We have all probably experienced what it’s like to attend a class, zone out the entire time, have no focus towards what is being taught, and not process any of the material.
Such incidents are common when the learning approach implemented in class is passive, pushing learners to learn and interact with the material on a surface level, if at all, causing them to detach from the learning process and find it uninteresting.
The fix to all of this is implementing an active learning approach.
But first:
What is Active Learning?
Active learning is a learning method that revolves around engaging learners in the learning process, making each one of them an active learner that interacts with the material on a deep level, enabling them to analyze, understand, problem solve and collaborate with each other in order to learn the material fully, deeply and thoroughly.
Active learning has lots of learning strategies under its umbrella, and it is the responsibility of the tutor, educator or lecturer to utilize the correct strategy in class in alignment with the material as well as guide the entire process.
But what are those strategies?
Active Learning Strategies
The following are some of the active learning strategies you might have implemented before in your classes or have engaged in as a learner.
- Think-Pair-Share
With the think-pair-share strategy, the educator asks a question or series of questions, then gives the learners a few minutes to think about them individually. After that, each learner is paired with a partner to discuss their ideas together before discussing them with the entire class.
This strategy is ideal for developing each learner’s individual thinking, communication skills, collaboration and social skills, and it is especially beneficial for shy learners who do not feel comfortable being put on the spot, speaking in front of the class, or working in big groups.
- One Sentence Summary
As the name suggests, this active learning strategy requires learners to summarize the material they have learned during class in one sentence, making it an ideal strategy to use at the end of your class.
This strategy pushes learners to think strategically and analytically as they need to condense what they have learned only in one sentence. It also improves their thinking skills, linguistic and writing skills, memory and focus during class as well as deepening their understanding of the material, especially when it’s implemented regularly.
- Debates
A debate is a discussion between two parties about a certain topic, most likely a controversial one, where one party opposes the given subject while the other one supports it.
Debates are another strategy of active learning that helps engage learners with the given material as they help them explore the given topic and push them to interact and work with one another, directing them to improve their social skills, team work skills, oral communication skills, research, quick thinking, articulation and public speaking.
Where to Engage in Active Learning?
Active learning can be done through online learning, face-to-face learning and blended learning, which is a combination of the first two. So, if you are interested in online learning that implements active learning or if you are a tutor that plans to create online courses with such a learning approach, Oktopi is the right platform for you.
Oktopi is an online learning platform that is dedicated to turn students into lifelong learners while enabling tutors to create their own online courses, whatever their category may be as Oktopi courses fall into the following categories:
- Languages.
- Academic tutoring and support.
- Financial and economics literacy.
- Arts and music.
- Personal development and mental health.
- Physical education.
- Social sciences.
If you are a learner looking forward to a fulfilling learning experience, try Oktopi’s learner account, or the instructor account if you are eager to further develop your teaching career.
