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Active Learning: "Yes, but..."

Addressing faculty concerns about incorporating active learning

Faculty share many concerns about introducing new learning strategies into their classes. Here are responses to five of the most frequently asked questions about "active learning" approaches.

Will active learning work well in classes that have a lot of content to cover?
Using active learning strategies doesn't mean students won't learn important course content. Instead, these strategies involve shifting an instructor's focus from covering course content through class presentations to devising activities and assignments that explicitly help students to "discover" and master essential course material.

As Mortimer Adler noted: "All genuine learning is active, not passive. It involves the use of the mind, not just the memory. It is the process of discovery in which the student is the main agent, not the teacher."

When I relinquish control, what can I do if the class does not focus on or accomplish what I intended?
Most active learning strategies can be focused, first, by stating your specific objectives and anticipated outcomes at the start of the session and, second, providing adequate structure and directions for each activity.

Two other keys to success: having students prepare written products that document their efforts and using the last 5-15 minutes of class time to synthesize lessons learned and refocus attention to your intended outcomes.

What happens to those students who do not like active learning approaches?
No single instructional approach will be liked equally by all students, it is. But it's important to remember that not all students enjoy or learn best from lectures. Many students learn better by talking or working with others.

Where should I begin? I've never had an instructor teach in an active learning fashion.
All new experiences begin with a first step. Fortunately, assistance can be found in many sources -- in helpful texts and in the pedagogic journals of the disciplines, in conference sessions, in exchanges with colleagues in other disciplines, and through the services of many faculty development offices.

Can active learning approaches work well when students expect and want instructors to lecture?
Because students have come to expect that faculty lecture and students listen, alternatives are commonly greeted with skepticism and concern.

That's why it's helpful to give students early opportunities to successfully complete several different types of assigned active learning activities. The literature suggests that student skill and satisfaction will increases with practice and experience.

References

Bean, J. C. Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.

Bonwell, C. C., and J. A. Eison. Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development, 1991.

MacGregor, J. (Ed.). Student Self-Evaluation: Fostering Reflective Learning. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, no. 56. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Winter 1993.

Michaelsen, L. K., and R. H. Black. Building Learning Teams: The Key to Harnessing the Power of Small Groups in Higher Education. In Collaborative learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education, Vol. II., S. Kadel and J. A. Keehner (Eds.). University Park, PA: National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning and Assessment, 1994.

Millis, B. J., and P. G. Cottell, P. G. Cooperative Learning for Higher Education Faculty. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1997.

Moss, A., and C. Holder. Improving Student Writing: A Guidebook for Faculty in All Disciplines. Dubuque, IO: Kendall Hunt, 1988.

World Wide Web Resources

The Active Learning Bibliography (www.cte.usf.edu/bibs/active_learn/intro.html) at the University of South Florida's Center for Teaching Enhancement identifies thousands of published articles describing the use of active learning strategies in higher education.

Charles C. Bonwell's Active Learning Site (www.active-learning-site.com/) supports the scholarship of teaching by providing research-based resources designed to help faculty use active learning successfully in college and university classrooms.

The Instructional Innovation Network (http://bestpractice.net) is a network of both human and electronic resources devoted to improving teaching and learning in higher education through cooperative learning and case teaching.

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