Active Learning-Strategies to promote active learning through the use of Technology

Active learning is a way of learning in which students engage in the learning process by meaningful activities and thinking what they are doing. Students can actively learn in collaborative learning in which students work in a group to achieve a common goal or problem-based learning in which the problems are defined at the beginning of the learning cycle. In traditional classrooms, there was a teacher standing in front of the class reading textbooks or giving lectures and students had to listen to the teacher as a passive learner. The current system is too costly, too ineffective and as any kid will tell you, deadly boring (Fullan, Stratosphere: Integrating Technology, Pedagogy and Change Knowledge, 2013, p. 5). This boring and ineffective system needed to be changed so today’s education system is student-cantered and the teacher is the facilitator in the class and has a duty to give timely feedback to the students. In today’s classroom, students are encouraged to discuss and express their ideas with teachers. Teachers prefer inquiry-based, problem-solving and project-based learning because students participate actively in these learning environments. Project-based and inquiry-based learning should be promoted in educational institutes. I have read about inquiry-based learning in my online course ‘Classroom Strategies for Inquiry-Based Learning’ that it makes a student learn critical thinking, reinforce cognitive growth and engagement. In week 4 and week 5, in the class of Learning through Pedagogy and Technology, we discussed the benefits of projects based learning and its effectiveness that it promotes real-life problem solving, collaboration, management and communication skills in a student. When I talk about active learning through the use of technology, the first thing that comes to my mind is online courses, discussion forums and peer review because we are doing these activities in class. I like the activities that we do in class but I personally do not like group activities that much because it is really difficult to explain your thoughts in front of someone else and some people in group work and some do not. So I think it is better to plan what kind of teaching strategy is needed to achieve learning goals of a lesson. If there is a need of group activities then there should be group activities otherwise inquiry-based learning classroom discussions and discussion forum also promote active learning. Teaching cannot be reduced to formulaic methods and active learning is not the cure for all the educational problems (PRINCE, 2004, p. 7). TEAL projects are Technology-Enabled Active Learning Projects. We view the TEAL project as a step towards preparing tomorrow’s citizens, leaders and experts for future roles by engaging them in a technology-enhanced environment that supports peer discussion and collaboration (Dori, 2005, p. 33). In a classroom teacher can use inquiry-based learning, group work, discussions, project-based learning, engaging 2D and 3D visualization and simulations as strategies to promote students participation in class as an active learner