Research has consistently shown that active learning techniques help students learn better and are particularly helpful for underrepresented students. But student perceptions and preferences often run counter to the research evidence. A 2019 study that randomly assigned students to either an active learning classroom or a lecture classroom, found that although students in the active learning classroom performed better on assessments, they thought they learned more in the lecture-based classroom. The expectation that an instructor will lecture is so high that some students assume that the instructor isn’t actually teaching if they aren’t lecturing.
Learner-centered pedagogies like active learning may frustrate some students, so it’s good to talk openly with students about why you are adopting active learning strategies in your teaching.
Strategies for larger classes
In-class poll questions. Use practice quiz questions to help students check their understanding or open-ended questions to gather ideas or examples from students. Consider having students discuss how they responded with each other before you show the answer, then allow them to re-vote after discussion. This is often helpful for trickier concepts; students can sometimes teach each other on the spot!
Minute paper. Have students spend one minute writing about what they know about a topic or what was confusing or difficult for them. Use this feedback to modify your next class session.
Think-pair-share. Have learners think and/or write for a minute about a question. After a minute, have them pair up with a classmate to discuss their answers. Then have the pairs share out to the whole class.
End-of-class wrapper/Exit ticket. In the last few minutes of a class session, have students write one thing they learned and one thing they are still confused about. Use this feedback to modify your next class session.
Post-exam reflection. Have students reflect on how they studied for an exam (this can be multiple-choice from a list of common techniques, or free-response), how they felt about their performance, and what they might do differently next time.
Strategies for smaller classes
Student discussion leader. In a seminar class, Tabitha Kirkland has students write discussion questions based on the reading, then meet in small groups to debate their questions. Group members are roles (leader, timekeeper, notetaker, devil’s advocate). The goal is to produce one discussion question to contribute to the whole-class discussion. Kirkland randomly chooses two of the day’s discussion leaders to facilitate whole-class discussion.
Whole-class debate. Have students choose a side of the room based on their response to some topic that doesn’t have a correct/incorrect answer. Ask students to explain why they hold their belief or opinion. Consider writing ideas generated from debate on the board.
Jigsaw. In a jigsaw, each student in a pre-assigned group contributes one specific thing to the group’s overall task. They might read a particular article or research a particular aspect of a topic. The class begins with all students who learned the same material getting together to review the basic facts and check their understanding. Then students get back into their pre-assigned groups in which each member has focused on a different aspect of the topic, and they take turns teaching the other members about what they have learned.
Gallery walk. Students break into small groups and then walk around a room to engage with different topics situated at different tables or areas of the room. This is often done by asking the groups to write in response to a prompt on a large sticky note–then future groups add onto what the earlier groups have written when they rotate to that area of the room.