Prepared by Michelle Schwartz, Research Associate, for the Learning & Teaching Office, 1
Active Learning in the Classroom
Active learning has been identified as one of the seven principles of good practice in
undergraduate education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). For learning to be active, students
must do more than listen, the must “read, write, discuss, or be engaged in solving problems.
Most important, to be actively involved, students must engage in such higher order thinking
tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.” Students must be doing things, and then thinking
about why they are doing them. These kinds of activities can include case study, “cooperative
learning, debates, drama, role playing and simulation, and peer teaching (Bonwell & Eison,
1991).
According to Felder and Brent, as little as five minutes of active learning activities per fifty-‐
minute class session can boost learning significantly. The benefits can be as simple as waking
students up after a dry or heavily technical lecture. More importantly, “academically weak
students get the benefit of being tutored by stronger classmates, and stronger students get the
deep understanding that comes from teaching something to someone else. Students who
successfully complete the task own the knowledge in a way they never would from just
watching a lecturer do it. Students who are not successful are put on notice that they don’t
know something they may need to know, so when the answer is provided shortly afterwards
they are likely to pay attention in a way they never do in traditional lectures” (Felder & Brent,
2003).
Active learning can also be integrated into a lecture to help break it up into smaller chunks or to
keep it engaging. This can be as simple as including demonstrations, or leaving space for class
discussion. Two alternative lecture formats, as identified by Bonwell and Eison, are the
feedback lecture, “which consists of two mini-‐lectures separated by a small group study session
built around a study guide” and the guided lecture, in which “students listen to a twenty to
thirty minute presentation without taking notes, followed by writing for five minutes what they
remember and spending the remainder of the class period in small groups clarifying and
elaborating the material” (1991).
In her book, Tools for Teaching, Barbara Gross Davis has also presented alternative lecture
formats that integrate the principles of active learning:
• Interactive lectures evolve around brainstorming sessions instigated by a question or
prompts from the instructor at key points in the lecture. After gathering the responses,
the instructor and the class then work together to “sort the responses into categories.
The flow of examples and counterexamples, generalizations and specifics, or rules and
exceptions encourages students to grapple actively with the topic.”
• Problem solving, demonstrations, proofs, and stories begin “with the instructor posing a question, paradox, or enigma – some provocative problem that whets students'
Prepared by Michelle Schwartz, Research Associate, for the Learning & Teaching Office, 2 interest… The suspenseful answer unfolds during the class period, with students actively or passively anticipating or pointing toward solutions.”
• The case study method “follows a realistic situation step by step to illustrate a general principle or problem-solving strategy. Depending on the level of the students, either the instructor takes the lead or the students themselves generate the questions and principles.”
• Short lectures framing discussion periods. This is another version of the guided lecture method discussed above. Besides engaging students, it also gives the instructor a break by shifting the energy of the class to students. In this method, the instructor sets the stage for discussion with a twenty-minute lecture on a particular issue, and then allows for a fifteen-minute discussion of that issue’s implications and effects. The instructor then “closes with another short lecture that pulls together the major themes or issues. In large classes, the discussion segment may be turned over to students working in trios or small groups” (Gross Davis, 1993).
See the LTO handout on Facilitating Discussion for more on how to use discussion in the
classroom:
http://ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/FacilitatingDiscussion.pdf
Classroom Activities
Beyond lecture methods, there are assorted activities that can be included during class time to
encourage active learning.
Four of these methods, think-‐pair-‐share, storytelling, demonstrations, and Twitter, are
discussed in the LTO handout on Making Lectures More Engaging:
http://ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/LargeClassesEngagingStudents.pdf
Another method, Teaching With Case Studies, also is expanded on in an LTO handout:
http://ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/CaseMethodBestPractices.pdf
Some additional examples of active learning techniques can be grouped into the following categories: “Developing Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills,” “Questions and Answers,” and “Cooperative Learning Exercises.”
Developing Analytical Skills and Critical Thinking Skills
Modeling Analytical Skills: View and analyze passages of text, paintings, sonatas, graphs, charts, artifacts, etc. together with your students. Make sure students have a copy of the document or can view it on a slide or projection, then follow three steps: model the analysis, let the students practice it, then give them feedback (Waterloo).
