Active Learning Strategies

A training for Primary School Teachers

Wondaferahu Dawit March 2023

KeyAfer
 Definition of learning
• Learning any relatively permanent change in an
individual which results from experience (Hull).
• Melvin H. Marx defines learning as follows.
“Learning is a relatively enduring change in behavior
which is a function of prior experience or behavior.”
Hence,
1. Learning is a permanent change in behavior.
2. Learning is not directly observable but manifests in
the activities of the individual
3. Learning results in some change of enduring nature.
4. Learning depends on practice and experience.
Characteristics of Learning

– Learning is growth
– Learning is Adjustment
– Learning is organizing Experience
– Learning is purposeful
– Learning is Active
– Learning is both individual and social
– Learning is the product of environment.
Factors Affecting Individual Learning

 Objective/purpose of learning
 Readiness for learning
 Physical, emotional or social condition
 Lack of careful guidance
 Application of full attention
 Motivation to learn
 Active involvement of the learner
 Feedback to the learner
Learning Styles in Education
1. Visual Learning Style:-
Children with a visual learning style absorb
information by seeing it in front of them and
storing the images in their brains.
They often enjoy reading, have good
handwriting, are very detail-oriented, are
organized, and have a keen awareness of
colors and shapes.
 Some tips for helping visual learners
• Write out directions.
• Use visuals when teaching lessons, such as
pictures, charts, diagrams, maps, and
outlines.
• Physically demonstrate tasks.
• Use visual aids such as flashcards and blocks.
• Show the visual patterns in language to teach
spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and
punctuation.
• Organize information using color codes.
• Talk with the child face-to-face and make eye
contact whenever possible.
• When directions are given verbally, encourage
the child to ask for clarification when she
doesn’t understand fully.
• Encourage the child to write plenty of notes
and organize information on paper and with
objects.
• Provide a quiet, neat place to study, and
minimize distractions as much as possible.
2. Auditory Learning Style:-
They learn best by hearing and speaking.
They often talk more than the average person,
are very social, enjoy hearing stories and
jokes, understand concepts by talking about
them, and may excel in music or the
performing arts.
Some tips for helping auditory learners
Play word games and use rhymes to practice
language.
Have the child read aloud, even when alone,
and follow the text with her finger.
Allow the child to explain concepts verbally
and give oral reports.
Have the child memorize information by
repeating it aloud.
Assign projects and study times to be done in
small and large groups.
Read aloud often to young children.
• Provide a personal voice recorder the child
can use to record notes or questions.
• Use beats, rhythms, and songs to reinforce
educational information.
 Kinesthetic Learning Style:-
They prefer trying new skills for themselves
rather than being given directions or shown a
demonstration. They learn best by doing.
They may find it hard to sit still for long
periods of time and struggle with reading and
spelling. They are often considered “difficult”
and misdiagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder).
 Tips which can help kinesthetic learners
 Let the child try something first before you give
detailed instructions.
 Provide plenty of hands-on learning tools, such as
crayons, blocks, puzzles, maps, modeling clay, science
experiments, an abacus,
 Don’t limit the study space to the usual desk. Allow
the child to study while moving around, lying on the
floor, or slouching in a couch.
 Use the outdoors for learning opportunities.
 Teach educational concepts through games and
projects.
• Assign presentations in which children
demonstrate concepts or skills.
• Encourage physical movement while studying.
Eg, quiz the child while taking a walk around
the block.
• Find a school with mandatory physical
education.

• The Complexities of Learning Styles:

Whichever model of learning styles is used,
psychologists agree that almost no one falls
neatly into only one learning style.
 AVERAGE Learning Lecture
5% Pyramid
STUDENT
RETENTION 10% Reading
RATES

