Top 10 Active Learning Strategies for 21st Century Learners
Posted by Strategic Communications, JGI Group on 13 Dec 2021

Education has evolved way far from the ways it was traditionally imparted. Technology has advanced tremendously and to pace up with the changed overtime learner’s needs has also evolved. Students today need more active learning strategies for constant renewal or real-time implementation of their learnings, rather than sitting in classrooms and perform predesigned assignments.

According to Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson, published in their paper "Seven Principles for Good Practice," in March 1987, "Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in class listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves."

Active learning is the newest approach of student centered learning, where learners are encouraged to team up with their classmates to learn concepts. Teachers in this form of learning are more like initiators, guiding them through the process rather than being the sole source of information. To simplify it more like learning through activities rather than just cramming for the sake of doing well in exams.

There are various strategies of Active learning that can be implemented for 21st century learners. We have discussed some of them here:

• Think Pair and Share - In this strategy students when asked a question they discuss it with their classmate and then settle upon an answer.

• Strategy of Role Playing - This learning structure is an excellent way of engaging students wherein they are given the role of decision maker and decide about certain procedure and their results.

• Discovering Plate Boundaries - This active learning strategy is basically a group discussion method that applies various aspects of cooperative learning.

• Peer Review Methodology - This is another engaging active learning method where fellow classmate checks and review the assignments done by a student and vice-versa.

• Group Discussion - This method of active learning initiates productive discussion among students for successful solutions. It develops in learners reasoning and rationality qualities.

• Role playing - Not of be confused with the earlier role playing methodology. In this technique students choose a character from a specific topic and discuss how their decision affects the character and that topic of concern.

• Using real data to solve problems - As a part of this method of active learning students are given rea-time data to analyses, utilizing which they need to solve or explore various concepts.

• Just in Time Teaching - This method of active learning is targeted towards improving the learner’s knowledge of web based questions. Here students are given a brief assignment, which they have to study, respond and answer after a short break. The students are the finally asked to engage in collaborative exercise after assignment submission.

• Game based Learning - It is one of the most engaging ways of learning in active learning strategies. In this mode of learning characteristic of games are embedded with learning and has elements of competition, engagement and immediate reward. A good Game Based Learning (GBL) plan must have features of Achievement, Motivation and Assessment