Benefits of Active Learning
Skills Developed
The Active Learning process is a good way to develop students' analytical skills. Activities such as role-play exercises allow students to examine a question or topic from different angles. They learn to appreciate different points of view and to build a strong case in support of the view they are presenting in class.
Added to this is the enhancement of their critical thinking skills. Students not only read the required material for a tutorial - they are stimulated to reflect on it too. Group activities allow them to explore their ideas in a small and supportive environment and to develop a reasoned argument. They are given the opportunity to listen so that they can critically evaluate the arguments and work of others as well as their own.
By allocating specific tasks and activities to be prepared for lectures or tutorials, students develop their independent learning skills. It provides an environment where they can apply the theoretical knowledge gained from a lecture directly to their own work.
Teaching Benefits
Active Learning helps to engage students more directly in the learning process. They are encouraged to read material from books and journal articles during their preparations for tutorials or lectures and then apply it directly to their own research or to the activity being undertaken in class.
The students themselves gain a stronger ownership of the learning process. They are not simply reacting to the tutor; they are conducting their own research and reflection and then applying it to the topic under discussion. When working in groups the students rely on equal contributions from each member and this guarantees that each student will do some background reading or research.
It also enables students to cover a much wider and more diverse range of material than would be possible if they were working on their own. In tutorials discussion becomes more free-flowing and students are able to draw out the key features of a topic by listening to each other's contributions.
Active Learning allows the tutor to tailor their teaching to each student's specific research area and interests. By doing so it engages students in the learning process. It is particularly useful to teach Research Methods. It can also be used effectively in face to face teaching, blended learning and in online delivery.