Rethinking The Active Learning Movement Essay

This can be effective when delivered in an enthusiastic manner by a lecturer with a good depth of knowledge however, this most commonly takes the form of passive learning with limited opportunities for student interaction. This can lead to disengagement and boredom rather than the active learning, open interactions and participation I am now aware of. My module follows a summative assessment model which can promote learning but, ‘its high stakes nature exerts pressure on students to behave strategically and focus on marks which may have a negative effect on their learning’ (Bloxham 2014, p.7). An approach which has been criticised over the years for offering minimum student engagement whilst attempting to mould the student to the approach, regardless of individual learning needs or abilities with the lecturer the only active presence in the room whilst passive students take notes on the topic at hand, a style that mainly appeals to those who learn by listening. To improve this situation I have tried to enhance the learning

Engaged learning, within a highly supportive environment, enables our students to develop strong communication skills, excel within collaborative settings, effectively address complex problems with innovative solutions, and lead with integrity and compassion throughout their lives and careers in a diverse and rapidly changing world.

Who loves school? What makes school enjoyable? Is it the lectures, worksheets, and tests or the group projects, in-class discussions, and games? When thinking over these questions many people are unknowingly stating a progressive teaching style is preferred. A progressive teaching style includes student participation and technology allowing more people to enjoy learning by setting a custom pace and preferred personal style. It has become apparent to educators how disconnected students are from the learning environment when lectures are used as the sole teaching method. The discovery has led several people to find new ways to educate the next generations for their benefit not just for the ease of

Active learning strategies are diverse, but most focus on asking students to reflect on what they know and apply it through an activity. The rise of flipped and active-learning classrooms has resulted in the development of a vast collection of tools to

In the beginning of the semester, I had little knowledge on how to engage students in a lesson. I have learned that there are numerous methods to improve student engagement, but these methods vary with different classes. In the first lesson, I found that the students were “extremely distracted and inattentive” at various points in the lesson. In order to encourage student engagement in this specific class, I found that hands on activities were effective. The students had a short attention span and I found that spending less time on each part of the lesson also improved the students attention and engagement. Keeping students engaged in a lesson is a skill that will improve with experience. I included the image of the raised hands to symbolize how I have developed this skill throughout the

Engagement – the fact of being involved with something – (Cambridge dictionary online) is a vague term; it is poorly defined and it is difficult to measure. Student engagement is more than not skipping class, or to pay attention to a lesson; it requires dedication, and feeling of sense. Acting without feeling engaged is just involvement, without being really committed. A student who is not participating but quiet may be as disengaged as the one who is talking or the student who didn’t attend a class (Trowley, 2010). An engaged student is the one who is curious, intrigued, and constantly seems thrilled by a new challenge. Researchers categorized the different types of engagement into three categories that will be explained in the next few points

According to Christopher R. Poirier and Robert S Feldman’s (2007), students who participate in classes that have students use IRT or individual response technology claim to learn more in class and tend to have higher test scores and a better grade point average than of those who do not attend classes that include the active learning in class. The researches want to test if and how active learning (students who participate in in class activities) would affect the outcome of their g.p.a and test scores.

There are many different ways that educators can help to engage their students in learning, some of them more suited to certain age groups or knowledge areas than others, but one of the most effective means of generating real learning and not just learning, but a real enthusiasm for learning at any age or learning level is through the equal discussion of knowledge with students. That is, active discussions in which the instructor participates and perhaps facilitates but does not instruct provides some of the most effective instruction of all, because it gives students the empowerment necessary to actually guide their own thinking and draw their own conclusions. An instructor or indeed another classmate might challenge these conclusions, requiring more rigorous thinking or more abundant citing of evidence, but this only improves the thinking and the learning process all the more. Essentially, this mode of teaching which requires a level of personal engagement, enjoyment, and humility from the educator helps to inspire and promote critical thinking, and this is advantageous in all respects.

