Active Learning Methods Guide
Active Learning Methods Guide
Active Learning Methods are tools to achieve the important goal of allowing students
opportunities to think. The key concept in active learning is that knowledge cannot be
transferred; information is transferred but knowledge is what is created when a student
thinks about the information.
There will be times when you need to tell your students new information; however there are
methods to make your lectures more interactive.
Most importantly, in active learning you should provide your students with opportunities to do
some work based on the ideas you have given them.
Not all of the methods in this guide will be suitable for you but use the information to choose
the ones that are.
The Lecture
Traditional lectures are good for giving information to students quickly and with limited
resources. However, some students find it hard to take in information this way. You might
find that short lectures are more effective. Writing key words on the board can help students
to follow and to take notes of what is important. For a successful lecture the key thing is to
gain the students’ attention at the start and establish a rapport. Where possible link your
lecture to previous and future sessions.
The following methods are ways of making your lectures more effective:
Visual Aids
For students who are not auditory learners, you can make lectures more accessible by using
visual aids. These are pictures, maps, diagrams, charts, videos, dvds, internet that relate to
the information you are giving the students. These should be prepared in advance and put
on the wall or board so that all students can see them. Remember that some students will
have poor eyesight so any writing should be very clear.
Gapped Lectures
A gapped lecture is when you divide your lecture into small sections and give the students
an activity to complete between each section. This allows the students to absorb and
manipulate the material you are giving them.
This could be as simple as recapping the key learning points of the lecture so far. For
example posing questions, setting a problem to solve, or a handout can be used to break up
a lecture.
Buzz Group
This is another way to break up lectures. You present information for about 10 or 15 minutes
then you break and give students in pairs or small groups about two minutes to discuss what
they have learnt. You can give them specific questions to discuss on the topic you have
covered.
This method can be used a few times throughout a lecture to give the students time to
process the information they are learning. It will also help you to see if the information you
have given the students has been understood.
Questions and Answers
Q & A may be used periodically to break up a lecture and to enable you to check the
students are following the lecture. Try to involve as many students as possible to answer a
question. Use a combination of open and closed questions. This will help you to judge your
students understanding.
Active Listening
You give your students an activity to perform as they listen. Sometimes this may involve an
activity they need to complete as they listen, or it could be a handout to fill in, or a series of
questions to answer. You guide the students as to what they should be listening for, and
prepare them for what they are about to hear, so they can listen actively. This is a good way
of enabling students to take notes.
Written Material
To vary your lectures you can give students information in written format. They can read it
individually, in pairs or in small groups depending on available resources. After they have
read the information, you can ask a few questions or ask a group member to summarise the
key points of what they have read. The material can be given to the students in advance of
the lecture so that they come to the session having read the material.
Research
If you wish to encourage independent learning and research skills, you can also send your
students to the library to either read a particular book or use the internet to find what they
can on the subject for themselves. During the lecture students can discuss what they
learned and contribute to the discussions.
Demonstrations
Demonstrations are particularly appropriate to Mathematics or Science. This is when your
show the students how something is done. It can be how a theorem is proved, how a
problem is solved or how an experiment is conducted. This technique is most effective when
the students are able to attempt the activity themselves after the demonstration.
Interactive Learning
Independent learning
Independent learning is when a student works on their own or in a small group independent
of the tutor. This can take the form of an assignment completed in class, homework tasks,
essays, problem solving, research, an experiment, or any other activities that allow the
students to work by themselves. This is an effective way of learning.
Pair work
This is an activity when students work in pairs. A student can be paired with the person they
are sitting beside, or you can pair them with people they haven’t worked with before. In the
pair, they can complete a task, discuss a topic, answer some questions or prepare a piece of
work. If appropriate, feedback can be given to the large group.
This is a good activity to do before a large group discussion because it gives shy students a
chance to voice ideas with a friend before they speak in front of the whole group. It can also
lead into a pyramiding activity.
