Why Active Learning?

According to an article at wired.com, a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences addressed the question, "Would university instruction be more effective if students spent some of their class time on active forms of learning like activities, discussions, or group work, instead of spending all of their class time listening?" by conducting the largest and most comprehensive review of the effect of active learning on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. Their answer is a resounding yes. According to Scott Freeman, one of the authors of the new study, “The impact of these data should be like the Surgeon General’s report on 'Smoking and Health” in 1964–they should put to rest any debate about whether active learning is more effective than lecturing.”

Definition: Active learning engages students in the process of learning through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert. It emphasizes higher-order thinking and often involves group work.

Here’s what they found.

1. Students in a traditional lecture course are 1.5 times more likely to fail, compared to students in courses with active learning


2. Students in active learning classes outperform those in traditional lectures on identical exams


The authors point out that, were this a medical study, an effect size this large and statistically significant would warrant stopping the study and administering the treatment to everyone in the study.


Check out the article here: http://www.wired.com/2014/05/empzeal-active-learning/?mbid=social_twitter

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