ACTIVE

LEARNING:
GROUP BASED
LEARNING
BY MICHAEL HAYS

NHM 702
LESSON GOAL

• Upon completion of this chapter 14 lecture, students will obtain basic knowledge on the
various group learning techniques
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Upon successful completion of this chapter on learning techniques, students will be able
to..
1. Differentiate between the various group learning styles
2. Execute a “think, pair, share” learning activity
ACTIVE LEARNING

• What is active learning?

1. Any learning activity in which the student participates or interacts with the learning
process, as opposed to passively listening to the information (traditional mode of
teaching)
ADVANTAGES

• What are some advantages of active learning?

1. Good way to store new information in long-term
memory
2. Eliminate the “illusion of understanding”
3. Opens up the opportunity for motivation
ACTIVE LEARNING COMPLICATIONS

• What are some problems in facilitating active learning?

1. Interactions between the learner and teacher
2. Time constraints
GROUP LEARNING
PEER LEARNING

• Teaches team work, effective communicating, better

cognitive outcomes, reduces absenteeism, and promotes
elaboration
• peer learning has the advantages of interaction with a peer
—an opportunity for mutual support and stimulation.
PEER TUTORING

• Students teaching other students is one of the best ways to ensure learning for teacher and
listeners (literally doing this right now!)
• Requires deep thought and a better understanding of the material to effectively teach
• Putting ideas into your own words and adding your own content is a great form of active
learning
 THE LEARNING PAIR

• The learning cell

1. All students read an assignment and prepare questions dealing with major points

2. Randomly assigned to pairs where the students ask each other the questions they prepared over read assignment

• Think-Pair-Share
1. Ask whole class a question to think on individually

2. Group in pairs to discuss each others answers

3. The pair shares their new answer with the class

• Creative Controversies
1. Each person in a pair is given a side of an argument to research
2. The pair compares arguments and comes up with a compromise to present to class
SYNDICATE AND JIGSAW

1. Syndicate
• Class broken into groups of 4-8
• Each syndicate given assignments to complete, students can decide how to split up the work
• Work together to make a presentation or write paper on findings

2. Jigsaw
• Class divided into groups and given assignments
• Once group agrees on how they want to present to class, the groups are shuffled making new groups
with one member from each of the previous groups
• Each student is responsible for teaching their new group what they learned from previous
ONLINE GROUPS

1. Discussion boards, Zoom, email, Blackboard, Canvas, chat rooms, etc.

Benefits?
• Allows groups to ”meet” when they want in any place they choose
• Keeps a permanent record of what students are thinking
Challenges
• Engagement especially in asynchronous platforms
TEAM BASED LEARNING

• Large groups (7-9 members)

• Every member reads assigned reading and takes a quiz over the material
the next class
• Group comes together to discuss answers and takes the quiz as a unit
• Helps students learn to articulate ideas and promotes participation due to
not wanting to let the group down
LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• “Classroom Community”
• Big movement in postsecondary education
• Teacher and students work together to determine learning goals
• The group makes decisions about how the class will proceed and supports one another in
the process
CONCLUSION

• Active learning is crucial for long term memory and student development
• Often students learn best from interactions with their peers
• Promoting activities that allow students to “teach” is one of the most
effective ways to promote learning
• Group work can be done in pairs, large groups or even virtually
REFERENCES

• Svinicki, M.D., and McKeachie, W.J. (2014). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips (14 th edition.).
Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
• Miller, J. E., and Groccia, J. E. (1997). Are four heads better than one? A comparison of
cooperative and traditional teaching formats in an introductory biology course. Innovative Higher
Education, 21, 253–273.
• Marbach-Ad, G., and Sokolove, P. (2000). Can undergraduate biology students learn to ask higher
level questions? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(8), 854–870.