Pyramiding
Pyramiding is a method of teaching where you start with the individual and move to the
whole group. Individuals complete a task first and then move into pairs. The pairs discuss
the work they have just done and make improvements and corrections. Then two pairs join
to form groups of 4. The groups compare the work they have done. Finally, feedback can be
given to the whole group. If you have a large class, only choose two or three groups to give
feedback. Alternatively you can ask for each group to give a different point.
This can be a great introductory activity and it can be expanded to last an entire session.
Group work
This is where preferably 4-6 students work together on a task. It could be a discussion,
presentation, field work, a practical, project, drama, answering a series of questions or
producing a piece of written work. The key to effective group work is to give clear
instructions and to check that all students understand the task and timescale.
A very useful variation is to allocate one from each group (or two if the group is larger than 6)
as observers. Their role is to observe the activities and participation of their group members
and report back.
Jigsaw groups
This is a form of group work which works well when you have a number of different tasks or
topics you want the groups to cover. First, divide the class into groups, for example, A, B, C,
D and E. Each group gets a different task. Then, once that task has been completed (it could
be a short activity of 10 minutes or take the whole session if appropriate) you reform groups
by splitting up all the students who previously worked together. The new groups would have
one person from group A, one from group B and so on. If you have a very large class you
could do exactly the same but have two groups who do task A and two who do task B and so
on. When you split them into new groups, there will still be one A, one B and so on in each
group but you will have more groups.
In the new group each of the group members explains their own task to the rest of the group.
So person A explains what group A did, person B explains what group B did and so on.
If you monitor the groups during the first stage, you should be able to tell if the groups have
achieved the work successfully. Therefore, there is no need to take whole group feedback at
the end of the activity.
Cooperative learning
This is a form of group work in which each group member has a specific task to complete
within the group. You may assign different tasks like facilitator, note taker, time keeper, chair,
observer, reporter, or tasks specific to the topic. Group members can assign tasks if
appropriate.
The group is responsible for the outcomes, which are evaluated against agreed criteria.
Each group member develops different skills. This activity is particularly helpful in homework
tasks, project work, assignments, presentations and laboratory assignments.
Brainstorming
In this activity students write down everything they know or think about a given topic. Even if
these ideas are strange and unconnected, it doesn’t matter as these ideas can be
disregarded later. This can be done individually, in pairs, small groups or as a whole class
with the teacher or a student recording the ideas on the board. It can be used as a way of
finding out what the students already know on a subject before you start teaching or as a
review activity.
Spider diagram
A spider diagram is like a brainstorm but is slightly more organised with students making
connections between ideas. Give students a topic which they can write in the middle of the
paper, and then as they think of each idea, they write it down and draw a line connecting that
idea to the central idea. It is called a spider diagram, because in the end it should look like a
multi legged spider – with a round centre (main idea) and many lines running off into
different directions to each sub-idea.
Mind map
A mind map is a visual representation of ideas on any given topic: it is similar to a brainstorm
and to a spider diagram but is more pictorial and more organised. The students write the
topic to be explored in the centre of the page, using three colours and an image attached to
the topic. Then, they branch out on sub topics, which are then broken down into smaller sub
topics. Each branch should be a separate colour, with one word written above it indicating
the sub topic. From these main branches, smaller branches will go off in different directions,
each with a different piece of information about that subtopic. Mind maps should be
colourful and can include pictures to help the students remember the information.
Thought bubble
A thought bubble is a reflective activity where the students write down their thoughts on a
particular topic. They can write them in a bubble as a visual representation of their thoughts.
The purpose is to have a record of their thoughts or feelings. This can be done individually or
in groups. A thought bubble can be a starting point for discussing experiences. You could
also ask students to complete a thought bubble as a way of evaluating your teaching or of
finding out what the students have learned. Each student can write a thought on a sticky
note and put it on a poster bubble.
Stimulus material
This is when you give your students material that will stimulate them and help them think.
