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A
recent meta-analysis study of 225 active learning classes further
concludes that “active learning has a greater impact on student mastery
of higher- versus lower-level cognitive skills” (p. 8411). Active
learning places the student at the center of a lecture’s objective and
its outcome. Students in these lectures are not only engaged in learning
but are also involved in cognitive processes such as comprehension and
evaluation. These processes then translate into (a) improved and deeper
learning, (b) better grades, and (c) lower failure rates (2, 3). Given
this growing evidence, it would be beneficial to incorporate these
active learning strategies into the classroom. My aim was to adopt some
form of active learning to enhance my traditional lectures, and to
improve my students’ class experience.
There are wide-ranging theories of active and deep learning, and just as many applications of this kind of learning (1). So, how do we translate these theoretical frameworks into practical applications in our discipline? Not all strategies lend themselves well to different disciplines. Although bringing tactile elements to a classroom may help students in the sciences, a video case-study could be a better motivational tool for business studies. Thus, to improve learning, the game plan should be to motivate your students to participate in class with your class content.
Reducing the vast number of theories down to adaptable elements for my economics courses was honestly a process of trial and error. I struggled with time along with questions such as: How much class time should be devoted to active learning and participation? Should this be at the expense of course content? Given that first year undergraduate economics courses are mostly preparatory for advanced economics classes, the content of these courses is not up for debate, and none can be sacrificed. The solution was to use a blended learning approach: modifying the course structure, introducing online videos for review, and changing how the content was delivered in class.
In order to free up lecture time, roughly 15% of traditional lecture-style classes are now substituted with online reviews. Students watch video tutorials in order to review basic concepts before class...
Larger classes are, however, a big challenge. An average class size of a first year economics course can consist of 80 to 150 students. It is, thus, not feasible to interact with every group, let alone every student in a class of >100 students. Big lecture halls with fixed seats are not designed for group work. Have you ever tried to get students to walk around in these big lecture halls and form groups? You might as well forget about teaching that day. After much thought, I decided to rely on peer interaction and trust that students, if asked, might engage in solving posed problems. The aim was to only ‘spark’ a discussion, not a debate. I wanted students to at least question their knowledge.
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Source: Faculty Focus
