Going Solo

Some students learn best undertaking solo, aural, visual endeavors. When designing an active classroom, some activities should cater for the solitary learners. In the traditional classroom (before emphasis was placed on active learning) nearly every Higher-Ed education experience catered beautifully to this learning style: listening to a lecture, taking notes, reading a book or article, sitting in silence taking an exam. People who did well learning this way flourished, succeeded, perpetuated and became the instructors... and surprisingly (insert sarcastic eye roll here) taught using the methods they learned best from!

There is nothing wrong with this methodology and if we are truly going to 'embrace diversity' we must cater to this style as well. I still lecture and assign readings. BUT! it is important to remember that this methodology of learning still has to be active!

For example: when students are reading are they actively reading? How often have you seen nearly every word of a textbook highlighted yellow or pink! ?! Perhaps you might like to visit Harvard University's guide to interrogating (reading) articles and texts with them. I actually take one whole lesson in a semester to work through the six steps with them using Gould and Lewontin's Spandells of San Marcos paper as an example.
Or revisit good ole' fashioned Cornell Note Taking http://lsc.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Cornell-Note_Taking-System.pdf
Or you might like to have a discussion about Critical Thinking. I use this Handout: How to Think Critically
- Or you might like to provide them reading prompts that aim high on Bloom's Taxonomy :See my prompts here for an Online Discussion Posting A concise explanation of Bloom's Taxonomy from Vanderbilt University can be found here: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

In addition to reading and note taking, give the students an opportunity to do solo reflection in class (often called reflexive thinking or reflexivity). Many of the Index Card exercises listed here do just that! Alternatively you might like to try the One Minute Paper (linked below).

Quiet, no talking, just thinking, synthesizing and digesting.