Active Learning & Strategies

of Active Leaning
Presented By;
Lubna Abdullah (HM – JS)
CONTENT:
1. Active Learning – Definition
2. How effective is Active Learning?
3. Strategies of Active Learning.
4. Active Learning Techniques – Key Questions.
5. Final Thoughts on Active Learning.
1. ACTIVE LEARNING - DEFINITION
• Active Learning refers to the techniques where students do more than
simply listen to a lecture.
• Students are DOING something including discovering, processing and
applying information.
• Active leaning involves discussion, problem solving, presentations, group
work such as buzz groups, brainstorming, role play, debates – anything
that gets students interacting with each other and engaging with the
lecture material.
2. HOW EFFECTIVE IS ACTIVE LEARNING?

• It is one of the most effective teaching approaches in education.

• It increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the teaching and
learning process.
• Active learning strategies involve collaboration with peers, and
provides a secure environment for growth and exploration of
ideas.
b.
[Link] OF ACTIVE LEARNING:
 a. KNOW YOUR STUDENTS’
STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS:
• The more you know about your students’
culture ,interests ,extra curricular activities, personalities,
learning style, goals and mind sets, the better you can reach and
teach them.
• Time should be taken to figure out the strengths like creativity,
communication skills, computer skills etc and weaknesses like
procrastination, poor time management, perfectionism etc.
b. UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY INTO
CLASSROOM:
• Technology rich lessons have been found to keep
students motivated and engaged for longer period.
Some examples of utilizing technology in the
classroom are to create web based lessons, multimedia
presentations such as a video, animation or some type
of graphics.
c. RECIPROCAL QUESTIONING:
• Use reciprocal questioning to encourage an open dialogue in which
students take on the role of the teacher and create their own questions
about a topic, reading section, or lesson. To facilitate the process, you can
provide students with “question stems,” which provide a foundation for a
question but still require students to think critically. Reciprocal
questioning can be particularly useful when: Preparing for tests or
exams , Introducing a new topic or section of course content,
Discussing reading or writing materials in greater detail.
 d. THREE STEPS INTERVIEW:
• A cooperative learning strategy, the three step interview encourages students to
develop active listening skills by quizzing one another, sharing their thoughts, and
taking notes. To use the three step interview process, divide students into groups of
three, and assign three roles: interviewer, interviewee, and note taker. The three-
step interview confers benefits including:
• Helping students learn and apply different questioning strategies.
• Strengthening students’ connection with course material in a creative and
engaging way.
• Producing a sense of accountability.
 e. THE PAUSE PROCEDURE:
• Use the pause procedure to intersperse strategic pauses into your class
lectures and enhance student understanding of teaching materials. During
these brief breaks, encourage students to discuss or rework their notes in
pairs to clarify key points covered, raise questions, and solve problems
posed by the instructor.
• The use of the pause procedure involves a minimal amount of extra time,
but can confer significant benefits in comparison to lectures that continue
without breaks.
 f. THE MUDDIEST POINT
TECHNOLOGY:
• The muddiest point technique involves asking students to write notes on
the most unclear or most confusing element of a given homework
assignment, lecture, or class discussion. In short, the exercise helps
students reflect on the lesson and identify concepts needing further
examination or study.
• For example, if more than a quarter of the class mentions the same
“muddiest point,” you may wish to schedule a further time to discuss that
topic, or create a new lesson plan or assignment to tackle it.
 g. THE ADVOCATE APPROACH:
• The advocate approach :In its simplest form, divide the class into two
sections and coordinate a class-wide debate based on a selected topic.
Alternatively, you may have students annotate reading texts and respond to
contentions by creating counterarguments. Then, have students debate the
proposals discussed .This approach can help cultivate active learning in the
classroom by encouraging students to:
• Think more critically, Become more engaged, Produce a deeper
understanding of topics or issues, using rigorous analysis to collectively
clarify, probe, and pose alternatives to problems being discussed.
 h. PEER TEACHING ACTIVITIES:
• A flexible and multi-faceted approach to active learning, peer instruction
encompasses a range of scenarios where students
instruct skills or explain concepts to classmates. Some popular options include:
• Reading buddies
• Cross-age peer tutoring
• Role play
• Peer teaching activities help boost vital skills and behaviors including student
interaction, accountability, group processing.
 i. GAME BASED LEARNING
PLATFORMS:
• Game-based learning platforms allow students to work with
their instructors to achieve their learning objectives. It is really
about how students use devices to create artifacts of learning that
demonstrate conceptual mastery through relevant application and
evaluation...Give kids challenging problems to solve that have
more than one right answer and let them use technology to show
that they understand. This is the epitome of active learning...
CONT…..
• The success of any active learning strategy starts with the
thought and planning of a conscientious instructor. With the
goal of teaching mindful learners who actively pursue
knowledge, teachers become more actively engaged in how
they teach the curriculum and how they develop each student's
learning potential. They mix and match a variety of ... tactics to
ensure that students not only learn more, better, and faster --
they also learn smarter.
 4. ACTIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES :
KEY QUESTIONS
• Will this be engaging and exciting for my students?
• Can this activity deploy formative assessment strategies?
• Is the student placed at the center of this learning strategy?
• Will this encourage my students to discuss a topic with one another?
• Am I giving students the opportunity to reflect on the learning
process?
• Is this activity getting my students to think critically about a topic ?
 5. FINAL THOUGHTS ON ACTIVE
LEARNING STRATEGIES
• Active learning plainly puts the focus on the learner: what the learner
does, what the learner thinks, and how the learner behaves.
• But, crucially, active learning doesn't simply happen with a few simple
instructions: it occurs in the classroom where the teacher is committed to a
learning environment that makes active learning possible. This gives
students the confidence to apply learning to different problems and
contexts.
• And, after all, that’s exactly makes active learning “active”: