Active+Learning+Strategies


 * __ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES __**

Active learning relates to developing and implementing planned activities which invite students to process, apply, interact, share and thus, participate in learning experiences. As Hoffman (n.d.) highlighted, the well-known saying “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I’ll understand” captures the potential and benefit of using active learning strategies in a classroom context. The Australian Government - JobAccess (2010) also provides research which claims that people with learning disabilities are more receptive to active learning strategies as many of them learn best by ‘doing’ rather than passively listening to someone speak. Schwartz Green and Casale-Giannola’s book //40 Active Learning Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom, Grades k-5// (2011) is a useful resource, for teachers, which looks at establishing an inclusive and engaging classroom before providing forty examples of active learning strategies. Each is supported with an explanation, directions, implementation considerations, and information about the ways the particular strategy can support individuals with learning differences. As suggested by the title, the strategies incorporated within the text are best suited for students in kindergarten up to year five. To ensure that students benefited from the strategies being used, I would first spend time skimming through the strategies looking for what would best suit the learners in my class. For example, there are strategies which are suggested for kinaesthetic learners and students with attention disorders thus, it is a matter of selecting what would benefit your class most. How I would use these strategies would of course depend on the type of strategy being implemented. That is to say, some of the strategies are designed to be used within a subject area such as maths or history, whilst others are more general and can be used as a warm-up activity or as a way to conclude a lesson. For example, one strategy suggests students create ‘information rings’ where they use a key ring and attach cards which contain information on the topic they just learnt. As Schwartz Green and Casale-Giannola (2011) suggest, these get students actively reviewing and reinforcing content and can be applicable to any discipline. One way I would consider using this particular strategy would be to get students to make cards with words they were unfamiliar with, but which we would be focusing on for an upcomming unit of work. After learning the meaning of the words, I would then get students to illustrate them in a way that was meaningful to them. The expected outcomes for using active learning strategies would vary significantly depending on which was used. The strategies incorporated within the text target a number of learning areas and skills, some of which include social skill building, improving memorisation, building higher-order thinking skills, enhancing listening skills, and improving problem solving skills. Thus, depending on the strategies used, there are a number of strategy specific outcomes which could be achieved. General expected outcomes which could apply to the use of any of these strategies involve more engaged students, less behaviour problems and disruptions as students are on task and actively involved, and increased student retention and motivation (Morable, 2000). **References: ** Hoffman, D. (n.d.). //Active learning strategies in the classroom//. Retrieved from []

Morable, L. (2000). //Using active learning techniques//. Retrieved from []

Schwartz Green, L., & Casale-Giannola, D. (2011). //40 Active learning strategies for the inclusive classroom, Grades k-5.// U.S.A: Corwin.

The Australian Government - JobAccess. (2010). //Active learning//. Retrieved from []

Melissa Yap (u3041657)