ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
24 Facilitating More Active Learning
Maier (1992) believes that the way to make students active learners is to make your teaching active. The best way to do this is to ask yourself what you like most about teaching and what would make students enjoy learning more. Here are some of the enjoyable experiences that Maier mentions:
- MOVE around the classroom, using gestures and communicating information through non-verbal behaviour.
- Students themselves can benefit from moving around in the classroom, which may be difficult if you have a large class but happen to be in a small room.
- Moving around does not have to be physically active. Maier provides the example of having students “vote with the feet” by standing beneath signs of “strongly agree”, “agree”, “disagree” and “strongly disagree” in response to a controversial statement. Discussion in the standing position is inevitably more passionate, plus shy students can become involved with their feet if nothing else.
- “WORKING ON A LARGE SCALE
- Involvement of students through writing on the blackboard, posters, and large worksheets keeps students on track mentally.
- If you have shy students, you could recommend that it is their job to record in small groups so that they can contribute to the group and learn the material in the process.
- MEET YOUR STUDENTS
- Learning student names should be a priority for many TAs and lab instructors. Tell your students that you want them to call each other by name (and have them learn each other’s names).
- Maier recommends that a student who has just finished speaking call on the next student to speak: this not only gets the students more involved, but it gives the students more control over the seminar.
Active and Silent Participation
Everyone learns differently and has a different way of processing information. Providing students will various activities that incorporate the use of all the senses will challenge students to both discuss information, work in groups, reflect, and consider information presented to them in class. Maier’s suggestion to “vote with the feet,” is a perfect example of active, yet silent participation.
Try These:
- a THINK-PAIR-SHARE where students can consider something, pair-up and
share their thoughts and understanding. - a VALUE LINE where students can stand in a position that expresses their
opinions. - SHOW OF HANDS where students raise their hands to express their opinions.
- SILENT REFLECTION or a one-minute paper where students have a silent
moment to reflect on the class or write a one-minute paper about the main
learning point of the class. - GRAFFITI WALK where students post group work around the room and walk
around to view other people’s ideas, thoughts, and expressions.
Note that there is a belief that active learning has to involve movement and that is not always the case. Active learning can happen without movement and can be done with consideration to learners’ and instructors’ lived experience.
As you read through these suggestions think about ways you can make these ideas more inclusive to your classroom environment, on-campus or online.