Often at the beginning of a session, you might want them to start thinking about the topic you
are going to teach. You can give the students material which will “get them thinking”. This
might be an article to read, a picture that makes them ask questions, a demonstration, a
video… anything that gets the students interested in the topic you are teaching!
Picture analysis
This is when you could bring in an interesting picture and ask the students to discuss it. This
can take many forms. A language teacher might bring in a picture of words they want their
students to learn, or a subject they want the students to be able to discuss. The teacher
shows the students the picture and then asks them directed questions to improve
vocabulary.
You can also use pictures to stimulate discussion about topics. A teacher could bring in a
controversial image, and ask the students discuss what they think of the picture. A science
teacher could bring in a diagram and ask the students to explain what they see. A
geography teacher could do an analysis of aerial photographs or map reading.
Case studies
You provide the students with a case study or scenario which the students have to read and
make a decision or answer questions on how they would deal with the situation. These
studies should be based on real life, and encourage the students to think and analyse.
An interesting variation is to ask the students to write their own case studies based on their
own experiences.
Ranking tasks
A ranking task is when you give the students a number of statements or ideas written on
cards, and then they have to “rank” or order them in terms of what is most important to least
important. This activity can promote much discussion. The students discuss how they would
rank each idea and have to justify their views.
Ranking can be done with the cards in a straight line – from most important to least, or it can
be in a diamond shape, with the most important idea at the top of the diamond and the least
at the bottom. After each group has ranked their cards, it is good to share their justifications
with the rest of the class. This again could promote good discussion!.
Matching exercises
This is an activity when students match one column of information, definitions, or
descriptions, with a second column. For example, you might have one column with a list of
terms, and in the other, the definitions. Students must correctly “match” the terms to the
definition.
Flashcards
Flash cards can be used to review information, concepts, formulae, and ideas. On a card,
you write a word, a phrase, a formula, or idea. Then, you show the card to your students
and ask, “Who can tell me what this is?”
It can also be used to teach students vocabulary in a subject, where the vocabulary word is
written on one side, and the definition is on the other. You can either do this as an activity
during the class – revision at the beginning or a test of knowledge at the end, or you could
give this package of flashcards to students who are struggling in your class as a tutorial
activity. They can then go through the terms with a friend.
Debate
A debate is an organized discussion on an issue which is usually controversial. The class is
divided into at least two groups, each supporting a “side” of the issue: the people who are
“pro” and the people who are “against”. Each side has a leader and supporters. There is
also a chairperson, who keeps order during the debate. Each side presents its argument in
an organised, clear, and intelligent manner.
Decision Line
This is another form of decision making. A controversial statement is made and students are
asked to stand on a continuous line between ‘strongly agree’ and ‘strongly disagree’.
Students are asked to defend where they are standing.
A large group can be divided into smaller groups to discuss an issue and then a
representative from the group comes to the decision line and speaks for the group.
Balloon game
The students are given the names of a number of important people who are in an imaginary
“hot air balloon”. The balloon is sinking, so the only way to keep it from falling to the ground
is to throw out one of the people. They have to discuss which person they would throw out
first, which second, and which third…etc. You can do this with famous scientists, modern
inventions, historical figures, formulae, medicines…whatever you can think of. This
encourages the students to make a decision and argue their position.
Role play
Role play is when a student or a group of students are given a role to play out in the class.
This could be a situation they have to act out, or a person they have to dramatize. For
example, in a history class, you might assign each of your students an historical figure to
role play, and they would come into class, having researched that individual, ready to be that
person. Another way to do role play is to divide your students into groups. Give each group
a situation, and have them play out that situation. This is a good way of learning for
kinaesthetic and visual learners.
It is also useful for developing life skills. For instance students can role play an interview
situation.
