Risk and Failure in the Classroom: Exploration, Scholarship, and Active Learning

Summary

For at least the past decade, college campuses have been inundated with buzzwords like active learning, flipped classroom, metacognition, and learning-centered teaching. While these concepts and the related pedagogical techniques can be highly successful there are many barriers to effective implementation, particularly in large introductory-level classes. Two of the most significant barriers are enculturation of both students and instructors to expect certain forms of classroom interaction and the content rich nature of most introductory courses. These barriers make experimentation with active learning seem particularly risky for both students and instructors. I discuss general approaches to overcoming these obstacles, including modeling the exploratory nature of scholarship and encouraging student-led inquiry that builds knowledge of basic content. In addition, I provide examples of four specific techniques I use that encourage active learning: in-class activities, debates, group presentations, and targeted written assignments. I evaluate the costs of each in terms of both class time and instructor effort, and discuss their benefits in relation to student learning outcomes. While I created these activities for my college classes, I have used variations successfully in several settings and with students as young as first grade.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20713