Active Learning

Refers to techniques where students do more than simply listen to a lecture. Less emphasis on transmitting information. More emphasis on higher-order thinking. Research shows greater learning when students engage in active learning. Elements of Active Learning: dialog, debate, writing, and problem solving, as well as higher-order thinking, e.g., analysis, synthesis, evaluation.

Active Learning The APQC/CQIN (2001) study -use of active learning techniques was frequently cited by best-practice institutions as a major factor in the success of developmental instruction. Community College Research Center’s study - a key component of successful developmental education (Perin, 2001). McKeachie (2002) most effective teaching technique available to college instructors. Langer (2001), helps low-achieving students improve their reading and writing skills. (Grubb (1999), most appropriate for developmental students because active learning fosters more higher order thinking than nontraditional instructional techniques for students who have had the fewest opportunities to develop higher-order thinking and learning skills· Wlodkowski and Ginsberg - motivation of adult learners and that they are particularly useful in teaching of nontraditional students. Stahl, Simpson and Hayes - essential for "high-risk" students because it involves more involvement in their own learning. (above citations in Hunter Bolyan's "What Works)

Active Learning Questions and Answers – The "Socratic Method" Wait Time - Student Summary of Another Student's Answer - The Fish Bowl - Quiz/Test Questions - Click to learn about techniques

Active Learning Immediate Feedback Finger Signals - Flash Cards - Quotations - Click to learn about techniques

Active Learning TECHNIQUES OF ACTIVE LEARNING Exercises for Individual Students The "One Minute Paper" Muddiest (or Clearest) Point – Affective Response - Daily Journal - Reading Quiz - Clarification Pauses – Response to a demonstration or other teacher centered activity – Click to learn about techniques

Active Learning Cooperative Learning Exercises Cooperative Groups in Class – Active Review Sessions - Work at the Blackboard - Concept Mapping – Visual Lists - Jigsaw Group Projects - Role Playing – Debates - Games - Click to learn about techniques

Active Learning Critical Thinking Motivators The Pre-Theoretic Intuitions Quiz - Puzzles/Paradoxes - Share/Pair Discussion - Note Comparison/Sharing - Evaluation of Another Student's Work - Click to learn about techniques