20% Audiovisual
30% Demonstration
50% DISCUSSION
75% Practice doing

90% Teach others/

immediate use

4
Source: National Training Laboratories, Bethel, Maine
Meaning and nature of teaching
Teaching is defined as:
 Any form of interpersonal influence aimed at
changing the ways in which other persons can
or will behave" (Gagne: 1963a)
 An interactive process, primarily involving
classroom talk, which takes place between
teacher and pupils & occurs during certain
definable activities"(Amidon& Hunter: 1967)
 Teaching denotes action undertaken with the
intention of bringing about learning in
another" (Robertson: 1987)
 Teaching denotes:
• An activity or action: You can see teaching
taking place.
• A process : It involves a series of actions and
decisions of the teacher.
• An interpersonal activity: teaching involves
interactions between a teacher and students
• Intentional: There is some purpose or set of
purposes for which teaching occurs.
Characteristics of effective teaching
• Clarity of the teacher’s explanations and
directions.
• Establishing a task-oriented classroom
climate.
• Making use of a variety of learning activities.
• Establishing and maintaining momentum
and pace for the lesson.
• Encouraging students’ participation and
getting all of them involved.
• Monitoring pupils’ progress and attending
quickly to pupils’ needs.
• Delivering a well-structured and well
organized lesson.
• Providing pupils with positive and
constructive feedback.
• Ensuring coverage of the educational
objectives.
• Making good use of questioning
techniques
Major Teaching Principles
1. The principle of uniting instruction with the
political, economic and social policy of the
country
2. The Principle of connecting instruction with
social life
3. The Principle of integrating instructions of
different subjects
4. The Principle of guiding the activities of
learners (the principle of teacher’s leading
role and students’ independent work)
5. Principle of marking instruction
comprehensive
6. The principle of vividness in instruction
(the principle of giving clear ideas in
instruction)
7. The principle of understanding individual
difference in instruction (the principle of
approaching students personality based
upon collective activity):
8. The principle of applicability and durability of
the results of instruction (the principle of
stabilizing the results of instruction
permanently)
9. The principle of shaping instruction
systematically according to the curriculum:
Effective Teaching:
Keys to Classroom Excellence
1. Interest and explanation
2. Concern and respect for students and
student learning
3. Appropriate assessment and feedback
4. Independence, control and active
engagement
5. Learning from students
Essential Knowledge for the 21st Century Teacher
Teacher Centered
Versus
Student Centered
• Teacher-Centered Approach to Learning
(Conventional Learning)
Conventional learning (also referred to as
traditional learning) tends to consider students
as passive receptors of information, without
consideration of the need to actively
participate in the learning process.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHER-
CENTERED METHODS
• There is high percentage of academic learning
time;
• The teacher engages the students on the task
promptly and keeps them on the activity until
its completion;
• The teacher is active in explaining, monitoring
and describing;
• Interaction and socializations among or in
between students is kept to the minimum as
the students are awfully busy with the tasks
given by the teacher;
• Mastery learning is highly stressed;
• Use of extrinsic reward-praise, good grade;
• Use of assessment and feedback-terminal or
summative
0
Student-Centered Approach to Learning
By definition, the student-centered learning
experience is not a passive one, as it is based
on the premise that ‘student passivity does not
support or enhance … learning’ and that it is
precisely ‘active learning’ which helps
students to learn independently (MacHemer
and Crawford, 2007, p. 11)
Characteristics of the Student-Centered
Methods
• Learners are actively engaged in solving
problems in lieu of being receivers of
knowledge;
• Teachers produce conducive environment to
learn via facilitation and guidance;
• Prior knowledge and experience of learners is
integrated to the learning process;
• Students learn through the integration of
theory and practice;
• Use of intrinsic reward-students motivates
themselves and which in turn makes to have
effective learning;
• Use of some punishment-using reasons rather
than power;
• Use of assessment and feedback any
assessment is formative
What is active learning?
Active Learning is a process wherein students
are actively engaged in building
understanding of facts, ideas, and skills
through the completion of instructor directed
tasks and activities. It is any type of activity
that gets students involved in the learning
process.
Characteristics of Active Learning
• Engages students beyond reading, listening,
and note-taking
• Promotes deep learning, not just acquisition of
facts
• Develops higher order thinking skills (e.g.
analysis, synthesis, evaluation) through
intentionally designed activities
• Often involves interaction among students
• Requires students to take greater responsibility
for their learning
• Teachers help students to monitor their own
learning and discover what they do and do not
understand
• Helps students build competencies (e.g.,
problem-solving, critical thinking,
communication) as well as content knowledge.
Benefits of Active Learning Drawn from
Theory
• Students are more likely to access their own
prior knowledge, which is a key to learning.
• Students are more likely to find personally
meaningful problem solutions or
interpretations.
• Students receive more frequent and more
immediate feedback.
• The need to produce forces learners to retrieve
information from memory rather than simply
recognizing a correct statement.
• Students increase their self-confidence and
self-reliance.
• For most learners, it is more motivating to be
active than passive.
• A task that you have done yourself or as part
of a group is more highly valued.
• Student conceptions of knowledge change,
which in turn has implications for cognitive
development.
• Students who work together on active learning
tasks learn to work with other people of
different backgrounds and attitudes.
• Students learn strategies for learning itself by
observing others.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS OF ACTIVE
TEACHING

The Demonstration Method

• It is carried out by showing some natural
phenomena, real objects, models, and
processes to the learner
• It develops both mental and motor skills of the
learners for it involves observation
participation and practice.
The demonstration method has the following
steps:
• Explanation
• Demonstration
• The students performance
• The instructor’s supervision.
• Evaluation of the demonstration process.
To make this method effective, the teacher needs
to:
• Determine the right time for demonstration
• Prepare the necessary materials in advance
• Make students clear with the aim of the
demonstration.
• Make sure that the sitting arrangement is in
order all students can see and hear.
• Be certain that the safety rules are observed
• Summarize what she/he has demonstrated.
 Types of demonstration methods
Formal demonstration: The teacher demonstrates
the lesson to his students.
• When there is lack of materials for each student.
• When the materials are dangerous to be handled
by students.
Informal Method:
The learners do the demonstration themselves.
The role of the teacher will be supervising the
demonstration conducted by the learners and
offering some help when the need arises.
The Group Discussion Method
• It is a method that encourages students’ active
participation in exchanging their views.
• It is used for gaining new knowledge, solving
problems, forming attitudes, developing the
ability of arguing interpreting, discussing
gaining linguistic abilities and skills.
Methods of grouping students
• Arbitrary  according to lists of names or
sitting arrangements.
• Ability  students having similar abilities sit
together.
• Mixed  deliberately composed group.
• Compatibility  students who like each other
or one another and work well.
Procedures:
• Divide the class in to small groups of 3-6
pupils.
• Arrange the chairs in circle to face each other.
• Ask them to elect a chairperson and a
secretary.
• Tell them the question for discussion (it should
be under stood).
• Tell the amount of time they will have for
discussion possibly 5-10 minutes.
• Inform them that “X” minutes are left before
the time is up.
• The secretary must summarize and report the
main points on the chalkboard.
• Avoid repetition.
Brainstorming Method
This is a discussion in which the members of the
group are encouraged to generate different
ideas on a given problem or a topic.
Four basic Rules for Brain Storming Session:
1. Criticism is forbidden and adverse judgments
of ideas must be held until the end.
2. No matter how unworkable and unacceptable
the idea may seem it should be accepted.
3. Quantity is wanted. That is the greater number
of ideas; the greater will be devising solutions
for problem.
4. Combination and improvements are sought.
Besides to contributing ideas of their own,
participants should suggest how others ideas
could be improved.
The Questioning Method:
It is a method, which is conducted by asking
questions.
The students ask and the teacher responds or
redirects the questions.
This method can be used at any grade level if it
is planned and conducted properly.
The classification of questions could be:
• Cognitive memory questions- these are
narrow and need little or no thinking e.g. when
operation sunset’ was started?
• Convergent questions: they are narrow
though they may require some thinking. But,
ones thought out; there is a correct answer and
usually one correct answer.
• Divergent question- these are wide open
questions. No one can predict what the answer
will or should be. They do not have one best
answer.
• Evaluative Questions- these are questions
that ask students to put a value on something.
These are questions in which students pass
judgments on some actions.
Factors that are to be considered during
questioning are:
• The question to be asked should be as precise
and clear as possible
• The question should be thought provoking and
involve vital aspect of the lesson.
• It should be in line with the level of the
knowledge of the students.
• It should not be of the type of be answered by
a ‘yes’ or ‘no’
• Prepare the question to be asked in advance.
• Ask the question before naming the student.
• Give time for though. Do not use a machine
gun approach.
• Involve as many students as possible.
•
 Dramatization:
Refers to the acting out of any situation either
spontaneously or with a prepared script.
The situation may be real or fictitious. It can be
divided into Miming and Acting.
Miming: In this form of dramatization, the actor or
actress speaks no word but communicates to the
audience thoughts and actions through body
movement and gesture.
• Acting: Movement and dialogue. The actor or
actress utters something accompanied by his/her
physical movements in order to convey his/her
message effectively.
Role Playing Method:
The Role Playing Method:
is a deliberate acting out of a role in a classroom.
It is unrehearsed dramatization but differs from
dramatization in that it does not require the
study of a script and memorization of the parts
of the play.
Prerequisites for Good classroom Role-
playing:
• The class should have a common interest in
the issue or the problem under discussion
• The participant’s actor’s knowledge of the
issue.
• It should be regarded as a means of learning,
not as an entertainment.
The Problem Solving Method:
It encourages students to learn through finding
solutions for problems. Individuals or group of
student can do it. Problem solving involves:
• Identifying the problem.
• Thinking of possible solutions (hypotheses or
approaches to take in solving the problem).
• Testing (verifying) the tentative solutions or
approaches.
• Rejecting the tentative solution or approaches
that do not meet the requirements and trying
other new ones till the solution is achieved and
this is the reason why this method is called
trial and error learning.
• The problem should be higher than the present
levels of the students’ knowledge so as to
make students fill the gap.
The Field Trip Method:
In this method, students are taken out to visit
places, historical sites, factories, farms,
workshops, service giving institutions,
geological areas etc. and get knowledge.
It requires pre-visit arrangement (plan), the visit
and after trip discussions. It helps students to
get acquainted with the actual environment.
Balloon Game method

