READ | TEACHING @ | CLASSROOM STRATEGIES
active learning | writing | effective discussions | effective lectures | cooperative learning | service learning
This section will discuss ways in which instructors can engage students actively through writing, discussion, lectures and cooperative and service learning methods. 
ACTIVE LEARNING
Various teaching strategies can be applied for the purposes of engaging students in the learning process. An instructor who understands how and why to employ different strategies will be more successful at encouraging active learning, leveraging effective presentation skills, facilitating discussion, and managing the classroom—including potential problematic situations.
In order for students to learn, they must be actively engaged with the material. Faust & Paulson define active learning as "any learning activity engaged in by students in a classroom other than listening passively to an instructor's lecture. . . . [T]his includes everything from listening practices that help students absorb what they hear, to short writing exercises in which students react to lecture material, to complex group exercises in which students apply course material to 'real life' situations and/or new problems" (1998, p. 4).
Though a stand-alone lecture can be a useful tool for teaching, much of its success depends on the delivery style of the instructor as well as individual differences in student attention (Wilson & Korn, 2007, p. 88). On the other hand, it is generally true that student gains in thinking are facilitated if a class incorporates some or all of the following pedagogical components: "(1) student writing and discussion; (2) explicit emphasis on problem-solving procedures and methods using varied examples; (3) verbalization of methods and strategies to encourage development of metacognition; and (4) time to think and reflect" (McKeachie, 1999, p. 330). Therefore, it is recommended that instructors vary the types of activities they select for a class period. The "change-up" activities should directly relate to the material at hand and give the students the opportunity to practice the main concepts of the day.
In order for active learning to take place, instructors need to structure and organize classroom activities in a thoughtful way and to prepare students accordingly. It has been observed that in some cases the instructors tried to engage students in a classroom activity, but did not plan and implement the activity appropriately. As a result, the activity fell flat and students complained. Being discouraged, the temptation for the instructors was to then return to lecturing.
To avoid such situations from occurring, here are some suggestions for accomplishing a smooth transition. First, if students are accustomed to being passive in a class, they will have a harder time adjusting to being active than if they were asked to participate from the first day of class onward. Therefore, it is important to establish expectations for student active engagement at the very beginning and reinforce such expectations throughout the term. Secondly, it is important that the activities selected are clearly consistent with course goals and well constructed. Using group work with unclear tasks and unrealistic time frames is usually the cause of failure in implementation. Thirdly, both instructors and students must be patient with the changes required for active learning and the instructor must make moderate changes each time. Open communication about what is being attempted and why, along with frequent solicitation of feedback and refinement of the original plan, will help increase the possibility of success.
This section will discuss ways in which instructors can engage students actively through writing, discussion, lectures and cooperative and service learning methods.
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