Active learning Strategies and Tools

1. “Active Learning strategies
enhancing Digital Skills”
10th October 2019
Caparica, Portugal
Ana Maria Costa

2. • What is ‘Active learning’?
• Active learning strategies
• Active learning enhancing digital skills - a few
tools worth trying…

5. I ………… and I forget.
I ………… and I remember.
I ………… and I understand.
Confucius

6. I ………… and I forget.
I ………… and I remember.
I ………… and I understand.
Confucius
see
hear
do

7. Glasser’s
Learning scale

8. Glasser’s
Learning scale

9. Active learning is….
… a range of teaching methods that engage students, individually
or in groups, in the process of learning through activities and/or
discussion in class, involving higher-order thinking and followed
by a period of reflecting. Active learning, done well, should be both
challenging and enjoyable, too.
Deborah Blaz, The World Language Teacher’s Guide to Active Learning, Routledge.

10. ‘Active learning’ involves…
• student-centered activities;
• collaborative work;
• higher-order thinking (e.g.problem-
solving);
• research;
• reflection.
And…
• it should be challenging and
enjoyable.

11. Golden Rules for creating an Active Learning classroom
1. The in-class learning activities need structure but should not be canned steps. Students need to act for
themselves in using their knowledge. Asking students to make judgements and decisions is an effective way to exercise
the freedom of self-determination, but within a contextthat you have structured to be relevant.
2. The in-class activities can and should include a variety of formats: problem-solving, analyses and
diagnoses based on situations or data sets, quizzes and “let’s see what you can do” challenges.
3. Students need to demonstrate their preparedness on a regular basis, in the form of online tasks due
before class, reading quizzes (online or at the beginning of class), or other assessment activities.
4. A significant portion of a student’s mark for the course needs to be tied to classroom activities related
to applying and using course content.

12. A few
strategies…
- Small groups (2 or 3 Sts).
- Discuss a topic for a short
period.
- It can tune students into
your subject matter.
- Student-centered.

13. A few
strategies…
- Pose a question.
- Give Sts. time to think and
write a short response.
- Turn to peer to compare
responses.
- Have pairs share with the
larger group.

14. Make-up Exam
Questions
- Ask Sts. to create some or
all quiz or exam questions
(ind., pair, group work).
- It encourages Sts. to think
more deeply about their
learning.

15. Jigsaw
- Each member of a group is
asked to complete part of an
assignment, or collect some
piece of information.
- In the end, all the members
of the group join together to
form a finished product.

16. Mind Mapping
- Brings out ideas or principles
on a topic.
- Simple, graphic
representation or illustration
of key concepts.
- It can be displayed and/or
posted.

20. https://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/vision/

22. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 172

23. Concept Maps
- Brings out ideas or principles
on a topic.
- Simple, graphic
representation or illustration
of key concepts.
- It can be displayed and/or
posted.

26. Go to
www.thinglink.com
and Sign up
Go to
1. ‘Create’
2. Upload image
3. Look for a YouTube video
4. Paste the URL

28. Flipped classroom

29. Flipped classroom

30. www.google.com

32. “Don’t make
the mistake
of adding
technology
and change
nothing else”.

33. Ana Maria Costa
ana.nobrega4@gmail.com

34. References
• Peterson, A. et al. (2018), “Understanding innovative pedagogies: Key themes to analyse new approaches to teaching
and learning”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 172, OECD Publishing, Paris.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9f843a6e-en
• Martin, J. (2018), “Skills for the 21st century: Findings and policy lessons from the OECD survey of adult skills”, OECD
Education Working Papers, No. 166, OECD Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/96e69229-en
• Creekmore, J. & Deaton, Shanon (2015),”The Active Learning Classroom: Strategies for Practical Educators”.
• Blaz, D. (2018), “The World Language Teacher’s guide to Active Learning: Strategies and activities for increasing
students’ engagement”, Routledge.
• Wundinger, S. (2016), “The Power of Project-Based Learning”, Rowman & Littlefield.