Active Learning

prepared by Dr. Siti Mastura Baharudin

Universiti Sains Malaysia
School of Educational Studies
by Confucius
Learning theorists & learning styles
• Behaviorism (B.F. Skinner) – learning built
on conditioning
• Constructivism (J. Dewey, J. Piaget, L.
Vygotsky, others) – learning built on prior
knowledge
• John Dewey (1916): 1) individual experience
& 2) collaboration w/others are important
for learning

• “School is primarily a social institution.

Education is a social process….therefore [it] is
a process of living, not preparation for
living.”
Active learning from
the Constructivist School
• Jean Piaget: we come to know the world by
building new experiences on old experiences

• Lev Vygotsky: students learn better by

engaging with “more capable others”
Constructivist principles
• Knowledge is constructed from experience;
• Learning results from personal interpretation
of knowledge;
• Learning is an active process;
• Learning is a collaborative process.
Course design

1. Situational
factors

5. Integrated
2. Learning
key
goals
components

4. Teaching/ 3. Feedback &

Learning Assessment
actiivities Procedure
What is active learning & why do
it?
• Strategies that increase student engagement with
material and are aligned with student learning
outcomes

• Theory that derives from two basic assumptions:

(1) that learning is by nature an active endeavor
and (2) that different people learn in different
ways
(Meyers and Jones, 1993).
What is active learning?

• [it is] when students are engaged in more

activities than just listening. They are
involved in dialog, debate, writing, and
problem solving, as well as higher-order
thinking.
(Bonwell, C., and Eison, J., 1991)
Why do Active Learning?
• Retention levels are enhanced when active
learning methods are used
(McKeachie, 1999; Silberman, 1996)
Why do Active Learning?
Active learning produces:
• higher achievement,
• more positive relationships among students,
• healthier psychological adjustment.
(Johnson, D. W., R. T. Johnson, and K. Smith , 1991)
Types of activities
• Small group work
• Presentations and debates
• Journaling
• Role playing
• Learning Games
• Field Experiences
• Case Studies
• Class Discussions
• Simulations….more!
(Mc Keachie, 1994 and Silberman, 1996)
 Active Learning Types

Collaborative learning
1.“simple tasks” • carefully structured
• ad hoc exercises • group formation
and student roles
• little or no advanced planning
important
• “think-pair-share”,
2. “complex tasks” “minute
• longer paper”,
duration “concept mapping”
• carefully planned
• well- structured Cooperative learning
• a form of
collaborative learning
• consist of 5 specific
criteria to maximize
learning
COLLABORATIVE
LEARNING
Collaborative learning
• “Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a
variety of educational approaches involving joint
intellectual effort by students, or students and
teachers together. Usually students are working in
groups of two or more, mutually searching for
understanding, solutions or meanings, or creating a
product.
• Collaborative learning activities vary widely, but most
center on students’ exploration or application of the
course material, not simply the teacher’s presentation
or explication of it”.
Smith and McGregor (1992)
Educational goals
• Involvement
• Co-operation and
teamwork
• Community
responsibility
Assumptions about learning
• Learning is an active constructive process
• Learning depends on rich contexts
• Learners are diverse
• Learning is inherently social
Approaches
Collaborative learning

Co-operative learning
Peer teaching
Writing groups
Problem-based learning
Learning communities
Discussion groups
COOPERRATIVE
LEARNING
Why use cooperative learning?
• promote student learning and
academic achievement
• enhance student satisfaction
with their learning experience
• help students develop skills in
oral communication
• develop students' social skills
• promote student self-esteem
• increase student retention
• develop a community of
learners
 1. Positive each individual depends on and is accountable
interdependence to the others

2. Individual
accountability
each person in the group learns the material

3. Promotive 5 group
keymembers
components
help one another, share
interaction information, clarify

4. Social
emphasis on interpersonal skills
skills

5. Group
assessing how effectively they are working with
processing one another
Positive interdependence
• Each group member's
efforts are required and
indispensable for group
success

• Each group member has a

unique contribution to
make to the joint effort
because of his or her
resources and/or role and
task responsibilities
Face-to-face interaction
• Orally explaining how
to solve problems
• Teaching one's
knowledge to others
• Checking for
understanding
• Discussing concepts
being learned
• Connecting present
with past learning
Interpersonal and small group skills
Social skills must be
taught:
• Leadership
• Decision-making
• Trust-building
• Communication
• Conflict-management
skills
Group processing
• Group members discuss
how well they are
achieving their goals and
maintaining effective
working relationships
• Describe what member
actions are helpful and
not helpful
• Make decisions about
what behaviours to
continue or change
JIGSAW
Jigsaw Approach
Jigsaw Approach
• A grouping strategy in which the members of
the class are organized into groups then
rearranged in new groups to share their
learning.
• An excellent method for improving students'
teamwork and communication skills.
JIGSAW IN 10 EASY STEPS

STEP ONE
• Divide students into 5- or 6-person jigsaw groups.