Pro and Con Grid: The Pro and Con Grid lists advantages and disadvantages of a given issue. It forces students to go beyond their initial reactions, search for at least two sides to the issue,
Prepared by Michelle Schwartz, Research Associate, for the Learning & Teaching Office, 3 and weigh the value of competing claims. Let students know how many pros and cons you expect and whether they should use point form or full sentences. (Waterloo)
Concept Mapping: A concept map is a way of illustrating the connections that exist between terms or concepts covered in course material. Students connect individual terms with lines indicating the relationship between each set of connected terms. Most of the terms in a concept map have multiple connections. Developing a concept map requires the students to identify and organize information and to establish meaningful relationships between the pieces of
information. (Cal State)
The VUE tool from Tufts University is an open source concept mapping tool currently available for free download: http://vue.tufts.edu/
Visioning and Futuring: In this real life application of material, have either individual students or small groups take five to ten minutes to imagine what it will be like ten to twenty years from now and how the given topic might change, be affected, or impact future
generations. (VCU)
Quotations: This is a particularly useful method of testing student understanding when they are learning to read texts and identify an author's viewpoint and arguments. After students have read a representative advocate of each of several opposing theories or schools of thought, and the relevant concepts have been defined and discussed in class, display a quotation by an author whom they have not read in the assigned materials, and ask them to figure out what position that person advocates. In addition to testing comprehension of the material presented in lecture, this exercise develops critical thinking and analysis skills. (Cal State)
Questions and Answers
One-Minute Paper: Punctuating your class with short writing assignments is a powerful way to assess the degree to which students understand presented material. You might ask, “What was the most important thing you learned during this class?” “What questions remained unanswered?” or “Summarize the main point of today’s lecture in one sentence.” (Waterloo) Muddiest (or Clearest) Point: This is a variation on the one-minute paper, though you may wish to give students a slightly longer time period to answer the question. Here you ask (at the end of a class period, or at a natural break in the presentation), "What was the muddiest point in today's lecture?" or, perhaps, you might be more specific, asking, for example: "What (if anything) do you find unclear about the concept of 'personal identity' ('inertia', 'natural selection', etc.)?" (Cal State)
Fish Bowl: Students are given index cards to write down one or two questions about the material or practical applications of what’s been covered. The questions are put in "fishbowl" towards the end of class and the instructor picks a couple to discuss either immediately or at the beginning of the next class. (VCU)
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Student Summary of Another Student's Answer: This method promotes active listening in class. After one student has volunteered an answer to your question, ask another student to summarize the first student's response. Many students hear little of what their classmates have to say, waiting instead for the instructor to either correct or repeat the answer. Having students summarize or repeat each others' contributions both fosters active participation by all students and promotes the idea that learning is a shared enterprise. Given the possibility of being asked to repeat a classmates' comments, most students will listen more attentively to each other. (Cal State)
Drill-Review Pairs: In this method, four students are grouped together as two pairs. Each pair is given two problems/questions to solve. Students are assigned the role of the explainer (gives step-by-step instructions on how to do the problem) and an accuracy checker (verifies correctness of methodology used to solve the problem). After the first problem/question is completed, students switch roles for the second problem. After both are complete, the pairs re-group and explain their problems and solutions with each other until a consensus is reached. (VCU)
Cooperative Learning Exercises
Jigsaw Group Projects: In jigsaw projects, each member of a group is asked to complete some discrete part of an assignment. When every member has completed their assigned task, the pieces can be joined together to form a finished project. For example, students in a course in African geography might be grouped and each assigned a country; individual students in the group could then be assigned to research the economy, political structure, ethnic makeup, terrain and climate, or folklore of the assigned country. When each student has completed their research, the group then reforms to complete a comprehensive report. The students then work together to tackle the difficult problem of how much emphasis should be placed on each piece of the puzzle. (Cal State)
Panel Discussions Panel discussions are a way of including the entire class when students are required to give presentations. Student groups are assigned a topic to research and asked to prepare presentations (this method may readily be combined with the jigsaw method outlined above). Each panelist is then expected to make a very short presentation before the floor is opened to questions from the audience. The key to success is to choose topics carefully and to give students sufficient direction to ensure that they are well prepared for their presentations. You might also want to prepare the ‘audience’ by assigning them various roles. For example, if students are presenting the results of their research into several forms of energy, you might have some of the other students role-play as concerned environmentalists, transportation officials, commuters, and so forth. (Cal State)
Role Playing: This is an expanded version of the role-play method mentioned in the previous example. The first step in this method is to give a mini-lecture to establish the context and setting for the role-playing. Then divide the class into a number of small groups of varying sizes (if you have a large class, you may have to assign duplicate roles). Each group is assigned a clearly delineated role and given a specific, concrete task – usually to propose a position and course of action. To bring closure to the topic, a debriefing exercise is necessary to help identify
Prepared by Michelle Schwartz, Research Associate, for the Learning & Teaching Office, 5 what students learned and make the transition to the next topic. A suggested procedure for using role-play in the classroom has been devised by the University of Waterloo. They suggest allowing twenty to thirty minutes to complete the exercise.
