LEARNING TO STIMULATE ACTIVE LEARNING IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT 
LEARNING TO STIMULATE ACTIVE LEARNING IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT by Norazman bin Zakaria
, Lenggeng,
Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus.
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1. ABSTRAC
Learning has to be active so that students can make connections between what they already know and what they are about to learn. Yet many students come to class assuming a passive mindset. Teachers, on the other hand, tend to continue to reinforce learning as a spectator sport. The result is a classroom and overall learning environment that is mostly limited to transmission of information rather than meaningful construction and application of knowledge. A group of college lecturers set out to change this, at least within the context of their own classrooms. In order to do so, the teachers formed a community of practice which began with discussions on how to stimulate active learning in their classrooms.
For most members of the community, the lecture-based method has been the dominant approach. The others have had a number of years of implementing active learning strategies at varying degrees. This article will describe the process, successes and challenges based on the experience and data collected by this community of practice functioning as an action research team.
2. INTRODUCTION
It has happened to many of us. The students come into class at the beginning of the semester, sit in their chairs, and almost automatically assume a passive mindset as they settle into what Chickering and Gamson (1987) refer to as their roles as “spectators” of learning. What is worse, we as teachers frequently allow, if not encourage, learning to be a spectator sport. In between numerous sincere but often ineffective attempts to facilitate discussions, we expect them to sit passively and learn.
2.1 Research Objective
Six college lecturers got together and expressed a collective concern of how much learning actually takes place in their
, Lenggeng,
Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus.
-------------------------------------------------
1. ABSTRAC
Learning has to be active so that students can make connections between what they already know and what they are about to learn. Yet many students come to class assuming a passive mindset. Teachers, on the other hand, tend to continue to reinforce learning as a spectator sport. The result is a classroom and overall learning environment that is mostly limited to transmission of information rather than meaningful construction and application of knowledge. A group of college lecturers set out to change this, at least within the context of their own classrooms. In order to do so, the teachers formed a community of practice which began with discussions on how to stimulate active learning in their classrooms.
For most members of the community, the lecture-based method has been the dominant approach. The others have had a number of years of implementing active learning strategies at varying degrees. This article will describe the process, successes and challenges based on the experience and data collected by this community of practice functioning as an action research team.
2. INTRODUCTION
It has happened to many of us. The students come into class at the beginning of the semester, sit in their chairs, and almost automatically assume a passive mindset as they settle into what Chickering and Gamson (1987) refer to as their roles as “spectators” of learning. What is worse, we as teachers frequently allow, if not encourage, learning to be a spectator sport. In between numerous sincere but often ineffective attempts to facilitate discussions, we expect them to sit passively and learn.
2.1 Research Objective
Six college lecturers got together and expressed a collective concern of how much learning actually takes place in their