Active Learning: The Machine Comes to Life

I’ve had a pretty amazing experience so far learning how to be a teacher as both a student taking classes to earn my teaching credential and a teacher in the classroom. My job allows me to apply the knowledge I gain from my classes to the actual classroom… Such instant gratification to be able to self-assess my own progress in applying the strategies I’ve learned! In this way, I am actively learning, which is a very important method of gaining a deeper understanding of teaching strategies, and of any content for that matter.

Active learning has become a big theme in my education at National University, and it is great that I am experiencing it for both my students and myself. In the classroom, I have learned to become the facilitator of knowledge, rather than the “sage on the stage”; The students and I work together to complete tasks, learn new material, and solve problems; Yes, we are actively learning. In fact, I have found that the students are more engaged in their learning when they are more in control of it, reducing the need of my constant guidance. In a sense, when students are more independent in their learning, it is as though “the machine comes to life”, and I don’t need to crank the handle. With such relief, this conserves my energy so that I can focus on providing feedback and further assistance to those who need it, thus enhancing my ability to support student learning!