Learning Communities

Active Learning Classroom Communities

Dawson College, Montreal, Concordia University, Montreal, McGill University, Montreal

About

What are Active Learning Classrooms? Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) are environments designed to foster student collaboration and enable the use of active learning pedagogies. An ALC can be either low-tech with no technology assistance or high-tech with computers brought into the room or installed. In both settings, educators use Active Learning strategies and approaches in their instruction.

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What is Active Learning? Active Learning describes the types of instruction and pedagogy that calls for students to participate more fully with the course content. It requires teachers to develop new ways of getting students to reflect deeply on concepts, issues and problems that are key aspects of the course content (cognitive engagement), to engage respectfully with peers (social engagement) and to care about the process (emotional engagement). To achieve cognitive engagement, activities should take into account a range of thinking skills. This can be achieved by using Bloom’s taxonomy educational goals. It is made up of six hierarchical levels of learning objectives increasing order of complexity.

In addition, to achieve social engagement, activities should consider how to keep students working together collaboratively and use what are evidence-based strategies that elicit student interaction. This often means designing tasks that call for the development of mutual accountability and mutual responsibility. Not all active learning activities can elicit emotional engagement. But, if you can design an activity that draws the students into the work involved because its outcome serves a higher purpose (e.g., it can help someone) then you have something special!

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More about Active Learning

Student-Centered Instruction

You might have heard the phrase “from sage on the stage to guide on the side” used to describe the type of transformative thinking required in Constructivist classrooms. Active learning puts students at the center of the instruction, requires them to be engaged and active participants in their own learning, and requires them to be accountable for their learning. This means that active learning shifts both the teacher’s and the students’ expectation of how they are supposed to act in the classroom.

These new roles may be characterized by the following:

Rethinking the distribution of authority. Active Learning means that the teacher redistributes authority within the classroom — what is also called “student-centered” instruction.
Rethinking the role of the learner. In taking centre stage, the role of the learner changes. They need to become more active participants in their own learning — this is sometimes referred to as “epistemic agency.” To achieve these goals, learning activities and classroom environments must be designed to encourage participation.

Different Roles for Teachers

Teaching for active learning also involves using methods of teaching that model the desired ways of doing and thinking. This approach is grounded in what is called Cognitive Apprenticeship, which suggests that teaching is enlisting students as apprentices in the discipline. It proposes three factors to promote the development of the apprentice:

modeling the practices & thinking of the discipline
coaching students as they engage in the practices & thinking of the discipline
scaffolding (supporting) students as they attempt to use the practices and thinking of the discipline

Creating Learning Opportunities

Teaching for active learning involves creating opportunities for students to engage with the course content in “meaningful ways.” What this means is, the content should be embedded in authentic problems and situations. Such embedding allow students to understand how the content is used, and allows them to understand how the underlying rules of the discipline are used to make the knowledge of the discipline.

This may sound convoluted but we often forget that the rules of the discipline are like the “rules of the game” and are not transparent, in fact are often misunderstood by students. For instances, “knowledge” in science involves experimental rigor and repeatability, while “knowledge” in humanities involves broadening of perspectives and interpretations.

The SALTISE website has been designed specifically to help educators build better Active Learning Activities by using known Active Learning Strategies andApproaches.

Active Learning (AL) strategies (and approaches) can be considered a well-established and coherent sequence of tasks (or script) designed to achieve a specific learning goal. Generally, they have been the subject of research and have evidence of their effectiveness (e.g., Peer Instruction, Jigsaw). AL strategies are free of content. Therefore, regardless of the discipline, any instructor can potentially adopt and/or adapt an AL strategy.

Active Learning activities consist of workflows that make use of AL strategies. AL activities are dependent on content. The sequence of the tasks and strategies used should consider the difficulties related to learning the content. In essence, the nature of what is to be learned should determine the type and potential sequencing of strategies incorporated into the workflow.

Here are a variety of ways to create opportunities for students to be active participants in a classroom through the application of learning strategies and approaches such as:

Analysis and Problem Solving Strategies
Example(s): Problem Based Learning (PBL), Project-Based Instruction, Inquiry-Based Instruction, Case-based Leaning. These involve using case studies, mini research proposals or projects. They are generally types of strategies that are planned well in advance and structured so as to involve several stages, planning or problem definition, experimentation or other forms of data collection, analysis of the evidence, discussion and presentation of findings or some artifact. Often, these strategies are designed in a jigsaw approach which means that different groups do different aspects of a larger problem — this creates a sense of interdependency and mutual accountability.

