Active Learning in a nutshell

Some considerations about Active Learning...

  

• Students must interact with one another. When interacting, students find ways to respond to each one’s learning style; they continuously negotiate meanings.

• In order to have an effective active learning technique, teachers must plan effectively: think about the learning goal they want students to reach. It’s not about the lesson objective, it is about the students’ learning goal; manage time for each activity and prepare a wrapping-up activity. 

• It is important to provide clear instruction, to group up students sometimes intentionally.

• It is student-centered.

• Students can develop metacognitive skills when they explain one another their thinking process.

• Teacher must provide opportunities for the students to interact,  teach and learn with one another.

• The thinking process and high-thinking level development must be valued by considering opinions and giving students time to think, structure their arguments, explain them, provide feedback to each other, research and discuss.

 

Some active learning techniques:

• Debate; peer instruction; class debate; role-playing; case study; creative simulations, think-pair-share etc.