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Active Learning Strategies Examples

Active Learning Strategies Examples

What are some examples of Active Learning Strategies?

Active learning strategies take the approach of getting students to actively participate in the learning process rather than passively waiting for the instructor to impart knowledge to them. Active learning strategies seek to have students think critically, question, problem-solve, analyze, apply and connect course concepts, new ideas and experiences to what they already know.

There are many strategies that can be used to good effect depending on your discipline and how much time you want to put into developing the strategy, how much class time you want to devote to the strategy, whether you want to grade the material produced by your students, and how far you want students to dive into interacting with the material. Below are a few strategies you might be familiar with, or you can click to see an exhaustive list of 226 Active Learning Techniques from the Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.

Think-Pair-Share - Low Complexity

Think-Pair-Share is a collaborative teaching strategy developed right here in Maryland, by Frank Lyman of the University of Maryland back in 1981. This strategy works best in small groups. The instructor poses a question or problem. Students are given time to develop their individual ideas about the question or problem. Then the instructor either pairs each student with a classmate or allows the students to pair up with a classmate. Students then discuss and share their ideas about the question or problem with one another. By first developing their own individual ideas about the question or problem before sharing them, students are able to clearly articulate their thoughts, and see the differences between their ideas and their classmate’s ideas. Student learning is enhanced by the formation of their idea, the articulation of their idea, then the reflection on their classmate’s idea. The instructor can ask various pairs of students to share their ideas about possible solutions to the question or problem presented. This strategy is low in complexity because it takes little effort or time to develop and implement. By grouping students in pairs, each student will necessarily have to participate. The questions or problems can start out simple then progress in complexity if the instructor chooses. The instructor can also observe how well the students are understanding difficult concepts and alter future questions or problems accordingly.
Concept Mapping – Low Complexity

Concept Mapping is a way to help students visualize connections between concepts and ideas. Concept mapping improves students’ critical thinking skills and organizational abilities. Begin by showing students what concept maps look like. You can start very simply by giving students a blank template of circles and squares for them to fill in with words from a list you provide. They should have the most important concepts in the bigger circles or squares. The most important concepts should be in the most central areas of the template. Then they should make logical connections for all the areas they filled in. Once they have a good understanding of what a concept map is, the next time just give them a list of words or concepts that they will need to organize and chart without a premade template to start from. Have a rubric that you share with the students to let them know what you will be looking for in their maps: logic in their layout, placement of importance, relationships or connections between the concepts, distinctions between concepts, how well they worked with their team.
Exit Comments or Exit Ticket – Moderate Complexity

Exit Comments, also known as Exit Tickets, or even Muddiest Point responses – are a way to get students to think about what just occurred in class: what they found interesting, what they didn’t understand, how well they can answer a question based on the day’s lecture, how well they can explain the steps they would take to solve a problem and why, or whether they can write a sample exam question based on something covered during that class. The prompt can be any number of things! These exercises shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to complete and be easily completed and handed in as students exit the class. This not only allows students to think about what they just learned, but it allows you as the instructor a quick way to knowledge check where students are in their conceptual understanding after each class so that you can address common questions, misconceptions, or review information in direct response to what you gather from students.
Comparative Preconceptions – Moderate Complexity

Comparative preconceptions are a way to get students to think about a topic and to examine their own learning about the topic before you teach it. Begin a class by having students write down everything they think they already know about the topic you will cover in class. At the end of the class have students write down what they learned and how it was different or incomplete from what they originally thought. This helps students witness their own learning and cognitively it helps process the new information to better retain it. This may also work as a type of exit ticket, or it may be integrated into a reflective journal that students maintain throughout the course and read through/reflect on at the end of the course to see evidence of their disciplinary knowledge growth.
Case Studies – High Complexity

Case studies work best when they are based on real-life examples, or examples found in your discipline. Give students a pre-defined example such as a life history, medical history, problem set, scenario, etc. Using the case study information, have students answer a set of questions or solve particular problems using the given scenario or example. Students will need to ask questions and apply what they know about the subject to answer the questions. They will need to problem solve, use critical thinking, and collaborate with their classmates to come up with the most-likely answers or solutions. Case study problems have students interact with the information they have learned from a new, active direction. They no longer passively take in information; now they need to apply their knowledge to get answers. Students often find case study exercises more interesting when they are based on real-life examples. Make sure to give students plenty of time to read case studies and discuss them in class or with classmates before asking them to answer questions about them.
Simulations or Role Play – High Complexity

An active learning technique that is used successfully for students of nursing, psychology, social work, etc. is to have students practice the behaviors and skills they will need to use in their future careers. Students will be confronted with a problem, a patient, etc. and need to act as the professional in charge. They will need to think about the problem, how it connects to things they have learned, provide or apply a possible solution, and then write up their decision- making process and/or what they did and why. Then they will be able to reflect on the effectiveness of their solution, what they would do differently in the future, and what they believe they learned from the exercise.