Think-Pair-Share Strategies
Example(s): Peer Instruction. This involves giving students a question or problem to solve. Allow them a few minutes to think about the problem alone (think), then discuss with another student or group of students (pair). Then provide an opportunity for the thinking to be shared in a public forum (share).

Visualization Strategies
Example(s): Game-Based Instruction & Gamification, Concept Mapping. Generally these involve the use of simulations, and other technology driven tools. However, they could also be non-computer games. Such strategies allow students time with other ways to conceptualize the content knowledge. They also allow students to experiment and “play” with the ideas (knowledge) and/or tools of the discipline. Visualizations are best used along with the presentation of content knowledge.

In well-designed activities (based on evidence-based strategies), when working with peers, students have the opportunity to:

practice the new vocabulary (terms and concepts) of the discipline as they talk with peers;
explain their understanding to others and listen to the explanation of others as they apply their knowledge in the context of working with peers;
evaluate the quality of these explanations, and whether they stand up to the test of being correct and/or appropriate, respective to the norms of the discipline in question;
reflect on the chain of steps taken and consolidate the process – i.e., what do I know, what and how do others’ know the same thing, and how are these two understandings the same or different. In doing this type of intellectual work, the student has an opportunity to construct new understanding, or deepen their existing understanding. Such thinking is considered a metacognitive process, which is a critical part of meaningful learning. – i.e., the compare and contrast tasks as well as reflections on what one knows (metacognition), that are critical to deep learning.

What is important to remember is that it is not sufficient to simply allow some students to engage in activities that use AL strategies. ALL students must have an opportunity to engage. Richard Felder and Rebecca Brent, from North Carolina State University, put it directly:

You are doing active learning in your class when you ask a question, pose a problem, or issue some other type of challenge; tell your students to work individually or in small groups to come up with a response; give them some time to do it; stop them, and call on one or more individuals or groups to share their responses. You are not doing active learning when you lecture, ask questions that the same few students always answer, or conduct discussions that engage only a small fraction of the class.

Active Learning Classroom Communities - SALTISE members who have made contributions to research & design of AL classrooms.

Concordia University ALC

Active learning classrooms at Concordia’s Centre for Teaching and Learning, are formal learning spaces that are intentionally designed to promote optimal conditions for collaboration, group work, and flexible space configurations.

Dawson College ALC

The Dawson Active Learning Community (DALC) is a group of Dawson faculty and staff from a variety of disciplines. The aim of the DALC is to improve teaching and learning through evidence-based Active Learning (AL) pedagogical practices, the development, design and effective use of complementary educational technologies.

McGill University ALC

The ALCs at McGill were developed under the supervision of the Teaching and Learning Spaces Working Group (TLSWG). This working group used the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) benchmarks of effective educational practice to develop the Principles for Designing Teaching and Learning Spaces.

How to Create an Active Learning Classroom

Principles for Successful Active Learning Classrooms (ALC)

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Principles for Successful Active Learning Classrooms (ALC)

1. Evidence-based Pedagogy always comes first.

2. Technology and design should be used to support learning.

3. Don’t try to make one room do everything – build a diverse toolkit of rooms.

4. Expansion plans should be iterative – based on research and evidence.

5. Assemble a design team that involves those who have taught in the ALC.

6. Developing a Learning Community around the ALC promotes the effectiveness of its use.

7. Scheduling in ALCs that recognizes the investment made by teachers using those spaces is important.

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Furniture that Works

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Furniture that Works

1) Tables for effective collaboration:

a. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s one big table or several smaller tables that can be linked together without gaps. That said, the rooms where we saw one big table, designed for the purpose of promoting collaboration because of its size and shape seems to work particularly well.

b. Ideal size of grouping seems to be between 4 to 7. Below 4 and the chances of one or two students not showing up or being prepared is high leaving groups too small. Above 7 and the group seems to split into two.

c. Tables that don’t have obstacles (e.g., desktop computers) that obstruct the line of sight between students or large dead-spaces in the middle (like large circular tables) seem to promote collaboration between members of the group.

d. Ideal number of table groupings seems to be between 6-8 groups. This gives teachers the best opportunity to observe and manage each group’s work.

2) Chairs on wheels:

a. Active Learning means that students need to become engaged in the classroom activities, therefore, they are encouraged to move frequently. Having chairs on wheels reduces the noise involved in moving and makes it easy to get in and out of seats. It also facilitates movement around the room by allowing people and chairs to get out of the way.

