Sep 1 / by The Learning Liaisons

Active Learning Strategies & How to Implement Them in 2024

We all remember sitting in a classroom and trying to stay awake while a teacher droned on with information that we needed to know to pass the upcoming test on the material. In most cases, there was little interaction with the material beyond reading it, viewing it, and listening to the accompanying lectures. This approach worked well for some, but certainly not all.

Active learning is an entirely different approach. With active learning, the student is in the driver’s seat, engaging directly with the material, interacting with it, and reflecting on what they have learned. When doing this in a group setting, the potential for retention of the material is heightened. This makes learning things—and making them stick—much easier.

What Is Active Learning?

Active learning was officially defined in 1991 as a method that includes “anything that involves students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing.”

In other words, active learning is hands-on participation in the learning process. Students don’t just take in the information passively as in days past; instead, they interact with it, engaging with the text, lecture, or project in a variety of ways. This active participation helps embed the information so that the student retains it longer and comes to understand it in meaningful ways. There are several ways to achieve active learning, including:

  •    Gathering students in small groups to discuss specific topics
  •    Individual reflection at the end of the class and time for additional questions after
  •    Working in a small group or duo to figure out a problem and then presenting the results to the class
  •    Participating in classes, groups, or team discussion boards

The idea includes creating a reciprocal process where cognition and understanding of the material intersect with demonstrating mastery to enforce key learning points. The more engagement a person has with the material, the more likely they are to retain it.

Key Components of Active Learning Strategies

Active learning strategies include three components: Engagement, reflection, and application. Active learning is usually a collaborative effort, not only between students and teachers but between the students as well. Let’s take a look at what each component brings to the table.

1. Engagement

The information is taught in a manner that makes it very interesting and different, which facilitates concentration and keeps a student’s interest. The more they engage with the help of teachers and peers, the more information will take hold in their minds and leave them with further questions to ask or problems to solve.

2. Reflection

Consciously reflecting on the subjects students are learning will help personalize the experience and imprint the knowledge into memory. During this time they might find ways that the information affects their own life or the lives around them. Finding these areas make the learning much more personal.

3. Application

Once the key pieces of learning are in place, students can then appreciate the various ways to apply that knowledge. They will be able to apply the information to real-world events in their lives and that can motivate them to memorize and actively use the information over and over again.

Benefits of Active Learning

Active learning offers many benefits that linger outside the classroom. Here are some of the top reasons why active learning matters so much.

  •    Boosts retention of information. When someone actively engages with any sort of information, they retain it better than if they simply read through it. When they debate and discuss a topic, search for solutions as a group, and find ways to make the content more personal, they attach emotion to the information – and that means that they will retain it much better, because now they feel as though they a have a personal stake.
  •    Develops critical thinking skills. When students are given a piece of information, take the time to analyze and evaluate it, and then use it to solve problems or make decisions, they develop the ability to seriously think about what they’ve learned and apply it to their day-to-day life. That leads to critical thinking, which is essential to not only education but to life in general.
  •    Encourages engagement and collaboration. Active learning begins with teamwork and that skill of working through things together as a group improves a person’s overall interpersonal skills. Learning to work effectively as a team can be a crucial component of their success in workplace settings and all sorts of relationships.

Active Learning Strategies

There are various structured active learning strategies in the classroom. If one of them falls flat, that’s fine—there are plenty of others to choose from. Once you hit on the best group of learning strategies for your classroom, it’s off to the races!

1. Three-step Interviews

Students apply questions to the information to help improve their understanding. To do this, they take turns interviewing fellow students and teachers on the subject, then becoming the person being interviewed. Other times, they observe the interviews to gain more knowledge. This is a really good option for those courses that focus on social skills, negotiation, and compromise.

2. Think-Pair-Share

This form of peer learning requires the student to do some work or study individually, then pair up with a classmate to discuss their approach and thoughts, and then both share the insights they gained with the class. This is a social learning activity that begins with the individual, expands to include the peer, and then engages the entire classroom. It promotes collaboration, public speaking, and sharing.

3. Case Studies

Case studies allow students to examine real-world scenarios related to what they are learning. This makes the information more personal, as students might be able to see themselves in the situation they are learning about. The case studies can be discussed in small groups or with the class at large. This exercise fosters empathy, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and practical application of potential solutions.

