Active Learning

Benefits of Active Learning

There is a shift in learning strategy to active learning over passive, traditional models (i.e. lecture then exam) because active learning techniques provides the learner with the opportunity to see the material in action, to go beyond the classroom and expand use into everyday scenarios.

According to researchers Roehl, Reddy, and Shannon, active learning techniques enhances the student experience by:

• Better promoting higher level thinking as described by Bloom's Taxonomy
• More instructor awareness of student progress (whereas in traditional instruction, progress is measured via testing).
• More student-teacher interaction
• Increasing student comfort level in asking questions and student ask more natural questions, (1).

Evidence Based Practice

In a meta-analysis of learning outcomes in traditional vs. active learning environments in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), students exposed to active learning performed better on examinations and concept inventories by 0.47 SD, (2). Conversely, students in traditional lecture environments were 1.5 times more likely to fail than their active learning cohorts, (2). These finding held true even after adjusting for class size, though small class size (<50 students) held the highest benefit, (2).

You may be asking yourself, "but I don't teach students in my classroom, how does this apply to me?" Active learning focuses on student-centered learning much like the dietetic practice values patient-centered learning and care. Though you may not see yourself in the educator's perspective, the pratitioner's perspective is very similar. Here is an example from the Annuals of Family Medicine:

"With social changes in medicine, the operational definition of patient-centered care is changing, and measures should reflect those changes. Early measures of patient involvement in care, for example, asked patients whether they had opportunities to ask questions. A patient who is accustomed to a passive role in care might be satisfied by the physician’s rushed, “Any questions?” at the end of a visit and habitually answer no; this patient may never have experienced a more active invitation for involvement. A patient-centered approach should do more. The physician should invite the patient to participate: “I want to make sure that I’ve helped you understand everything you need to understand about your illness. Patients usually have questions because it can be complicated. Could you tell me what you understand, and then I can help clarify…?” Similarly, information should be tailored to patients’ needs to permit meaningful deliberation and shared mind, (3)"

Using more active approaches to learning and comprehension improves outcomes whether in the classroom or in the clinic.