• The students are given the names of a number

of important people who are in an imaginary
“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.
Hot Seating method
Either one member of the class is assigned to be
a character or one member of each small
group.
The member is placed in the center of the room/
group to role play the character.
Other members of the class/ group direct
questions to the person in the center who has
to respond as that person
After 10 minutes, change the person in the center
and the character.
Interview method
This is a great way to get experts into your
classroom.
Invite a guest speaker to attend your class who is
an expert in your field of study.
Tell the students ahead of time, and have them
research that topic and prepare questions to
ask the guest speaker.
Follow this by allowing the students to
intensively interview the person.
 Jigsaw Method
You divide the class into groups. Letter name is
assigned to each member.
Each group is given a “specialist” topic and each
member of that group has to become an expert
in that topic.
You can do this as a homework activity, or as a
multi lesson activity.
After they have become an expert, you separate
the “specialist” groups and form new groups.
The new groups are made up of one specialist
from each of the original groups.
They then work together to teach each other the
information they learned in their original
group.
Microteaching method:
This is when the students model or try out
different teaching methods with a small group.

There is usually a time limit of 10 to 15 minutes

for the teaching to take place.
The students then give the “teacher” feedback on
their mini lesson and the methods used.
The feedback includes some positive points
about the teaching, as well as constructive
feedback.
 Mind Map method:
A mind map is a visual representation of ideas on
any given topic.
The students write the topic to be explored in the
centre of the page, using three colors and an image
attached to the topic.
Then, they branch out on sub topics, which are then
broken down into smaller sub topics. 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 colorful and can include pictures to help
the students remember the information.
Pair Discussion method:
This is an activity when you put your students
into pairs.
This can be done with the person they are sitting
beside, or you can put them in pairs with
people they haven’t worked with before. In the
pair, they will complete a task, discuss a topic,
and/or prepare feedback to the large group.
Peer Assessment method:
Peer assessment is when you have your students
assess each other.
This may involve them marking each other’s
work, giving feedback on teaching, editing or
checking work before submission, grading
presentations, and giving comments on each
other’s performance.
Presentation method:
A presentation is an activity where students
present a topic in front of their class.
This can be done individually or as a group.
Students need good public presentation skills.
With a presentation, you are not just teaching the
topic, but are also teaching the students HOW
to present.
Reflection method:
Reflection is a great activity because it allows
the students to take some quiet, personal time
to “reflect” or think over what they have
learned in the lesson. This can take many
forms.
Self Assessment method:
Self-assessment is when learners evaluate
themselves and what they have learned.
One way to do this is to have the students mark
their own work.
The purpose of doing this is so that the students
become aware of what they know and what
they don’t know!
They become owners of their own learning.
Another way to do self-assessment is to have
them complete a questionnaire about
themselves and their learning.
Lastly, you can also have your students grade
their own performance in your lessons.
Have them grade their work and then compare it
with the mark you give them.
Storytelling method:
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 great way to practice language, and makes
the students use their listening skills!
Another way to use storytelling is for the
instructor to read a story and then ask the
students questions after to test understanding
and listening.
Crossover method:
Students are divided into groups to discuss a
specific topic (in any subject).
After 5 minutes, 2 members of the group move to
another group to share ideas from their original
group. From their sharing, more discussion is
developed.
After 5 minutes, they will cross-over or “move” to
another group.
The information you want the students to learn,
travels through the entire class.
This avoids the need for a lot of feedback.
Thank You!