Faculty members oftentimes look for ways to engage their
students within the classroom. However, it can be difficult at times to
encourage participation with the students, especially if the class is a lecture
format. Engagement can be accomplished through several different ways,
including integrating active learning strategies.
Active learning is the process of giving students
opportunities to think, reflect, and involve them in the course materials in a
meaningful way (Using Active Learning, 2011; Eison, 2010). Students have
different learning styles and because of this a traditional lecture-based
class, along with other types of instruction, may not be adequate for a number
of students taking a particular course. According to Meyers and Jones (1993),
students are not attentive approximately 40% of the time during a lecture.
Therefore, by integrating various teaching strategies into the classroom,
students will be able to not only retain more information, but be able to apply
the knowledge and skills they acquire.
One way to facilitate active learning strategies is by
modifying the types of questions asked in class. Faculty members may ask
questions that that only require remembering facts which are often forgotten in
a short period of time. Developing questions that are more complex and require
deeper thought may increase engagement and how much a student retains. There
are three levels of question complexity: remembering, applying, and evaluating.
Questions at the remembering level are basic questions that simply elicit
facts. Questions at the application level requires the student to use the
information and relate it to a situation. An example of an application question
is “How would you explain the connection between…?” The highest level of
questioning that could be asked are evaluating questions. This type of
questioning requires students to use higher levels of cognition and to justify
their answers. An example of an evaluating question would be “In this case
study, how would you have done….if you were in the same position (Classroom
Activities, 2009)?” These types of questions can engage the students more and
lead to longer discussions.
Small group work may also be beneficial when integrating
interactive learning strategies. Students can be put into small groups to teach
other students about a topic that relates to class. One small group can teach
another small group or a small group can teach the class about a topic. In
regards to what the small group would teach, the faculty member can assign a
topic that would supplement the material that is taught. This would require the
students to conduct outside research, which will add to their learning
experience (Using Active Learning, 2011).
Another technique to utilize active learning is to
integrate debates that support the classroom material. Debates are a way for
students to critically think about the material, form logical and cohesive
arguments, and express themselves in front of their peers and the faculty
member (Eison, 2010).
There are many ways to increase classroom participation.
One book I recommend on this topic is L. Dee Fink’s book Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to
Designing College Courses which has great ideas about college classrooms. Students
should be able to learn more from an engaging classroom. Properly implemented activities
should result in students wanting to come to class rather than feeling they
have to go to class.
References
Eison,
J. (2010). Using active learning
instructional strategies to create excitement and enhance learning.
Retrieved from http://www.cte.cornell.edu/documents/presentations/Eisen-Handout.pdf
Fink, D. (2003). Creating significant
learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
FSU,
(2011). Using active learning in the
classroom. Retrieved from http://distance.fsu.edu/docs/instruction_at_fsu/Chptr8.pdf
Meyer,
C. & Jones T. (1993). Promoting
active learning: Strategies for the college classroom. San Francisco:
Josey-Bass Inc.
UNC, CFE (2009). Classroom activities for active learning. Retrieved from http://cfe.unc.edu/pdfs/FYC2.pdf
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