Active learners recognize that their grades are 'earned' and not 'given'
There are benefits to active learning. But first, what is active learning?
Active learning is an instructional method that engages students in the learning process.
This means it requires students to do / output meaningful learning activities and THINK about what they are DOING. I describe it as 'critical thinking' with my students. Whether you are working individually or in groups, 100% cooperation is required.
At Conestoga College’s School of Business, the majority of my classes are international post-graduate. As I tell my students, it’s really is up to them to act responsibly and take ownership over their learning.
As an Educator, I am monitoring their learning, based on the content they output, which essentially revolves around 3 main skills:
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
Active learning classrooms (whether online, virtually or physically in-class) engage learners through discussions, problem solving, case studies, storytelling, gaming, etc., that encourage students to share their applied learning & skills.
So you see, this is why they need to understand from recruitment through enrollment that grades are NOT GIVEN they are EARNED.
I’m confident that at this point, you can ask any one of my students why active learning is so beneficial: It increases a deeper understanding of the material being studied and they can recall for a long period of time instead of memorizing it.
Students are engaging with the content rather than simply listening to it (although I do connect the dots with some hearty storytelling, lol!) In a 3-hr class, you are wasting your time if you’re solely lecturing. Educators must help to maintain student concentration + heighten their higher-level learning skills, such as the critical thinking skills I mentioned. These play a large role in transitioning them from higher ed into industry jobs. Any job will ultimately require them to demonstrate the same skills. This is where they come to appreciate that they earned their grade!
