ABSTRACT
It’s not what you tell your students that counts. What counts is what they take away. That’s because the more you tell them, the more they will forget. Moreover, you can’t learn for them. They must do it themselves. Your role as a teacher, therefore, is to spark and guide their learning and help to make it last. This chapter will present five teaching strategies to spark active learning in your classes:
Strategy #1: Engage your students from the start
Give your students something to do before a class session even starts to develop a climate for active learning, promote peer interaction, and build immediate involvement in the learning topic. Encourage wide-spread participation, especially at the beginning of a course.
Strategy #2: Be a brain-friendly presenter
Present information and concepts that maximize understanding and retention through techniques that stimulate students’ brains to be mentally alert and receptive to new data.
Strategy #3: Encourage lively and focused discussion
Structure discussion so that students are motivated to participate and pursue the topic in depth.
Strategy #4: Let your students learn from each other
Set up effective group learning and peer teaching activities that require peer collaboration.
Strategy #5: Make the end unforgettable
Close a learning experience so that students review what they have learned, reflect on its importance, and consider future steps.
