Active Learning Strategies

     Active learning is any method of instruction that engages students in the learning process. It encourages students to think about their learning and be an active participate in their learning. This type of teaching method promotes student involvement, ultimate engagement, critical thinking skills, independence, creativity, collaborative skills, and student motivation. It is important to use these methods in the classroom, because if you look at the cone of learning you will see that students remember 90% of what they say and do compared to the 10% of what they just hear from traditional lecturing. Basically, using active learning strategies will ensure that students are fully involved in what they are learning.  

     Active learning strategies are useful at a variety of times in the classroom. I especially like using active learning strategies when students are working in pairs or a small group. Some other times to use active learning is to assess prior knowledge, check for understanding, let students summarize their learning, and gather pre-assessment data.

     There are so many different strategies you can use to teaching active learning, so I am going to discuss a few that I really enjoy. One common active learning strategy that is useful in the think, pair, share method. This method builds in a wait time so students really have to think about a response or solution. Then they share with a partner, which increases level of participation. This is a great wait to check for understanding about a topic. I also really enjoy the Biopoem assignment. It has a set of guidelines that students will use as a template to write about a character. This provides the students with a creative way to make a personal connection with a character or a concept. I strategy that is used a lot in my classes is the Graffiti wall. Students go around to different chart papers and add their own thoughts and knowledge about different concepts and topics. This strategy encourages students to move around. It can be used to gather pre-assessment data, access prior knowledge, or have students summarize their learning. The last active learning strategy I will discuss is interactive notebooks.    These are great tools for students to really take ownership of their own learning. Interactive notebooks just make taking notes more fun and organized!

 

     As a teacher, it is important to remember that your students need to be active in their learning. Active learning strategies make a lesson more engaging and memorable for a student.