Expressive (Active) learning involves reinforcing a student's conceptual understanding of content and skills through engagement IN the lesson process.  Expressive learning tasks include: Hands-on labs or learning, Group Problem-Solving, Peer to Peer Discourse, Collaborative Learning or Peer Instruction and use of games or student challenges.  Expressive learning activates divergent thinking which pushes students towards understanding major concepts and "big picture" thinking. 

Benefits:
-INCREASES critical thinking
-INCREASES frequent feedback loop for student comprehension
-INCREASES student engagement in the learning environment
-INCREASES student attention
-INCREASES student discourse and discussion

Drawbacks:
-Requires flexibility and adaptation in the classroom
-Limits the amount of content that can be presented in class
-Can be distracting if students aren't monitored
-Can create pressure for shy or introverted students

Receptive (Passive) Learning involves holding students responsible for learning content and skills individually, on their own terms.  Often  receptive learning involves teacher lectures, assigned readings, note-taking or watching a film.  This type of learning encourages learning that involves defining, listening and writing. This type of thinking is called convergent thinking, meaning producing a product with one right answer on quizzes, assessments and handouts.

Benefits:
-FAST way to present material/information
-Facilitates pre-planning and predictability in lecture notes
-Shifts control to the teacher for content delivery
-Concrete, organized content management

Drawbacks:
-Can be boring or unrelatable for students
-Fewer opportunities to formatively assess student knowledge
-Students are more distanced from the learning experience
-Discourages student questioning and critical thinking 

Summarizing Strategies

Summarizing Strategies

Equitable Discussion Ideas
6 Strategies 

If It Works for English!... Fostering Classroom Discussions