INTRODUCTION TO ACTIVE LEARNING
Lisa Keys Mathews
Department of Geography
University of North Alabama

So what is "active learning"? You may have never heard this term before you were invited to work on this project, but you may have practiced it innumerable times in the classroom. "Active learning" is a method of teaching, or rather a method of learning, where the student is involved in the classroom rather than just passively being fed information. "Active learning" engages students in the classroom through team projects, small group discussion, class presentations, posed questions with written then verbal responses, and problem-solving exercises.

For example, a class or group project that uses GIS techniques to site a business provides students the opportunity to assess the siting criteria (critical thinking skills), reason through the flow of the analysis (creative thinking and inquiry, as well as problem solving), interpret the results of the analysis (more critical thinking and problem-solving) and recommend a location (decision making). All of these "skills" - critical thinking, creative thinking, inquiry, problem-solving and decision making - are developed through participation in "active learning".

So, are you surprised? The important part of "active learning" is involving the students in the classroom experience. It does not take lecture out of the picture, but merely encourages the students to pay attention, follow along, and think. Students are encouraged to discuss topics in class and to present their ideas. Other methods of "active learning" include lecturing for fifteen to twenty minutes, then posing a question that requires them to apply the information provided. Group work is encouraged (with peers, teachers, community members, or business persons), so you might divide the students into groups (or have them do it alone) and ask them to report to the class what they or their group determined based on a posed question or situation. Another possibility is to ask the students to recap the lecture by writing two or three things that they learned today, anything they are still fuzzy on, and anything that they would like more information on. Asking them to turn the list in will let you know where they stand and how your information is going over.

Created by Lisa Keys Mathews on 6/16/99.  Last revision 6/6/99 lkm