Active Learning in the Classroom

We all want students to be engaged in the classroom. This is one of the most important aspects of our jobs. We are put to the challenge of knowing our students sit in desks for 8 hours a day and it is up to us, the superheroes, to make school more interesting for the kids. The last thing any teacher wants to see is one of their students snoring in the front row because they are just so BORED. 

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Believe me, we have all been there and we think to ourselves, "If only there was a way I could have made this lesson a little bit more engaging for the students." Well, that is where active learning comes into play.

What is Active Learning and Is it Important?

Active learning is a way of teaching that keeps students engaged in the classroom. In this type of learning, students take ownership and responsibility of their learning through reading, writing, talking, reflection, and of course, application. This type of learning is more student-centered learning and the teacher is seen as a facilitator. This type of learning is more common in this day and age because students have access to so much knowledge from the internet.

Ultimately, I believe that it is super important to think about active learning when you are planning a lessons. You will be helping the students in the newer generations realize what they are capable of doing on their own. When the responsibility of learning is put into the students' hands, they are now accountable. Not only that, but the students will engage more in the lesson as well. They will increase their social skills with peer to peer communication. They can reflect on themselves or the topic in general. Reflection is a life skill that everyone should learn and use. 

What does Active Learning Look Like?

This may be a new concept for some, so I decided to create a Padlet on an activity that uses active learning. Feel free to check out my Padlet I created. The Padlet summarizes the activity, explains why the activity is considered to be an active learning activity, provides a link to the activity, offers a suggestion for the activity, as well as provides three resources on active learning. The active learning activity can be explained through this blog post, but essentially, students in grades 1-7 created a 6-word memoir that was a self-reflection on their year or answered questions that made them reflect upon themselves. This is considered an active learning activity because it was student based. They were able to think creatively, but also mindfully. They were also actively learning through the writing that they had to come with on their own. As stated in the Padlet, students were taking responsibility of their learning through their writing, mindfulness thinking, and reflection. The teachers also got to experience student voice, as not all of the memoirs were the same. They were individualized to each student. In my own classroom, I try to implement active learning as much as possible. I do this through many jigsaw group activities. An example of this is when I have students in groups research new weapons in WWI. Students in groups are assigned a weapon and the students have to complete research on the weapon with guiding questions to help them. Then, we all come together and have a large whole group discussion on the research we learned about the weapons. I love this activity because it holds the students accountable for their knowledge. They know that they are responsible for being "content experts" on their weapons and that will be sharing what they learned with the class. It also allows them to talk to their peers and collaborate with one another. This is a super important concept if you teach upper elementary. The students are super engaged with the activity because.... well.... what 13 year old doesn't want to look up a machine gun or a flame thrower? Overall, it is a great collaboration activity that is actively engaging the students in the lesson. What more could you ask for? By implementing active learning in the classroom, I promise you, we will slowly eliminate those snoozers that want to take a nap in the middle of class and they will retain even more information than ever before.