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Reflection On The Benefits And Importance Of Active Learning In Primary Schools

Decent Essays

Observation Journal Week: 1 Date: 17th November 2017 School A is a vertical school that holds a DEIS Band 1 status, incorporating 4 classes for ASD pupils. The urban school employs 35 teachers and 17 SNAs. This journal entry willl focus on observations of 20 students at a fourth class level, that took place across a period of one week. Despite admitting to the difficulty of defining the term active learning concisely, in his article, Prince (2004, pp.223), broadly defines active learning as ‘any instuctional method that engages students in the learning process’. Although Prince’s article focuses on research of active learning within the engineering world, his points and reflections on the efficacy of active learning methadologies on teaching such as collaborative, cooperative and problem based learning seemingly stand true for primary schools, and many of the benefits and challenges involved were observed throughout the week.. In keeping with the constructivist layout of the classroom, the teacher’s teaching style meant the children were always involved in the lessons, fully aware of what, how and why they were learning. This allowed them to become far more active and agentic in their learning. They managed the classroom together, taking time regularly to tidy up and ensure their desks and chairs were where they should be. Many class discussions took place over the course of the week, a key to constructivist teaching and one the observer found most interesting and useful. Talk and discussion in a classroom is, from what was observed, a true cornerstone of active learning within the classroom. The 1999 Curriculum’s Teacher Guidelines for SPHE states that ‘as children participate meaningfully in their own learning they engage in a process in which they can begin from what they already know, explore possibilities, question, draw conclusions and reflect on outcomes’ (Government of Ireland, 1999, pp. 54). Allowing the children to engage in talk and discussion exercises helps them to navigate their way through what Piaget named schemata, or building blocks of knowledge, through the processes of assimilation, accommodation and equilibration. These processes ‘require an active learner, not a passive one

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