Engagement is the time and effort that students use in participating in purposeful educational activities. Engagement is also using institutional resources and opportunities that students take advantage of in participating in meaningful learning activities. Engagement in purposeful, positively activities are contributed to successful outcomes such as GPA, critical thinking skills (Carini, Kuh, & Klein, 2006), and retention (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2007). Student participation can be related to retention, motivation, and prior learning.

students are composed of many diverse groups of people together, which is a problem for teachers when providing lessons. However, engagement is best method or way for people to acquire knowledge. In schools, engagement is an important way that students acquire their education. When students and teachers are highly engaged in school, teachers are able to help students improve their learning. In the article "Student Engagement", the author pointed out that highly engagement between teachers and students help to reduce dropout rates and increased levels of student success. Also, the author believes it motivates the students keeping them interested in school and their education. (Sadker, M) The action of engagement it benefits both students and teachers. From the schools, teachers and educators point of view, it is important for teachers to engage students in the learning process, because it helps teachers to know and make sure the students are learning. In the "Teachers Engagement" article, the author explain the idea of teachers engage students in learning help students motivated and interested in school. Also, in the article, the author pointed out that most students are do not know purpose why they are in school, and teachers by engaging the students in school help students realize the purpose of education. (Kennedy, C) With those reasons, it shows that engagement it important for students and teachers in

Prior to this course my method of delivery followed that which I had received myself, a traditional, didactic style, varied only by a tutors individual style. This can be extremely effective when delivered in an enthusiastic manner and with a lecturer who can cover their subject in great depth however, this does take the form of passive learning with limited opportunities for student interaction. Such a situation can lead to disengagement and boredom rather than the active learning, open interactions and participation I have learnt about during this course. The traditional a approach I had therefore started with has been heavily criticised over the years for offering the minimum of student engagement whilst attempting to mould the student

Massey, Brown, and Johnson (2005) suggested that active learning techniques provide opportunities for faculty to increase social presence, engage students, and positively enhance performance. Studies have shown that students tend to learn more when they actively participate in the learning process through discussing, practicing, reviewing, and applying knowledge to develop new meanings (Mcalpin, 2015). Maki and Maki (2007) found that online instruction required the application of strong methodology along with providing students with opportunities to interact with each other and the instructor. Aside from purposeful course design, active learning in an online course requires instructors to be actively involved in the learning process (Gayton & McEwen, 2007; Young, 2006). This involvement includes, but is not limited to, minimal participation in discussion boards, course announcements, e-mail, and other forms of web-based communication (Dixon, 2010). However Dennen, Aubteen Darabi, and Smith (2007) warned that too much active participation by the instructor has been shown to result in decreased student participation.

Everyone who has gone to school knows that there are students who are livelier and more proactive than the others. We have all sat through classes where there were classmates who eagerly raised their hands to ask questions, participated in every outdoor activity, and often stayed after class to discuss with their teachers about the lesson. We also have been part of classes where there were some learners who quietly sat at their desks and simply left when classes ended. Although students often seem outwardly alike in general, the differences between active students and passive students are enormous. Each type of student has their own way to pursue their education. In addition, natural abilities and environmental factors are playing important roles in how students can become active or passive learners in schools.

Keeping students engaged during instruction is not only crucial for their style of learning, but is also a vital part of classroom management on the educators part. Students that are engaged in their education are less likely to create disciplinary issues within the classroom setting. Consequently, compared to less engaged peers, engaged students demonstrate more effort, experience emotions that are more positive and pay more attention in the classroom (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). Educators must develop lesson plans that are simplistic, engaging, and relevant to students on a daily basis. Lesson plans should not be developed in a manner that does not provide adequate time to absorb new material nor actively engage in a productive manner in which students will learn and retain information. Classroom management is a way to ensure that a classroom is efficiently and effectively

According to Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and philosopher, the current education lacks teacher-student communication. In his article he reveals that, “Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques and makes deposits which the students patiently perceive, memorize, and repeat. This is the “banking” concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits.”