Hot seating
Either one student or a student from each small group is assigned to be a character. The
characters can be from literature, a person from history, a famous scientist, or a famous
politician…any famous personality or any occupation. The student is placed in the centre of
the room/ group to role play the character. Other members of the class/ group direct
questions to the ‘character’ in the centre who has to respond as that person. After 10
minutes, change the person in the centre and the character.
Alternatively, several people take on different roles at the same time: they can then ask each
other questions in role as well as the audience.
Drama
This is when students perform in front of the class. This can take the form of a skit (short
play), a play (a long drama), poetry reading, tableau (frozen scene), or acting out a process.
Primarily, the students act out something in front of an audience. Drama, as an activity, is a
powerful way for kinaesthetic learners to internalise knowledge and understanding. It is also
a very useful method for addressing controversial issues.
Simulation exercises
This is similar to role play except that students do not take on a role; they play themselves in
a given situation. A situation is established, for example going for an interview, going for an
HIV test, and the scene is played spontaneously with the learner as themselves. It is best to
do this in small groups and in a very secure and trusting learning environment. This is very
good for learning life skills.
Story telling
Storytelling can take two forms: either the instructor tells a story, or the students tell a story.
In some cases, the instructor might start the story, and have each student contribute to the
tale. It is a useful way to practice language, and makes the students use their listening
skills. Another way to use story telling is for the instructor to read a story and then ask the
students questions after to test understanding and listening.
Speeches
Students can give short speeches to the rest of the class. The purpose can be either to
teach the class about a particular topic that the student has researched in their own time or
to practice speaking skills, important for example in an English lesson.
In this section you will find ideas of pieces of work that your students can complete
individually or in groups. You can use these to give them feedback as part of formative
continuous assessment or you can count the mark towards the final grade as part of
summative continuous assessment.. Remember to give your students clear guide lines on
what is expected, how the pieces will be marked and what will be done with the grade.
Creative writing
Creative writing is when the students use their imagination to create a piece of writing. This
can take the form of story writing, drama presentations, poetry, imaginary news paper
articles, magazines, creative research papers, and other fiction and non fiction forms of
writing. It is a good way for students to put knowledge into a creative context.
Report writing
Students write a factual report. It could be on an experiment, field work, a visit, a book they
have read: anything that is suitable for your subject. It is important to give clear guidance on
how to structure the report depending on the subject.
Diary
Students keep a daily diary of their learning. This would be useful, for example, when they
are on teaching practice. They can record successes and failures. Be sure to let the students
know if you intend to read the diaries as part of the assessment.
Assignment or homework
Homework is an assignment to be completed outside of the classroom by the students.
Homework should allow the students to practice the ideas, revise the knowledge, and
exercise skills learned in class. Sometimes you may choose to mark your students’
homework, but it is not always necessary. Homework should be linked to the objectives of
the session. It should be challenging to the students, while at the same time, be within their
abilities to complete. An instructor should also consider time, and how long it will take to
complete the homework for the student. Most importantly, the instructor must consider how
they will collect and check the homework.
An assignment is an active learning activity that may be completed outside the classroom as
homework. Assignments can be individual or group based. Essentially, an assignment is a
task that can be used to practice skills or to investigate a topic. Assignments can take many
forms. They can be tasks to be completed, written records, questions that must be
answered, essays, reports, summaries of knowledge, or results of research completed.
Assignments are very useful assessment tools that allow the teacher to assess the level of a
student’s learning.
Problem solving
Problem solving activities involve students finding solutions to problems. Problem solving is
an essential skill as it creates independent thinkers who look for solutions.
Problem solving can be done individually or in groups. The answer is not the focus.
Instead, students are encouraged to explore different strategies and processes to find the
answer.
Presentation
A presentation is an activity where students present a topic in front of their class. This can
be done individually, as pairs or as a group. Students need good public presentation skills.
With a presentation, you are not just presenting the topic, but are also practising
presentation skills. When giving the presentation assignment, also give clear criteria about
what makes an effective presentation and whether or not it is to be assessed. Explain how
they are to deliver the information (organisation, visual aids, voice, clarity of expression, and
body language). Also give criteria about the content of the presentation (evidence of
research, originality of ideas, effectiveness of argument, ability to answer questions).
