Teaching Strategies Used to Promote Active Learning

Active Learning

According to the book Promoting Active Learning by Chet Meyers and Thomas Jones and referenced by Kathleen McKinney, active learning means "(1) that learning is by nature an active endeavor and (2) that different people learn in different ways." The first segment of the definition "by nature an active endeavor" is important because it allows the student to develop her critical thinking skills as well as practice her writing techniques. The student can discuss class material in a less formal setting, which can be beneficial in creating more open-ended discussions for the student. As a teacher, promoting various learning styles is critical because one student learn differently than another.

It is an important life lesson a student to understand he will not always get his first choice of how to complete a task, whether it be a job, playing a sport, etc. Say one is at work making company brochures and suddenly a boss comes to the worker. He explains to the worker that using thicker, wider paper for these brochures will increase profitability. The worker may be upset for a while because he is unaccustomed to this new building technique, but in the long run will be glad because he learned how to design pamphlets in a different way. Much like that worker not wanting to change the paper type, a student may not want to change or add to the way she learns. The worker, like the student, fails to see a new building (or learning) method that is beneficial to her. A worker could enjoy constructing brochures with thick, wider paper which would be like students' differing learning styles. Only through learning styles and both parts of Meyers and Jones' definition of active learning, one can understand that active...

... middle of paper ...

...ey learn listening, writing, and producing creative ways to do tasks that are important as well. Through debates and discussion, the students learn how to be better public speakers and improve communication skills. The summary of another student's answer is a great way for students to realize that active learning is a cooperative process. To me, active learning involves an activity that promotes any of these ideas because these ideas help the learner discover these essential learning characteristics.

Works Cited

Asaro, Jeri. "Great Active Learning Strategies." Inspiring Teachers. 2010. Inspiring

Teachers Publishing, Inc. 28 Mar. 2010 .

McKinney, Kathleen. "Active Learning." Illinois State University.