Active Learning 2

2

                           ( Don't give me a fish , but teach me how to fish )

                          Think        /         Pair         /         Share

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The Term:

The term active learning "was introduced by the English scholar R W Revans (1907–2003)." Bonwell (1991) "states that in active learning, students participate in the process and students participate when they are doing something besides passively listening."Active learning is "a method of learning in which students are actively or experientially involved in the learning process and where there are different levels of active learning, depending on student involvement. 

In the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) report the authors discuss a variety of methodologies for promoting "active learning". They cite literature that indicates that to learn, students must do more than just listen: They must read, write, discuss, or be engaged in solving problems.

The term relates to the three learning domains referred to as knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA), and that this taxonomy of learning behaviours 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.

     Active learning in USA  schools and colleges refers to techniques where students do more than simply listen to a lecture. Learners listen, read,explore, discover and apply. Active learning allows learners to analyze, do synthesis and evaluate. Active learning "derives from 2 basic points:

1-The learner is active by his nature.

2-The teacher makes use of this talent and vary methods of teaching.

Research proves that active learning is more fruitful.  Active learning is a pedagogical approach that involves students engaging in collaborative learning, which enables them to take more responsibility for their learning and improve their critical thinking skills

Active learning is a form of learning in which  teaching strives to involve students in the learning process more  than in other methods.

It is important to memorize a lecture, however, that lecture isn't practical without applicability which is vital part of active learning. The factors of active learning are listening, speaking, reading and writing through observing, doing, talking to others in group to solve a problem to analyze, to compose or do a project.

The qualities of active learning:

    Learners are asked to practice listening,speaking,reading and writing. Active learning develops students' skills. students are able to  think and do other skills like (analysis, synthesis, evaluation), students are engaged in activities (e.g., reading discussing, writing). Learners should explore the knowledge by themselves.

     The learners who are accustomed to listening to lectures face a difficulty in dealing with practical teaching which is part of active learning.Thus, you need to prepare students. Here is the role of the successful teacher who can clarify the benefits of the active learning. The teacher himself can get the results of success of the active learning through observing the learners' activities.  Active learning techniques can occur in class or outside of class (e.g., computer simulations, internships, assignments, class Internet discussion lists, independent study research).  Active learning can be applied with small groups and big groups ,also can be practised with class with big numbers.

Elements of Active learning:

     In applying active learning , learners think, pair and share.Give students a task such as a question or problem to solve, or an original example to develop. 1-Have them work on this 2-5 minutes alone (think).

2-Then have them discuss their ideas for 3-5 minutes with the student sitting next to them (pair).

3-Finally, ask or choose student pairs to share their ideas with the whole class (share). I have used these in classes ranging from 12 to 340 students.

Group work:

     Learners are divided into groups.  Each group consists of 3 or 4 members. one is the leader, one is the writer, one is the writer, one is the timer and one is a dictator. All work in group through collaborative work to learn the spirit of of share as a start to learn how to do researches in group.

Follow- up:

      A kind of follow up, the teacher can ask the members of any group about the subject they use, the material they use, the way of research they are going to do, the books they are going to consult or the actual fields they are going to visit to illustrate their researches

Activities at primary and middle stage:

     The school activities support the method of active learning. Learners can express themselves through doing their school activities. These activities can be done inside or outside the class. Learners can draw, paint, design projects that reflect the active learning which depends on practical education.

Activities at  high school stage:

One of the most obvious ways to increase your classroom charisma is to increase the amount of active learning in your class. .

1. Have students lead conferences with each other and with you. When students take the lead, their interest and confidence soars. Prepare a set of guidelines that encourage them to take the lead in designing effective conferences and then allow them to assume responsibility for their role as conference facilitators.

2. When you are delivering instruction, pause frequently and have students write a summary of what you have said in the previous 3-5 minutes.

3. Brainstorm ideas. There are many effective ways for students to create brainstorms of ideas. Working with pairs or in small groups tends to be effective because students stimulate each other’s thought processes. Encouraging students to think out of the box and to delve into a topic using this technique often has unexpectedly positive results.

4. When students have a passage, chapter, or other text to read, guide them through it with active learning strategies such as these:

Responding to visual aids:

     Learners can watch a video to see an education film, criticize and react to the content of the film.  After watching the film, learners can do a feedback,followed by a discussion by a teacher to measure their extent of understanding and responding.

Integration:

      Bring in case studies for students to read (for example, I will put a case example of a volcano). Have students discuss and analyze the case, applying , data, and the phenomena. They can work as individuals or in groups or do this as a ( think-pair-share ). Consider combining this with a brief in-class writing assignment.

A report:

      Have small groups of students produce a brief report on a specific topic related to class. learners should include articles with relevant research, post information on upcoming related public events, and so on. The teacher shares these with faculty and students in related courses or in the major.

Mapping the topic:

      Learners create visual models, ideas, and the relationships between concepts. They draw circles containing concepts and lines, with connecting phrases on the lines, between concepts. These can be done individually or in groups, once or repeated as students acquire new information and perspectives, and can be shared, discussed, and critiqued.

Other Resources:

1-Physical activity in class.

2-Learner-centered Teaching.

3-Characteristics of a good teacher.

4-Teacher's Toolbox.

6-Writing for the Reader: A problem- solution approach.

7-Metaphors in EFL Classroom

8-Story Jokes for real communication

9-Film Circles:  Scaffolding Speaking For EFL Students.

10-Selecting the right alternative test.