Implementing Active Learning Lessons
What do you use as a guideline to determine if an active learning lesson is needed and appropriate? Then what steps do you take to implement it and verify its benefit?
Hi J.,
Wow, with such a small group you can really get involved and do a lot of neat active learning activities with these students. It sounds like you are thorough with your instructions as well.
Patricia Scales
Hi Markia,
I agree some classes are different simply because they are different people. As a good instructor, you should know that what works well for one class may not work for another class.
Patricia Scales
A instructor really needs to know his/her students
before inplementing active learning. some classes are different as night and day! It is a judgement call, i use all types of active learning
Hi Steve
Almost all of my labs are active learning. I review all the procedures and list all activities line by line so all my students will understand the activity. I am always active within the classroom and lab to assist the learning of my students. The expectations are clearly defined for each part and the max student count in lab is 3.
Hi Dave,
Sounds like a great variety and high interaction are taking place. Students love it when they have a mixture to promote learning.
Patricia Scales
The class I teach is already a blended learning program. This program includes: short lectures, classroom discussion, lab demonstrations, and online training.
Hi Tony,
Obviously active learning is crucial in today's classroom. I love to use the Khanacademy website to promote active learning.
Patricia Scales
My guideline is determined by the course I'm teaching. Active learning is needed and is a part all the courses we teach, more in some than others. In a more difficult course I'll lecture and do powerpoint on the subject and then do an active demonstration on key points, functions and assembly of the components. Then in lab I like to walk around looking in and talking to the teams making sure they do the work right and understand their functions and the overall lesson.
Hi Michael,
I love how you deal with your students. You have their thoroughly prepared with the theory so that they will be successful in the lab setting. I believe in doing small jobs to accomplish the big job. Let's take a step at a time.
Patricia Scales
When my students arrive in my course they are use to having the opportunity to go to a lab area where they have live vehicles to apply what they learned during the lecture time. I teach the paper and verbal side of the industry in dealing with customers in the service industry. And even though we do not work on live vehicles in our lab area, what is presented in the classroom and then reinforced in our computer lab, will allow them to succeed in their chosen careers.
Good customer relations begin at the technician level. Having good communication skills and being able to document the customer’s problem correctly and providing a detailed description of the cause of a vehicle condition provides engineers with the necessary information to help identify and resolve product problems faster.
Getting through the students altitude barrier of not wanting to take this course and getting them to understand that this course is the most important course to master is the main challenge and that’s where active learning plays an important part.
The curriculum has already been laid out for me; yet teaching a very structured course has its limits. What has worked for me in my course has been one of the following methods in presenting the concept being taught:
• Cooperative learning
• Self-assessments
• Brainstorming
• In-class writing
• Field trips
• Lecture/discussion
• Lecture with pauses
• Case Studies
What determines the best method to use is often based on the content of the assignments that are turned in.
When I prepare my active learning I want my students to be able to obtain information from a variety of research sources and that each student knows what is expected of him/her.
I try to apply these two sayings from Henry Ford to my teaching and hopefully my students will also:
“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.â€
and
“Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.â€
Henry Ford
Hi Thomas,
It is imperative for students to be able to apply with they have learned.
Patricia Scales
Perparation for active learning is very important. The student need to not only understand what is expected of them, but how to show us on paper that they truly understand and then can perform the tasks required of them.
Hi Ulises,
I use question/answer sessions all the time to determine one's understanding of the material.
Patricia Scales
so much of what we do is active learning so every once in a while when lecturing is needed I determine if the concepts of the lecture can be taught through active learning such as incorporating a Q and A session after covering a few key concepts. The answers to the questions are a great way to gauge their understanding of the material and verify the benefit.
Hi Milton,
I can tell you love what you do! I love the approach that you take to ensure your students have what they need in order to be successful.
Patricia Scales
With Electrical classes,we have to lecture alot to make students aware of what the factors of electricity are (you can not do all this at once so i break it down into steps)usually 20/30 min. Then open discussions.I then demonstrate what i expect them to be able to perform, Then in small groups have them perform pre-assigned task,once this is accomplished i have them perform task individually.Nothing is more rewarding than to see the lights come on in there eyes as they began to understand subject material.(This is why i do this profession) Students that struggle are encouraged to seek tutoring or see me after class,lunch,break,whenever to determine what the stumbling block may be.
The course material is our stepping stones to the end objective. Some information will be and must be added along the way. The hands on is also and must be done with the class information. Both are used to work towards helping the students reach their goals.
some of the courses I teach have alot of lab time some others don't . With both styles you have to accomadate all styles of learning sometimes it is challenging but through experence we get the information to the students.
Hi Keith,
The more lab time, the better it is for the student. Students retain more and learn more when they can actually do a concept repetitively.
Patricia Scales
