What Is Meant By the Term Active Learning?

  • By Lisa Schmidt
  • 10/01/18

In general, active learning means students engage with the material, participate in the class, and collaborate with each other. Rather than sitting passively while listening to an instructor, or doing independent heads-down work, the student may work with his or her peers, follow an interactive project-based curriculum, participate in robust discussions, or a variety of other activities, which ensure the student is immersed in the subject at hand.

Researchers have found that the more students are engaged, the greater their progress and retention. When teachers utilize active learning, they often find their pupils display a deeper understanding of the course material. What’s more, today’s Millennial and Generation Z students prefer the more dynamic environment which active learning provides.

In active learning spaces, the teacher may choose to engage the students further by allowing them choices: the choice of tasks to focus on, peers to work with, or where to work within the classroom, and even outside of the classroom, such as in a corridor or other space in the building.

In addition to providing choices, active learning classrooms are most effective when the furnishings are flexible, mobile, and able to support whatever activity is taking place in the space at that time. Ideally, the teacher or students can rearrange the room without help from the custodial staff.

Consider using classroom furniture that can be reconfigured easily. Also, choose chairs that enable students to interact with each other, and with the instructor. This increases the opportunity to build personal connections and social skills. Utilizing a variety of furniture types also supports personal choice and ownership, while providing a space that resonates with students at all levels.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Lisa Schmidt, LEED-AP is the director of Strategic Initiatives at National Office Furniture. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Missouri State University Debuts Construction Education Center

    Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., recently opened a new 10,000-square-foot addition and renovation to support the School of Construction, Design, and Project Management, according to university news. The Construction Education Success Center, built onto the existing Kemper Hall, provides academic space for the school’s construction managers and cost $9.6 million.

  • How One School Reimagined Learning Spaces—and What Others Can Learn

    When Collegedale Academy, a PreK–8 school outside Chattanooga, Tenn., needed a new elementary building, we faced the choice that many school leaders eventually confront: repair an aging facility or reimagine what learning spaces could be. Our historic elementary school held decades of memories for families, including some who had once walked its halls as children themselves. But years of wear and the need for costly repairs made it clear that investing in the old building would only patch the problems rather than solve them.

  • Extron, CENTEGIX Partner for Comprehensive School Security Solution

    Professional audiovisual solutions provider Extron recently announced a partnership with CENTEGIX, which provides rapid incident response technology, to integrate two of their top products in the name of school safety.

  • North Dakota State University Completes Music School Renovation

    North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., recently announced that construction on the Challey School of Music has finished, according to a news release. The university partnered with Foss Architecture & Interiors for design and Kraus-Anderson for construction services, and construction began in July 2024.