The term relates to the three learning domains
referred to as knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA), and that this
taxonomy of learning behaviors can be thought of as "the goals of the
learning process".
In particular, students must engage in such higher-order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Active learning engages students in two aspects – doing things and thinking about the things they are doing.
An activity based curriculum might also focus on learning through play. For example, teachers might use interactive games to develop key skills in English. This
teaching method encourages learners to seek new experiences, develop an
interest in learning, strengthen their vocabulary and read new books.
These actions foster curiosity and critical thinking in students. Most
importantly, it enables them to understand and learn from their own
experience.
What is importance of activity method?
Encouraging kids to be independent and inquisitive – Activity-based learning focuses on independent investigation and analysis.
By asking kids to work on
their own and/or in small groups, this
teaching method encourages students to be independently inquisitive,
think critically, and learn from their own experience.
Active Learning
Strategies
1.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.
After
covering a topic of your choice in class -- or after assigning a
reading selection -- divide the class into pairs or small groups and
have students come up with a few questions for discussion with the rest
of the class.
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 about a lesson.
2. Three step interviews
To
use the three step interview process, divide students into groups of
three, and assign three roles: interviewer, interviewee, and note-taker.After
also assigning a theme or topic of discussion, have students
participate in a five to 10 minute interview to discuss what they found
to be the key information relating to the topic.
3. The pause procedure
Breaking a lecture into brief pauses can increase student
attention and learning outcomes. The pause procedure, the study
determined, is “a good active learning strategy which helps students
review their notes, reflect on them, discuss and explain the key ideas
with their partners
4. The muddiest point technique
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.
5. The devil's advocate approach
The devil’s advocate approach asks one or more students to take the opposing side of a predominant argument or point of view being discussed during a lesson.
Once
you have completed an assignment or lesson plan, select a topic that is
suitable for discussion and debate. The topic should serve as an
appropriate subject for providing arguments from both sides.
The
activity is flexible and should be tailored to suit your students'
grade level. In its simplest form, divide the class into two sections
and coordinate a class-wide debate based on a selected topic
6. 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.
7. Game-based learning platforms
Game-based learning platforms add
depth and differentiation to the educational process and
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
8. Rotating chair group discussions
Rotating chair group discussions encourage students to actively listen to selected speakers who follow a pattern of guiding class discussion and summarizing
previous points. Students lead and stimulate class discussion as they
“rotate” roles, repeatedly selecting the following speaker.
The Teacher’s Role
"Overall," teachers play an influential role in increasing students' situational
interest in the active-learning classroom," while factors like a
teacher's social connection with students and subject matter expertise
"significantly influence the level of students' situational interest in
the active learning classroom.