6. Experiential Learning
A central concept of active learning is that students learn best when they learn from
experience. You start from the existing experience of the students and build on it.
The activities in this section are designed to help students learn from their experiences and
to learn how to learn.
Research
Research is an activity that can be done either individually or in groups. In this activity
students investigate a problem, theory, idea, or topic. This investigation is completed in a
rigorous and methodical manner. Research involves consulting a variety of sources in depth
on a topic. Students will often explore every angle and source of the topic to reach their own
conclusion.
Students can feedback their research in a number of ways: presentations, essays, reports,
or creative representations of the information. For example, a student researching Anne
Frank, may present the findings in the form of a diary. A student investigating the life of
Einstein may present the research in the form of a lab book. In any case, in research
activities, the student is looking deeply into a topic to learn about that topic and to synthesize
the information from a variety of sources.
It is essential to plan carefully and make all the necessary arrangements for the visit. It is
advisable to visit the place first, introducing yourself to staff and explaining the learning
objectives and details, such as the size of the group.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork involves the students going into their field of study to collect and collate data and
information on a specific topic. For example, plant biologists could go into the “field” to
collect plant specimens to analyse. History students could go into the “field” to an
archaeological site e.g. the Aksum stele field to experience how one uncovers historical
artefacts. In essence, you design an activity where you take your students into the field to
experience the subject first hand!
Investigation
To investigate is to search. With this activity, you give your students a topic, theory, issue, or
idea to “investigate”. They then spend some time researching this subject in detail. You
might guide them and push them to look at the issue from different perspectives. They can
feedback about their investigation in a number of ways e.g. an essay, a presentation, a
demonstration or a report The students should be required to define their objectives and
outline what it is they are going to investigate together with the method(s) they propose to
use.
Project work
Project work involves giving the students a project to complete in a specified amount of time.
Projects can be done individually or in groups.
To design a good project, you have to consider the following. First, identify a suitable topic
and the components of the project. What will the students be expected to complete?
Second, outline the marking scheme of the project. How many marks are you allocating for
each component of the project? Third, what are you expectations? What kind of work are
you expecting from your students? Carefully outline the criteria and what you expect. Last,
be sure that every student has a project plan, complete with due dates, a mark scheme, and
a clear list of all things to be completed.
Experiments
An experiment is when students put a hypothesis to the test. Basically, an experiment
involves taking a theory or idea, and testing to see if it is true. It usually involves a very
specific and controlled method of procedure, and results are usually recorded. From these
results, a conclusion is derived. An experiment can also answer the question “What if?”
Experiments can take many forms. They can be scientific explorations, laboratory
experiments, behavioural experiments, educational experiments, pilot projects, and field
experiments.
Guest speakers
Invite a guest speaker to attend your class who is an expert in your field of study. Tell the
students ahead of time, and ask them to research the topic and prepare questions to ask the
guest speaker. Then, when the guest arrives, allow the guest to do a short introduction
about their area of expertise. Follow this by allowing the students to question the speaker.
This is a good way of connecting your subject to real life experience. Guest speakers may
include scientists, historians, politicians, personalities within the university/college/school,
and guests from other countries.
Quiz
A quiz is a short series of questions that tests knowledge, ideas, or issues presented in
class. The duration of a quiz is usually quite short – anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. In the
same manner, the number of questions is usually limited and the marks that awarded are
few. Quizzes are a great way to check whether or not you have met your objectives and
whether the students have learned what you taught. Quizzes can also be used to revise
material from a previous lesson. Generally, quizzes should be marked quickly and returned
at the next class. One set of 30 students should take you between 30 – 60 minutes to mark.
You could even ask students to exchange papers and mark each others as you call out the
answers.
