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The Importance of Active Learning

Join us as Olivia explores the huge benefits that an Active Learning environment can have in your school

The Importance of Active Learning

Join us as Olivia explores the huge benefits that an Active Learning environment can have in your school

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Active Learning is often associated with physical movement, such as P.E. lessons or outdoor learning sessions, for example Forest Schools. However, there is much more to active learning than being physically active. It is an approach that can transform lessons into engaging, interactive and memorable learning experiences. By focussing on how students learn, not just what they learn, active learning encourages deeper understanding, improves knowledge retention and increases student motivation.‍

What is active learning?

Active learning is not simply making an activity ‘active’ or physically moving around. It is a teaching strategy that focusses on how students engage with lesson content and involves them in the learning process.

When we learn in this way, we may enter what is referred to as a ‘flow state’, where we are completely immersed and actively engaged in what we are doing we.

Why is it beneficial?

Research states many benefits of adopting the active learning approach in the classroom. Some may be more obvious, such as students becoming more engaged in and motivated to participate, and others may be less expected, like the development of skills to become lifelong learners.

Finding ways of making lessons more active, by getting students involved in their learning has shown to improve knowledge retention and understanding of new concepts. Making lessons more memorable through an active approach, ensures students remember what they have learnt and allows them to apply it to other subject areas, deepening their understanding.

Other examples include the development of important skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. All skills which can be applied to other areas of the curriculum and, beyond that, are highly relevant for students as they move through their education journey and into the world of work.

Active learning also supports students with special educational needs, such as ADHD and ASD, and those who are EAL (English as an Additional Language). By incorporating varied activities that have flexibility in how they can be completed, students are engaged and motivated to succeed. This approach supports pupils who may struggle to learn in the traditional teacher-led format and provides them with a sense of control and input in their learning.

How can it be incorporated into your lessons?

Active Learning can be easily integrated into your teaching by including a variety of interactive and student-led activities. This may include more group work, hands-on tasks or using technology to record pupils’ work.

A few examples of active learning are:

Group discussions – allow pupils to verbalise their thoughts, build confidence and expand their technical vocabulary through peer conversations and interactions.

Student Presentations and Role Play – students can take ownership of their learning by teaching their peers in a presentation or acting in the role of a character. This provides the opportunity to practise important communication and collaboration skills in a creative way.

Experiments – enable children to interact with concepts practically, increasing their knowledge retention.

Quizzes – an engaging way of checking student knowledge, whether on paper or using a digital app, without the pressure of a formal test.

Problem-solving – teaches pupils resilience and the importance of trial and error, empowering them to find their own ways of completing an activity.

How can we help you?

There are many ways of implementing active learning in the classroom, some require technology and others may not. Here at Elementary Technology, we have various solutions that can help support this approach. Whether it's an interactive display to make lessons more engaging, a visualiser to model experiments or software that enhances interactivity with pupil devices.

If you would like to find out more about how active learning can transform your classroom with the help of technology, get in touch!