Active Learning Strategies Critical Reflection

Charles Bonwell and James Eison defined active learning as any activity that involves pupils
doing things and thinking about the things they are doing (Berek, 2022). In the technology
classroom generally students are very active, whether that being actively completing
drawings in a Graphics and DCG class or completing a project in a Wood Technology and
Constructions Studies class. In a classroom which is generally one where students are
actively working, how can teachers apply other active teaching strategies.

Technology and engineering students learn best by doing, hands on activities and learning as
they actively engaging with what they are doing will better enable them to identify and
solve problems (Moye, Dugger Jr., & Starkweather, 2017). In my opinion this couldn’t be
more true when it comes to the technical classroom. A teacher could spend a lot of time
explaining the process of making a joint in wood technology and reinforce it multiple times,
however the students would never learn to the same degree as if they were to actively
make the joint themselves. The same goes for the process to creating a drawing in a
Graphics or DCG class. Students actively working is central in the technical classroom and
are the directly involved in their own learning.

How can a teacher apply active learning strategies to a technical classroom that is one of the
most student active classroom in post primary education. Encouraging collaborative learning
opens the door to a lot of active learning. Students working in groups, class discussions and
activities such as ‘think pair share’, will encourage students to share as they learn which
should result from them learning from others. Another method to encourage active learning
in the classroom is problem-based learning, giving students tasks where the answer is not
obvious will actively engage them in finding a solution and so students will create their own
knowledge. Creating an engaging atmosphere where students engage in tasks requiring
teamwork, participation, and analysis is known as active learning (Missel III, Ernst, Kelly,
Schettig, & Clark, 2022). Encouraging students to reflect on their learning will also
encourage them to actively think about what they learned and will reinforce the learning.
When students reflect on what they learnt they actively have to think about it which should
result in a better understanding of the material. Activities to promote student reflection
include, questionnaires, exit cards etc.

In conclusion, active learning plays a huge roll in the technical classroom and in my opinion
is at the centre of students learning. It could be argued that the technical classroom is one
of the most student active classes in a post primary classroom. I believe that students learn
by doing and that this is extremely important in the technical classroom. On reflecting on
active learning strategies I now believe that even though the technical classroom is
extremely active, there are more ways teachers can apply actively learning. Ways of
encouraging active learning in an already very active classroom include, collaborative
learning, problem based learning and student reflection, to name a few. Applying active
learning is something I aim to do more of during the remainder of School Placement 4.
References
Berek, D. L. (2022). Active learning. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Missel III, F. R., Ernst, J. V., Kelly, D. P., Schettig, E., & Clark, A. C. (2022). active learning
strategies and applications for engineering design graphics courses. Technology &
Engineering Teacher., 82(4), 15-20.
Moye, J. J., Dugger Jr., W. E., & Starkweather, K. N. (2017). learn better by doing study
fourth-year results: Students learn by "doing" standards-based, hands-on activities.
Technology & Engineering Teacher, 77(3), 32-38.