The Center@Midway

FINK in FIVE - Part 2

In our second installment of FINK in FIVE, we discuss Principle 2 - Good course design uses active learning to engage students.  Read below to learn more and then try out one of the active learning strategies suggested!

Some learning will be “passive”, e.g., reading and listening. But “higher level learning,” almost by definition, requires active learning. Students learn to solve problems by solving problems; students learn to think critically by thinking critically; etc.

Examples of Active Forms of Learning

• Design small group activities that encourage student to solve problems as a group.
• Use the Shared Lecture technique whereby students first share what they know (or think they know) about a topic. This technique draws on their prior knowledge of the course topic but allows them to actively use their knowledge instead of passively listening to a lecture.
• Case studies, critical incidents, and role-plays are all learning tasks that are conducive to active involvement and provide some degree of ambiguity allowing for divergent thinking.
• Assign course assignments that require experiential learning or hands-on experiences. For example, students may be required to interview someone or participate in a service learning project.
• Use games with competitive rules and are comparable to actual games such as Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit. (Students can design these as a class assignment).
• Bring in guest speakers or panels to provide interaction with other “experts.”
• Students can take turns saying the first thing that comes to mind about a topic in rapid succession using the Whips technique.
• Students write down questions or things they would like to know about an upcoming topic in a technique called Background Interest Probe.
• Active Knowledge Sharing provides a list of questions about a topic, then students work in pairs to answer the questions and discuss with another pair.
• In Flashbacks students are asked how they think an upcoming topic relates to or builds upon a previous topic.