HOW TO LEAD ACTIVE LEARNING IN YOUR SCHOOLS An essential guide to transforming classroom instruction RESOURCE SERIES

Why Active Learning? Chapter 2 What Active Learning Looks Like Chapter 3 Why Classroom Design Matters Chapter 4 Classroom Designs Chapter 5 Getting Started Chapter 6

Active learning is an instructional approach in which students take an active and fully engaged role in their education, rather than sitting passively and absorbing information. This might involve several different kinds of activities, such as class discussions, hands-on learning, collaborative group work or other dynamic approaches to instruction. Active learning is more engaging than just sitting and taking notes while a teacher is talking. It’s more effective than traditional instruction, and it also helps build critical 21st century skills that employers desire.

When students are actively engaged in their learning, they are thinking, creating, sharing, communicating and constructing new knowledge. They are also taking ownership of their education. For these reasons, active learning is replacing the old-school “sit and get” approach to instruction in many classrooms nationwide. For active learning to be successful, however, a number of important elements must be in place. For instance, teachers need to be taught proven strategies for leading active learning in their classrooms. They need support structures to help them implement these strategies effectively,...

A 2016 survey of K-12 leaders from the Center for Digital Education reveals why more schools are moving toward active learning.1 In the survey, K-12 leaders said active learning is more engaging and effective than a traditional lecture-based approach to instruction, and it also helps build teamwork and other 21st century skills that are needed for success in the workplace. A separate survey of company executives by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that working well together as a team to make decisions and solve problems is the No. 1 skill that employers most value among...

Want further proof? A study published by the National Academy of Sciences confirms the benefits of active learning on student achievement. The study compared the performance of students in undergraduate math and science classes under traditional lecturing versus active learning. It found that average scores improved by about 6% in active learning sections—and that students in classes with traditional lectures were 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in classes with active learning.3 What’s more, active learning gives students opportunities to move around during class, which delivers both...

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that physical activity “can have an impact on cognitive skills, attitudes and academic behavior, all of which are important components of improved academic performance. These include enhanced concentration and attention, as well as improved classroom behavior.” 4 By taking a more active role in their education, students learn more while also taking ownership of the learning process. As a result, they learn to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. As one teacher was quoted in the Washington Post: “I used to think it...

Active learning is… • More engaging: Higher student engagement is the No. 1 benefit of active learning, K-12 leaders say. • More effective: 86% of K-12 leaders say active learning improves student outcomes. • Helps build 21st century skills: 75% of K-12 leaders say the teamwork skills that students develop through active learning are critical for career succes

WHAT ACTIVE LEARNING LOOKS LIKE

Active learning can take many forms. Here are some common examples.

Michael Gorman, who oversees digital learning and professional development programs for Southwest Allen County Schools near Fort Wayne, Indiana, has written a blog post to help educators promote student-led inquiry by giving students a driving or investigative question to answer.6 For example: If you were a NASA scientist, and you had to write a proposal recommending which planet should be explored by the next space probe, which planet would you choose—and why? High-quality questions should “engage the students and create wonderment through relevance to their world,” Gorman writes. These questions...

Discussion & Debate Class discussions and debates “can be an excellent strategy for enhancing student motivation, fostering intellectual agility and encouraging democratic habits,” says Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation . 7 “They create opportunities for students to practice and sharpen a number of skills, including the ability to articulate and defend positions, consider different points of view and enlist and evaluate evidence.” While discussions and debates can be valuable active learning strategies, leading them in the classroom...

Creating & Composing Having students create original works that demonstrate or enhance their understanding of a topic—such as public service announcements, movie trailers, rap songs, picture books, blog posts, photo journals, advertisements, business 2 plans, 3D models or other artifacts—is an active learning strategy grounded in decades of research. It has its roots in constructivist theories of education, which say that learners construct their own understanding of the world by experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences (in other words, “learning by doing”). Letting students get...

Collaboration Having students work together in small groups to solve problems and share information not only leads to deeper learning and understanding; it also builds the essential teamwork skills that employers covet. The College Preparatory School, a private coeducational high school in Oakland, California, weaves collaborative learning into the fabric of its approach, reports Edutopia.8 Teachers encourage classroom collaboration by assigning students to groups to review their homework, do daily class assignments, participate in moderated discussions and complete hands-on projects. Often,...