Scott McLeod's most recent blog post focused on the benefits of active learning. The blog post started by discussing quotes in an article from the Washington Post. A childhood development expert told the Washington Post that research shows that young children learn best actively, however "rigorous instruction" is expected at preschool age. A researcher told the Washington post that he found that "Seventy four percent of teachers from high-SES districts and 64 percent from low-SES districts reported their schools had cut the amount of time scheduled for child-directed activities in recent years."
Scott went on to explain that schools who provide more time for students to actively participate in their learning through project based learning or inquiry learning usually end up with higher test scores as well as students who are academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally functioning at higher levels. Scott said in "other words these schools ROCK IT!" Even at the college level success is experienced when students are given opportunities to direct their learning or to learn through hands-on activities. Colleges reported less drop outs, higher attendance levels, and increases in test scores when implementing active learning.
The end quote stood out to me as Scott said, "The question isn't whether active learning techniques work. The question is why we're not doing more of them given the rich research supporting their effectiveness." This quote made me reflect on my own teaching experiences as every college course that I have taken, including this course, has emphasized the benefits of active learning for students, yet in reality there is so much pressure on teachers that at times it seems as though there isn't enough time for the inquiry learning or project based learning. I have found myself facing the pressure of upcoming state testing and trying to squeeze in as much as possible, yet I know that my students may perform better if I took the time to slow the content down and allow them to learn actively through it. One of my goals is to provide more active learning experiences for my students. This class has also emphasized active learning through collaboration using technology. The research shows the positive impacts of active learning, now it is up to us as educators to continue the momentum and give our students access to this type of learning as much as possible.
Scott went on to explain that schools who provide more time for students to actively participate in their learning through project based learning or inquiry learning usually end up with higher test scores as well as students who are academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally functioning at higher levels. Scott said in "other words these schools ROCK IT!" Even at the college level success is experienced when students are given opportunities to direct their learning or to learn through hands-on activities. Colleges reported less drop outs, higher attendance levels, and increases in test scores when implementing active learning.
The end quote stood out to me as Scott said, "The question isn't whether active learning techniques work. The question is why we're not doing more of them given the rich research supporting their effectiveness." This quote made me reflect on my own teaching experiences as every college course that I have taken, including this course, has emphasized the benefits of active learning for students, yet in reality there is so much pressure on teachers that at times it seems as though there isn't enough time for the inquiry learning or project based learning. I have found myself facing the pressure of upcoming state testing and trying to squeeze in as much as possible, yet I know that my students may perform better if I took the time to slow the content down and allow them to learn actively through it. One of my goals is to provide more active learning experiences for my students. This class has also emphasized active learning through collaboration using technology. The research shows the positive impacts of active learning, now it is up to us as educators to continue the momentum and give our students access to this type of learning as much as possible.
Hi Danielle! I can really buy into the idea of project based learning or inquiry learning, but you're definitely right about feeling pressure and trying to squeeze in content instead. It's a huge task to design PBL activities that incorporate a large amount of content at a deep level so that the time spent on them is justified.
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