Students’ age range: 16-18
Main subject: Not specified
Topic: Active Learning vs Didactic Learning Approach
Description: Active Learning Active learning is generally defined as any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. In short, active learning requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing. While this definition could include traditional activities such as homework, in practice, active learning refers to activities that are introduced into the classroom. The core elements of active learning are student activity and engagement in the learning process. Active learning is often contrasted to the traditional lecture where students passively receive information from the instructor. In the traditional approach to college teaching, most class time is spent with the profesor lecturing and the students watching and listening. The students work individually on assignments, and cooperation is limited. Such teacher-centered instructional methods have repeatedly been found inferior to instruction that involves active learning, in which students solve problems, answer questions, formulate questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm during class. Active Learning vs Diadactic Learning Approach 1. Teacher centered: based on the assumption that the teacher is the primary agent in learning. A 1. Problem centered: based on the assumption that the student is the primary agent in learning. D 2. Teacher's role: to impart the results of experience, personal study, and reflection. A 2. Teacher's role: to uncover the question that the answer hides. To be a co-learner. D 3. Primarily deductive: the usual methods are lecture, story-telling, use of analogy, and aphorism. A 3. Primarily inductive: the usual methods discussion, dialogue, and problem solving. D 4. Test of truth: authority and experience. A 4. Test of truth: reason and evidence. D 5. Learning is the reception of ideas. A 5. Learning is a conflict of ideas: a thesis, antithesis, and a synthesis that results in new knowledge. D 6. Student's role: to be passive, open, receptive, trusting, and unquestioning. A 6. Student's role: to be active, questioning, critical, and discriminating learning to trust one's own judgment (independent thinking). D 7. Evaluation is factual recall of data commonly in the form of objective tests right and wrong answers. A 7. Evaluation is application of understanding interpretation of data commonly in an essay, speech, journal, or a review. D 8. Ultimate goal: wisdom viewed as the internalization of truths and beliefs. A 8. Ultimate goal: wisdom viewed as an informed ignorance (knowing what one does not know the Socratic paradox). D Example "active leaning" activities class discussion, small group discussion, debate, posing questions to the class, think-pair-share activities, short written exercises and polling the class (Bonwell and Eison, 1991). A class discussion may be held in person or in an online environment. It is best that these discussions be centered on an open-ended (occasionally controversial) topic...