What People Get Wrong About Active Learning
Active learning is a cutting-edge educational strategy that encourages students to participate actively in their own learning. It transcends conventional passive learning strategies in which students only take in knowledge from lectures or textbooks. In active learning, students are also encouraged to develop their communication skills, critical-thinking skills, and problem-solving skills through motivating them to use the learning materials and other resources they have independently and meticulously.
Research also shows that active learning can significantly improve students’ ability to retain key information, develop their critical thinking skills, and help in their overall academic success. As such, they are also encouraged to give importance to independent learning, keeping themselves motivated, and immersing themselves in each topic, as these are also some of the most crucial points to succeed in the modern world and commit to lifelong learning.
The educational system in Singapore is starting to promote active learning among pupils. There are still a lot of myths and misconceptions regarding active learning, though. Teachers, tutors, and students tend to favor rote learning as a result, and it is therefore less frequently used by them.
Table of Contents
What is active learning?
There are a lot of teaching methods available for teachers or tutors to use for their students, and one of them is active learning. Active learning encourages students to actively engage in the learning process rather than just sitting behind their tables and passively listening to lectures or receiving information from teachers or tutors. Students actively engage in a variety of activities that encourage them to analyze, discuss, think through, and apply their knowledge.
What are the common types of active learning?
Active learning promotes increased engagement, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills by encouraging students to actively participate in their own learning. It produces a lively, engaging learning environment that encourages greater comprehension, long-term memory, and equips students to apply their knowledge in practical settings. Here are some common types of active learning that can be most commonly exercised in classrooms and even outside, such as in tuition.
- Group discussions
Students take part in discussions about the subject being studied by contributing their opinions, thoughts, and ideas. This motivates everyone to actively understand information, express their ideas, and absorb peer knowledge.
- Collaborative projects
Students work in groups to complete tasks or come up with solutions to problems. This increases collaboration and communication skills, as well as critical thinking skills, since students have to actively participate, study findings together, and create something as a whole.
- Role-playing activities
Students assume several different identities, such as those of historical characters or people from fiction, to actively engage with the material and gain new insights.
- Problem-solving activities
Students are presented with real-world problems or scenarios and work individually or in groups to analyze, brainstorm solutions, and critically evaluate the best approach.
- Peer teaching
Students take turns teaching a concept or explaining a topic to their classmates, which reinforces their understanding of the material and promotes active engagement.
- Hands-on activities
Students participate in practical activities, such as experiments, simulations, or presentations, which let them interact with the subject matter in person and gain a greater comprehension of ideas through first-hand knowledge.
What do people get wrong about active learning?
Active learning is a popular instructional approach that involves students actively engaging in the learning process. However, there are several misconceptions associated with active learning, including the belief that it is chaotic and lacks structure, time-consuming and inefficient, only suitable for certain subjects or age groups, disruptive and noisy, only for extroverted students, technology-dependent, and just about keeping students busy. It’s important to understand and address these myths to fully appreciate the potential benefits of active learning in promoting deeper engagement and improved learning outcomes for students.
Here are some of the myths about active learning and the reality behind them.
1. It’s only about completing an activity
Students frequently take notes or participate in discussions to actively learn. But performing these tasks shouldn’t be the main objective. These exercises merely support learning and improve students’ comprehension of the material.
Active learning is not just about completing activities. It goes beyond merely keeping students busy and actually involves intentional and purposeful engagement with the learning material. They are encouraged to actively contribute to come up with and interpret their own understanding or opinion, think outside the box, apply what they have learned, and engage in meaningful learning activities. Rather than just letting them work on something for the sake of doing work, the goal is to develop an understanding of the importance of active engagement and deep learning, which they can also use in the real world.
2. It’s the same as inquiry-based learning
While active and inquiry-based learning may look to be similar on a surface level, as they both encourage students to learn independently and foster real-world experiences through exploring and questioning, they are also different in their own ways. Instead, it is a type of active learning that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
While inquiry-based learning is a specific approach that focuses on students generating their own questions and conducting investigations, active learning is a broader instructional approach that involves students actively engaging in the learning process through various strategies and activities. Research, investigation, and questioning are all used to help students learn through inquiry-based learning. Students are invited to join in conversations or pose inquiries while reading to further this. Inquiry-based learning can be seen as a subset of active learning, but active learning can also include other approaches beyond inquiry-based learning.
3. It takes away a tutor’s influence
This particular myth can be closely regarded in relation to students who are engaging in home tuition. Active learning does not diminish the influence of tutors. Tutors are still in charge of overseeing students’ education. After all, they are accountable for creating lesson plans and including active learning in their lessons. For instance, they are in charge of incorporating group activities and debates or giving students more time to review during a session.
Additionally, tutors are in charge of keeping track of students’ growth and development. Not to mention, it only makes it possible for students to comprehend the topics, as they have to make sure they take down important points that may be useful in their learning. Thus, tutors have to help students acquire and develop soft skills. Active learning can complement the role of a tutor in home tuition by providing opportunities for personalized instruction, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills, encouraging active engagement and motivation, enhancing interaction and communication, and providing immediate feedback and assessment.
4. It requires students to move around a lot
The main goal of active learning is to keep the brain engaged rather than just the body. Still sitting in their chairs, students can work on tasks or projects without continually moving. These exercises typically encourage analysis, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Active learning strategies can be designed to encourage mental activity, such as discussions, debates, brainstorming, simulations, and other cognitive activities, without necessarily involving excessive physical movement.
It is not solely defined by physical movement, but rather by cognitive engagement and participation. However, the implementation of active learning can vary, and it is important to design strategies that align with specific pedagogical goals, promote inclusivity, and accommodate the diverse needs and abilities of students.
5. It makes students less respectful
Discussion and expressing one’s thoughts are greatly encouraged in active learning. This implies that occasionally, students may voice their disagreement with teachers or tutors. Active learning frequently involves student-centered strategies that let students take charge of their education, voice their opinions, and participate in serious discussions. These strategies can actually encourage respect for different points of view as well as a sense of community and mutual respect among students.
With that, the setting in which discussions take place should be positive and polite. Teachers or tutors should first establish definite limits and guidelines. In this manner, students can collaborate with teachers or tutors as learning partners while still giving them the respect they deserve. Additionally, the role of the teacher or tutor in promoting active learning can help students understand the expectations for respectful behavior and how to participate in respectful discussions. This can help to create a supportive learning environment that values and promotes respectful interactions between students.
Conclusion
Active learning is beneficial for students in many ways and can take many different forms, including discourse in groups, debates, simulations, practical experiments, role-playing, case studies, and group projects. Students are encouraged to ask questions, investigate ideas, and use what they have learned in practical settings in active learning environments. This engaging method encourages creativity, curiosity, and a deeper comprehension of the subject.
However, while active learning has been proven to be successful in numerous educational situations, it might not be appropriate for every circumstance or every student, given that not all students learn the same way. When putting active learning techniques into practice, it’s crucial to keep an eye on the learning objectives, lesson context, and the learning needs of the students.
Carelle
Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.
