not require a complete course redesign, but there are some important factors to consider for it to be a meaningful inclusion in your course.
Advice on how to implement active learning
Below, you can find general tips for implementing active learning in your teaching.
- Learning environment: Create a safe environment for all students to participate. It is vitally important students know it is reasonable not to know an answer and that any attempt is worthwhile. You can find more information about safe learning environments here.
- Time for questions: Ensure there is enough time for students to ask questions, on top of the time you need to ask them questions. If you make specific time slots for students to ask their questions, they will be more likely to do so than when they feel like there is no room for their questions. These questions can be raised verbally or with online methods such as Wooclap.
- Nonverbal behaviour: Use encouraging nonverbal behaviour. If your nonverbal behaviour is signalling active involvement, students will be more involved as well. Nonverbal behavior can be vocal (intonation, volume, etc.) or nonvocal (gestures, facial expressions, etc.). An example is standing up and moving around the room rather than staying sat behind your desk or lectern.
- Ask students about their learning goals/expectations: Asking students about their learning goals has several benefits. Initially, the students will feel heard, thereby supporting their motivation. Secondly, it enables you to see what the students expect to learn. Perhaps there is a topic they require further clarification on, despite your assumption that they’ve grasped it. Lastly, throughout your teaching, you can refer to these learning goals/expectations when you cover their subject matter.
Active learning in the classroom and lectures
Classroom setting
Classroom settingClassrooms and work groups are generally much smaller in size and you have more flexibility in how you structure the session. The physical environment is also more suited to tasks that require group work or collaboration. This means activities can generally be more dynamic and use more of the physical space. Read these 10 Active Learning ideas to use in a classroom setting.
Lecture setting
Lecture settingActivating your students in larger groups such as lectures can feel challenging. However, there are many different pedagogical strategies you can apply to support Active Learning and assist in keeping all students actively involved, regardless of group size. Find out more on strategies to incorporate Active Learning in lectures.
Factors to consider when implementing active learning
In good education the learning objectives, learning activities and testing are exactly aligned, this is called the principle of constructive alignment, developed by Biggs and Tang (1996). In concrete terms, this means that you only organize activities in the lectures/working groups that are reflected in the learning objectives and that the assessment really tests what the students have learned through these activities, and thus is reflected in the learning objectives. Read more about educational design through constructive alignment.
Clearly communicate the relevance of the activities to learning outcomes, either before or after the activity. By explaining the relevance, students can see the value in their participation and get a better understanding of the alignment between the activity and the learning goals.
Active Learning involves active student participation but requires ongoing engagement, not a “set and forget” approach. Provide timely feedback to enhance learning and correct understanding, and use peer feedback to encourage collaboration. Active Learning activities serve as formative assessments, giving immediate feedback to both you and students. This helps you understand their current knowledge and skills, informs your instructional decisions, and allows for more meaningful feedback to advance their learning and understanding.
Ensure student participation with structured accountability techniques. Use a random pick-a-student system for answering questions, and assign clear roles in group tasks to define expectations and contributions. These methods prevent reliance on frequent responders. Increase accountability by moving around the room to offer support, answer questions, and keep students on task, which also allows for formative assessments through discussions.
Challenges & resistance: how to overcome them
The implementation of active learning can face obstacles, including managing the pace of the classroom and overcoming student reluctance. Nonetheless, studies indicate that when the rationale behind active learning is clearly communicated and instructors effectively encourage interaction, students tend to become more open and receptive to this approach.
To address challenges and enhance active learning adoption you can:
- Develop a communal philosophy to active learning (e.g. clearly communicate your philosophy on teacher and student roles in the active classroom up front).
- Start with small, low-stakes activities to gradually introduce Active Learning.
- Emphasise the importance of student preparation and provide incentives for participation.
- Build accountability into all group activities to avoid social loafing.
- Provide ongoing feedback to students to allow them to self-monitor their progress.
- Leverage technology tools to enhance learning experiences and provide additional feedback.
- Seek support from the Teaching and Learning Center network to help you implement these research-based strategies.
Active learning holds immense potential to address the problem of student disengagement and promote meaningful learning experiences. By shifting the focus from knowledge transmission to knowledge construction, you can empower students to become active participants in their own education. By incorporating Active Learning strategies effectively, you can create dynamic and inclusive classrooms that foster critical thinking, retention, motivation, and deeper learning outcomes.
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