Active learning techniques
Today, college students are very active. Many cannot even keep their attention on a subject for more than fifteen minutes. Therefore the lecture type of teaching is no longer suitable and should be combined with some active learning activities. For example, rather than just giving lecture, teachers must ask questions for students to answer. However, if the teacher asks a question and one student answers, that student has an active learning experience but the teacher does not know about others whether they are actively learning or not?
If teachers ask students to work as teams to discuss a subject or solve a problem then teacher can ask questions to the team. In that case it is highly probable that more than one student in the team is actively thinking and learning. And if any student in the group can be called upon to answer or explain the team’s solution then more members are attending to the group’s interaction and learning. Having student engage in teamwork is a better solution in active learning.
Learning happens when students are actively engaged with the course material. However for many years, from elementary to high school, students are taught to be passive and follow the teacher’s lead but now they must transitioning to be more active is very difficult. Students will not succeed if they are not prepared and understand the material before these activities begin. Teachers should start slow and allow students to get familiar with this new learning method.
One of my favorite techniques is to employ the 5W and 1H questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. The first 4W (Who, What, When, Where) questions will require factual responses. The “Why” and “How” questions requires some higher level thinking. The goal of active learning is not only evaluate the learning results but also to guide students on their learning process. I often ask students to explain how they come up with their answers and what information that they use to determine whether it provide sufficient evidence.
It is not what type of questions that you ask but also the timing and clarity of questions. To answer, students need time to think. Therefore it is necessary to give them sufficient time before asking other students to respond. If a student is not able to answer, then teacher must check to see if the issue is with the clarity of the question. In that case, teacher could rephrase the question or try to understand which aspect of the question is difficult for the student and why. If the question is too difficult for the student due to lack of prior knowledge, it may be useful to ask more factual questions and help lead the student toward the solution.
Another active learning technique that I like is to have class discussion, which would allow more exchange of ideas among students. This is in contrast to having teacher to student question-answer session. To initiate a class discussion, I often start a question or make a statement that would require some responses, which could then be used to build further discussions among students. In class discussion, there will be some active students and some passive ones. I often call on each student randomly to lead the discussion. In that case, all students must be actively involved in thinking and learning. Even some students may not get the answer correctly but teacher need to encourage them rather than make them feel uncomfortable.
Another active teaching technique that I also like is to create a list of topics from that week materials. Each student must select one topic to learn at home. The next day, students are grouped according to the topic that they have selected so they can discuss with each other and have a better understanding of that topic. Later these students are responsible, through class discussion to help other students become as knowledgeable as they are. By having them teaching each others, they all engage in active learning.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