Questioning
Questioning is a method of teaching which can be used in many ways. First, teachers can
use questions to revise material from a previous class as a starter activity lasting 5 – 10
minutes. Teachers can also use questions at different intervals throughout their lecture to
check whether the students have learned the material being taught. Another use of
questioning is to stimulate minds of students by asking a difficult question at the beginning of
class to promote discussion. Quick fire questions are asked in rapid succession to different
students, and give the teacher a quick assessment of the level of learning of the students.
Last, questions at the end of a class can be used to check objectives have been met! It is
preferable to have questions written down during the lesson planning process, so that the
teacher is directly targeting the learning objectives of the session.
You should be sure to ask all sorts of questions of your students. Do not just test for
information, but vary the level and type of questions you use. Think about using open and
closed questions as well as ones that test different thinking skills: knowledge,
comprehension, application, synthesis, analysis and evaluation.
Comprehension
These are activities in which the students have to demonstrate that they understand the
material. It could take the form of an assignment, homework, research, probing questions,
presentations, essays…any activity in which the students have to think and demonstrate
understanding of the material. You should be thinking about the different levels of thinking
you expect from the students, and it should not just be straight knowledge retention. These
are activities that encourage the students to think and understand.
A lot of people believe that teaching and learning should be fun: not only to keep the
students awake but also because quality learning is more likely to take place when a student
is positively engaged. Use these methods to enliven your classroom but be careful that there
is a clear learning point otherwise they will be a waste of time.
Warmers - Ice breaker Brain Gym or Energizer.
This is a quick 5 minute activity during which the students get to know each other and the
instructor. It is intended to “break the ice” or make students warm to each other. This is
particularly useful in classes where they will have to talk about controversial or personal
issues and they need to feel comfortable with each other. These activities build trust, a
sense of fun, and help students get to know each other. There are many types of
icebreakers [Link] games, people bingo, inner and outer circle. Ideally you can link the
warmer to the topic of the lesson: for example, a language teacher could use a warmer to
practice the vocabulary that was taught in the previous lesson.
Games
Games are a useful way of reviewing material. You can take a range of games and adapt
them to the material you have taught the students. Bingo is a game which can be used for
reviewing material. You give the students a card with definitions, information on it. Then, in
a basket, you have a selection of terms, ideas, theories, and concepts written on little cards.
You pull out a card one at a time, and the students have to match the term to the information
on their card. Once they fill the card or a line, they yell bingo. It takes a lot of preparation,
but can be used again and again.
Group quiz competition is another where you divide the students into groups, and give the
entire class a quiz. As a group they have to come up with the answers, and they can use
their books. The group that gets the most correct questions wins. Board games can often be
adapted to your course material, and are a great way of helping weak students – you can let
them play the game in their own time. Some of you might even want to design an
instructional computer game.
Competitions
This is particularly good for subjects involving problem solving. You create a competitive
situation, in which the students have to complete a task, while competing against their peers.
For example, posing a particularly difficult maths or physics problem for the class to solve,
and seeing who can be the first to answer it correctly. It could also be a debate, a speech
contest, a research competition, or a problem solving contest. These are activities that
encourage the students to think and understand.
Active Listening
Assignment
Balloon game
Brainstorming
Buzz Group
Case studies
Competitions
Comprehension
Cooperative
learning
Creative writing
Debate
Decision Line
Demonstrations
Diary Drama
Drawing a picture,
map or graph
Experiments
Fieldwork
Flashcards
Games
Gapped Lectures
Group work
Guest speakers
Hot seating
Independent learning
Jigsaw groups
Making models and
resources
Matching exercises
Mind map
Newspaper or radio
reporting
Pair work
Project work
Picture analysis
Pyramiding
Problem solving
Presentation
Quiz
Role play
Written Material
Ranking tasks
Research
Report writing
Simulation exercises
Speeches
Spider diagram
Stimulus material
Story telling
Thought bubble
Visits
Visual Aids
Warmers