How do I begin with active learning?
A student wrote to me: “I like your blog about active learning but do not know what to do or how to begin; it seems your blogs are written to teachers but not students? Please help.”
Answer: As students, you need to understand that learning is not a passive activity where you sit and listen to lectures but you must actively engage in the learning process. Basically in active learning students are responsible for their own learning. Students go to school to learn so they must be “ready to learn” and develop their knowledge and skills. Students should understand that what you read in books, or listen to lectures is somebody's knowledge but by studying, analyzing, synthesizing these information until they become your own knowledge and that is “Active learning.”
As students, you can visualize the learning process as the construction of a house. First you start with the foundation, the higher the house, the deeper the foundation. Next is the frame of the house, the stronger the frame, the better is the house. After that, you must build the roof of the house to cover things below then everything can be added to make the house livable. Similar to the construction of the house is the construction of your knowledge. First you start by reading the course materials before coming to class so you can build a “foundation” where future learning will be built upon. During class, you pay attention to the lecture and class discussions so you can construct the frame of your knowledge on top of your foundation. By asking questions, get the answers, and discuss with others, you continue to expand your knowledge to cover everything similar to building a roof of the house. By review these materials, analyze and synthetizing them using your own logic you organize these information into your own knowledge just like you add everything to the house to make it livable.
Most of the lectures tell you WHAT you need to know but when studying, you must ask yourself “WHY do I need to know that? And “HOW do I apply that?” and by having answers to these questions you begin to enter the level of “Active learning.” When reading the materials before come to class, you should focus on the “WHY” and “HOW” and it will motivate you to learn more as you developing the active learning attitude. Of course, “being ready to learn” takes more efforts than just passively listen to lecture but you will learn the course materials at deeper level.
There are four key principles of Active Learning that students must have: “Students can change their learning abilities through their efforts; Students can succeed in school and in life with active learning; Students are active members of the knowledge society where they continue to learn throughout their life; and active learning increase their value to society and provide them a purpose in life.” By adhere to these active learning principles, any student can be successful.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
