{"id":2132,"date":"2004-10-12T13:47:00","date_gmt":"2004-10-12T13:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=2132"},"modified":"2026-10-22T07:42:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T07:42:00","slug":"active-learning-3-three-easy-pieces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=2132","title":{"rendered":"Active Learning (3) Three Easy Pieces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Originally published on:<\/strong> October 12, 2004<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new learning paradigm…balances the delivery of content with the discovery of knowledge\u201d.<\/em> (Saunders, 2000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common obstacles in introducing active learning in the classroom is the perception that it takes away from the lecture. The typical 40+ contact hours that a professor has with his\/her students during a semester are usually considered to be barely enough to cover the \u201ccontent\u201d of the course. Yet thanks to excellent classroom research (McKeachie et al., 1990), we know a great deal about how learning happens, and not much of it will be happening in the classroom unless students are actively engaged. Research comparing lecture versus discussion techniques (McKeachie et al., 1990) concludes that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen measures of knowledge<\/strong> are used, the lecture proves as efficient as other methods. However, in those experiments involving measures of transfer of knowledge<\/strong> to new situations, or measures of problem solving<\/strong>, thinking<\/strong>, or attitude change<\/strong>, or motivation <\/strong>for future learning, the results show differences favoring discussion methods over lecture.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the question becomes: should instructors sacrifice content coverage (i.e. knowledge delivery) in order to allow active\/collaborative learning (i.e. knowledge construction)? The answer is: not if they shift<\/strong> some of the responsibility<\/strong> of \u201ccontent coverage\u201d to the students. Students, working in groups or individually, can be guided<\/strong> to explore the course content through active learning, where they \u201cdo most of the work\u2026 use their brains…studying ideas, solving problems, and applying what they learn\u201d<\/em> (Silberman, M.1996). \u00a0In so doing, they engage in the process of building their own knowledge<\/strong> from the information they are acquiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following describes three commonly used interactive\/collaborative learning structures that can be used in-class<\/strong> and can be adapted to many disciplines or situations. In each case, the instructor could deliver one or two mini-lectures per class and separate them by a brief group work session. Students can work in teams of two or four students, and one of them could be randomly assigned to be the group recorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n