Active learning can take many different forms and can occur individually, in pairs, in small groups, and in large groups. The more strategies you have in your “toolkit”, the easier it will be to incorporate active learning into your teaching.
We encourage faculty to start small and plan maybe one active learning task for an hour lesson. As your experience and confidence builds, you can plan more and more of your instruction this way.
WORKSHOP RESOURCES
Using Active Learning Strategies in Instruction (PowerPoint prepared by Annique Boelryk)
Active Learning (PowerPoint prepared by Bob Marchessault)
Active Learning Cards – Set #1 (Prepared by Annique Boelryk)
Active Learning Cards – Set #2 (Prepared by Annique Boelryk)
Lesson Planning – Basic Structure, Checklist, and Template
PEDAGOGGLES
Generating Active Participation in Lectures (Vol.1, No.1) – Updated Fall 2009
Facilitating Learning in Small Groups (Vol.1, No.3) – Updated Fall 2009
Using Active Reviews (Vol. 2 No. 7)
BOOKS AVAILABLE
Cross, K.P. (2003). Techniques for promoting active learning – The Cross Papers No. 7. The League for Innovation in the Community Colleges
Meyers, C., & Jones, T.B. (1993). Promoting active learning: Strategies for the college classroom. Jossey-Bass.
Sutherland, T.E., & Bonwell, C.C. (1996). Using active learning in college classes: A range of options for faculty. New directions for teaching and learning No. 67. Jossey-Bass
EXTERNAL WEB RESOURCES
Active Learning for the College Classroom
Retrieved September 15, 2005 from http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/chem/chem2/Active/
This link explains active learning and provides suggestions for a number of techniques in the following areas:
- Individual exercises
- Questions and answers
- Immediate feedback
- Critical thinking
- Share/Pair
- Cooperative Learning
Active Learning: Getting Students to Work and Think in the Classroom
This is one of Stanford University’s quarterly publications in a series called, “Speaking of Teaching”. http://ctl.stanford.edu/Newsletter/active_learning.pdf
Tools for Reading, Writing, and Thinking
http://web001.greece.k12.ny.us/academics.cfm?subpage=930
This site lists and describes many strategies that teachers can use to help students engage in writing, rigorous thinking, organize complex ideas, and scaffold their interactions with texts. By scaffolding, the teacher incrementally builds upon the students capacity to use the strategy independently. Initially, the faculty models the strategy, then offers the student opportunity to practice using the strategy, and finally student can apply and use the strategy independently.