STEP TWO
• Appoint one student from each group as the leader.

STEP THREE
Divide the day’s lesson into 5-6 segments.
STEP FOUR
Assign each student to learn one segment

STEP FIVE
Give students time to read over their segment at least twice
and become familiar with it.

STEP SIX
Form temporary “expert groups” by having one student from
each jigsaw group join other students assigned to the same
segment.

STEP SEVEN
Bring the students back into their jigsaw groups.
STEP EIGHT
Ask each student to present her or his segment to the group.

STEP NINE
Float from group to group, observing the process.

STEP TEN
At the end of the session, give a quiz on the material.
Problem based
learning (PBL)
Problem based learning
• A learning-centred pedagogy based on
current theories of learning including
constructivism, social constructivism and
situated learning.
What is Problem-Based Learning?
• An instructional method which focuses on the
investigation and resolution of messy, “real
world” problems as a context for students to
learn critical thinking and problem solving skills
• “Students work individually and/or in groups to
solve challenging problems that are authentic,
curriculum-based, and often interdisciplinary”
 PBL - an iterative process

Read the
Next page
problem
Brainstorm-
hypothesize
EVALUATE
Return-Reread-
Identify learning Report-Review
issues Research-Learn

Prof. H. Pross
Queens School of Medicine
Kingston, Ontario
Setting up a PBL lesson
1. Develop a Problem that
• Is developmentally appropriate
• Is grounded in student
experience
• Is curriculum based
• Accommodates various
learning and teaching
strategies
• Is ill-structured
• Does not result in one correct
solution
A helpful strategy for planning the
problem:
Develop an Anticipated Problem Statement in which you
anticipate what students might identify as the root issue.
Use this format:

How can we [state the central issue]...

so that [state the conditions for an
acceptable solution]?

*This is to be used as a problem design tool, not something

to provide to students. You’ll want students to define the
real problem for themselves!
Example of an Anticipated Problem
Statement:
Format: How can we [state the central issue]…
so that [state the conditions for an acceptable solution]?

How can we find a way to return the county’s mosquito

population to normal so that we do the following:
• Consider environmental impact (livability,
biodiversity, and populations).
• Reduce health risks
• Prevent the problem from happening again
• Keep costs reasonable
2. Present the Problem
• Figure out how students
will meet the problem
• Hook the students through
the problem format
• Give students a role in the
problem
• Allow students to define
the real problem for
themselves
3. Set up the structure
Once students have defined the problem, they can begin to
break it down
• Ideas: Any initial ideas students have about possible
solutions to the problem
• Facts: Facts students know about the problem (from
problem statement, experience, or discussion)/what students
know
• Learning issues: Questions students still have that will
require research/what students need to know
• Action plan: Sources students will use/people, places,
agencies, etc. students will consult for research
4. Gather and Share Information
• Teacher should check availability of resources
in advance
• Students typically work in collaborative
groups of 3-5
• Student groups can assign research tasks to
individual group members
• Information shared through charts,
abstracts, discussion groups, jigsawing, etc.
• Students and class as a whole continually
revisit the problem
5. Generate Solutions
• Learners begin to
recommend solutions
based on the information
they have gathered
• Students’ goal is to develop
best solution according to
problem conditions
• Responsible thinkers are
able to justify solution(s)
with supportive evidence
6. Performance Assessment
• Goal is for teacher to assess LEARNING
• Ongoing assessments throughout process are ideal
- good for assessing both individual and group
accountability
• Teachers embed instruction to help students
explore important information related to the
problem
• Teacher typically assesses culminating
performance via a rubric -- on content,
presentation skills, teamwork, and fit of solution.
7. Debriefing the problem
Even after final product is complete, more
opportunities for learning exist. Consider the
following questions as a way of providing closure:
• Were the strategies you used to solve the problem
effective? What would you do differently?
• What is the foundational or “big” issue at stake?
• What did you learn academically?
• What can you do now that you didn’t think you
could do before?