• Procedure
o Get scenarios and characters for role-plays from news stories, history books, generic business situations, or by writing them yourself from scratch.
o Explain why you are using a role-play to cover course material. o Describe the background context or setting to the role-play.
o Give roles to “players”: hand them a card with a brief description of the character they’re playing, their point of view, characteristics, etc.
o For groups with more students than possible roles, you can either assign “observer” tasks to non-players (e.g., taking notes on a particular player), or assign identical roles to subgroups of students (e.g., one student can play a city council member, and a sub-group of four or five students can play a homeowners’ coalition). o Ask for volunteers for certain roles or observers: you may use this as one way to
allot bonus points to students.
o Allow a few minutes for students to prepare for their roles. o After 10-15 minutes, end the role-play.
• Function in the class: Debrief and discuss the role-play. Use players’ perceptions and observers’ notes to lead into discussion of course material. Pay special attention to conflicts, ambiguities, etc. (Waterloo)
Debates: There are several ways of implementing debate in the classroom. In the method suggested by the University of Waterloo, the class is divided into large groups representing broad positions. The class could be divided by where they happen to sit, or by asking the class in advance to seat themselves in the section representing a particular side of the debate. When some students refuse to choose one side or the other, create a middle ground and invite their reasons for choosing it. In this method, the debate would be more along the lines of a large class discussion. (Waterloo)
Northern Illinois University explains a procedure in which the students are divided into smaller groups or pairs. They break the activity down into two or three rounds, depending on your objectives and time:
• Round One:
o Team One: Presentation of “Pro/positive” or “Arguments for” (10 minutes) o Team Two: Presentation of “Con/negative” or “Arguments against (10 minutes) o Team Discussion Period allowing teams to prepare their responses (5 minutes) • Round Two
o Team One: Response or rebuttal of “Pro/positive” or “Arguments for” (5 minutes) o Team Two: Response or rebuttal of “Con/negative” or “Arguments against (5
minutes)
Prepared by Michelle Schwartz, Research Associate, for the Learning & Teaching Office, 6 • Whole Class Discussion: Determine which team provided the most convincing
arguments. This could be done through a simple vote or a more detailed evaluation form.
• Debate Procedure
o Prepare guidelines and a set of rules to assist students in preparing for the debate
§ Include a time frame and instructions on how to present the material § Allow non-debate students to adjudicate, helping them learn to be
objective in rating their peers’ performance
o Provide students with resources on debate techniques and structure. Consider holding a practice debate.
o Have students prepare brief “position papers” which also include their reaction to the debate process and how they were able to reach consensus with their team. o Select the format you plan to use, i.e. teams, individual, class
o Research controversial, news breaking, and stimulating topics to encourage dynamic and energized classroom discussion. If students see the relevancy of the topic or can relate to it in some way, they are more likely to dedicate time, effort, and passion to the process
o Review the guidelines and procedures in class to address any questions or requests for clarification
o Provide adjudicators with rating rubrics to guide their evaluation o Begin the debate, giving students as much autonomy as possible
o Facilitate discussion and debrief the process at the end of the debate period o Distribute both student and instructor evaluations to the teams
o Have a plan in place if the debate gets “hot” and students begin to argue. Have guidelines in place to minimize inappropriate behavior. (Northern Illinois
Prepared by Michelle Schwartz, Research Associate, for the Learning & Teaching Office, 7
W ork Cited
Derrig, M. (2008). Active Learning Techniques. Center for Teaching Excellence, Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved from:
http://www.vcu.edu/cte/resources/active_learning.htm
Center for Teaching Excellence. Active Learning Activities. University of Waterloo. Retrieved from
http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/varying_your_teaching_activities.html Bonwell, C.C. & Eison, J.A. (1991). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ERIC
Digest. Retrived from:
http://www.oid.ucla.edu/about/units/tatp/old/lounge/pedagogy/downloads/active-learning-eric.pdf
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Washington Center News. Retrieved from:
http://www.lonestar.edu/multimedia/SevenPrinciples.pdf
Felder, R.M. & Brent, R. (2003). Learning By Doing. Chemical Engineering Education. 37:4. Retrieved from:
(http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Columns/Active.pdf Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. Classroom Debates. Northern Illinois
University. Retrieved from:
http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/strategies/classroom_debates.pdf
Paulson, D.R. & Faust, J.L. Techniques of Active Learning. California State University. Retrieved