4. Reciprocal Questioning

When a topic is covered, or a reading is completed, separate the class into pairs or small groups. Task them with formulating questions that they can then discuss with the rest of the class. You can offer the students a few question ideas to get started and let them take it from there. The goal is to expand their critical thinking on a topic and give them the opportunity to ask any questions that might be holding them back from fully understanding the information.

5. Flipped Classroom

Ask your students to explore the information on their own before class begins. This allows them to come to class with the basics of knowledge already in their head, which allows them to get to the active discussion and problem-solving phase much faster. It works great when students are highly motivated or even crunched for time. The flipped classroom also puts the focus on self-discipline, as students must be proactive and fully prepared when they come to the classroom.

6. Role Playing

This requires students to take on the role of someone involved in a particular interaction and then switch to the other side during another round. Give the students scenarios to act out that allow them to use what they have learned and apply it in a “real world” context. For instance, one might serve as a customer service agent while another serves as an annoyed customer. The idea is to navigate the complexity of the situation, handle curveballs thrown into the mix, and gain insights and empathy

7. Pause Procedure

The idea of this strategy is to pause for about three minutes between every 10 and 15 minutes of lecture time. This small break allows a “mental reset” as students discuss the material they just heard. It also allows them the time to formulate questions that will help them better understand the information. Another option is to give students three minutes or so to write out notes and connect the dots on the ideas and concepts presented.

8. Problem-Based Learning

This strategy involves presenting a viable real-world problem to the students and asking them to use their critical thinking and decision-making skills to come up with solutions. You can pull the real-world problems from things that we are all facing today, such as the homelessness crisis, wars and the responses to refugees, immigration issues, and more. Working on solving certain situations can lead to better empathy, out-of-the-box thinking, and awareness of current issues.

9. Game-based Learning

Games can be immersive experiences that allow students to view a lesson's content in a whole new way. An interactive and competitive environment fosters motivation and thus can lead to better learning outcomes. Games might include quizzes, lightning-round trivia (bonus if there’s a prize!), and puzzles requiring teamwork to complete. This works well to enhance learning for those who have a competitive spirit.

10. Peer Teaching

Assign a student a particular passage or topic and ask them to learn it inside and out, and then teach it to the rest of the class. Peer teaching builds confidence and forces students to consolidate and focus their learning to teach others. If they can come up with a “show and tell” scenario that ties something in their own lives into the lesson, that’s a significant extra that brings in empathy and real-world solutions to problems.

11. Debates

When a student knows the material inside and out, they can then debate the merits of related viewpoints, critically analyze information from a variety of sources, form their own opinions, and then debate those ideas with their peers. Sometimes, these discussions can become heated, especially when touching on political and social issues. Learning to keep the antagonism out of the debate and instead keeping focus on the issues helps promote compassion and strong negotiating strategies.

12. Experiential Learning

Hands-on learning is excellent for developing practical, everyday skills. But it can also lead to interest and curiosity about things that students might not be able to use in their every day – for instance, bringing in moon rocks and parts of space travel machines could spark a lifelong interest in space and solving the problems that come with travel through the galaxy. Look for ways to bring the outside world into the classroom and allow theory and reality to collide.

13. Muddiest Point Technique

Ask students a few simple questions. “What was difficult to understand?” or “What is the most complex part of this lesson for you?” The answers will lead to focused teaching that answers the questions and clears up the “muddy” areas for the whole class. The feedback for the educator is especially helpful if this is a class they will be teaching as they move forward in their career, as it can help them drill down to the more difficult parts and focus on teaching them more effectively.

14. Devil's Advocate

If you have a topic that is great for debate with valid points on both sides of an issue, you have an ideal setup for the devil’s advocate learning strategy. This activity requires dividing the class into two sections and asking each section to work on one side of the debate. This means that some students will be arguing for the side they don’t actually agree with, which can make this even more effective. Coming up with proposals to change the mind of the other side during a mock debate can lead to a broader understanding of how difficult it can be to come to a consensus, even when everyone has the same goal.

Creating an Active Classroom

Remember that active learning strategies aren’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. You can choose to use several active learning strategies in every class – and by doing so, you can narrow down which ones feel more natural to you and which ones benefit your students the most. It can also help with figuring out where the gaps in information and comprehension are, give students a feeling of agency as they learn to advocate for themselves and their ideas and foster healthy communication among them. Now is the time to start using active learning and watch your students thrive!