3) Large public writable surfaces (whiteboards & interactive whiteboards):

a. Writable surfaces seem to be most useful when they are large (greater than 48” wide) and can accommodate at least 4-5 students working as a group.

b. Writable surfaces appear most effective when there is a way to identify the board as dedicated for a specific group – i.e., group boards helping to develop a sense of belonging.

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Placement of Furniture

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Placement of Furniture

1) Tables should be positioned away from walls:

a. Students are more likely to collaborate around their artifacts when they can have access to the whiteboards, which are generally attached to the walls. Therefore moving tables away from the walls is most effective for collaboration.

b. Floor-patterning (using colours for example) can be used to delineate a “buffer” zone around the perimeter of a room.

2) Writable surfaces location:

a. Be aware that corners can be particularly difficult location for boards if two groups are positioned side-by-side. Options that seem to work: (1) eliminate the sharp corner with a diagonal board; (2) assign both sides of the corner to one group.

b. Retractable projection screens seem to take away writing spaces. Therefore consider using materials that can be both projection screen and writable surface.

3) General comment about layout:

a. The teacher has better access to groups when the layout of the furniture is in a horseshoe design. This design also appears to leave sufficient room for students and teacher to move easily around the room.

b. Where possible avoid a room design that differentiates group proximity and access to writeable surfaces. For example, where possible, avoid having some groups sitting next to their writeable surfaces while other groups are sitting in the middle of the room with another table in between them and their writeable surface.

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Selection of Spaces to convert into ALC

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Selection of Spaces to convert into ALC

1) Ideal shape of classroom:

a. It appears that square room shapes are better than long rectangular shapes. Long rooms make it difficult for the class to work together and benefit from the sharing of the public artifacts.

2) Location of multiple ALCs:

a. Building ALC in close proximity (i.e., creating an ALC “zone”) seems to facilitate the development of a community of practice (learning community). Doing so shows that teachers can turn to each other for help, particularly when there is technology involved.

b. Building ALC in close proximity seems to make the job of the IT staff easy.

3) Other factors:

a. Noise levels in ALCs can get loud. Acoustic dampening materials should be considered in the furniture or other.

b. Consider using lighting to designate group work spaces.

c. Consider additional ventilation when including multiple interactive whiteboards and/or projectors (they generate significant heat).

d. Teachers and students report preferring to have at least some windows in the ALC, even when the window light requires blinds from time to time.

e. Consider cost of markers and refills.

f. Teachers need to have a space where they can put books/notes and if and interactive whiteboard is dedicated for teacher use, a surface for a keyboard and mouse may be necessary. A small, easily moveable stand seems to be preferable.

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Things to Avoid

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Things to Avoid

1) Tables (furniture) against the walls – make less free space for students to work on the boards as a group and creates congestion.

2) Table sizes that are too large – group work best when the group size can accommodate contribution from each member with adequate diversity.

3) Limit the use of hard surfaces particularly on the ceiling. While acoustic tiles on the ceiling will dampen the noise it doesn’t seem enough.

4) Avoid too many built-in objects on table tops – e.g., desktop computers.

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Resources on ALC

International AL Classrooms

On the international front, members of the Learning Sciences have taken a scholarly approach to investigating and expanding knowledge on the topic learning spaces, they refer to these as Future Learning Spaces. This group is considering the theory, methods, design and implementation of such spaces. North Carolina State University (NCSU), Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dickinson College have lead the way in designing ALCs with projects such as SCALE-UP and TEAL Technology-Enhanced Active Learning. A key example of how such learning spaces can become an integral part of an institution’s classroom inventory is the University of Minnesota, they have constructed 14 ALCs in their Robert H. Bruininks Hall building. They host an annual event on the design and development of ALCs, the International Forum on Active Learning Classrooms.

Other Resources

Active learning classrooms at Concordia (includes – Video tours – SGW classrooms, Video tours – Loyola classrooms, References and resources)
Active Learning at Concordia (includes – Active learning spaces (SGW and Loyola)
Active learning techniques)
Why Is It Called a Low-Tech ALC? by Sharon Coyle, Cégep de Sept-Îles, Sept-Îles
Teaching in an Active Learning Classroom (University of Minnesota)
Learning Spaces (Indiana University)

Check out our Articles & Books section and select the “Learning Environments” category to find additional documentation.