Teaching How-to: Chapter 4.2: Everyday Active Learning

Building student engagement is an ongoing process that benefits from integrating active learning techniques into every class. 

Active learning engages students in doing or thinking about what they’re studying. This contrasts with traditional passive learning models, where instructors deliver information via lectures with limited or no student involvement. Active learning not only helps students connect with the material, it also supports varied learning styles, helping create a more inclusive and dynamic classroom environment.

Strategies for active learning can range from quick, one-minute activities to longer, more involved exercises that take up most of the class period. Regardless, these can and should be scaled to fit your class structure and goals. Whatever the duration of your chosen activities, a well-designed active learning strategy typically has the following characteristics:

  1. Every student engages with the material, either individually or collaboratively. 
  2. The timeframe is clear and relatively short.
  3. The activity has a meaningful and straightforward goal.
  4. The task is clearly articulated, feasible, and uncomplicated.
  5. The expected outcome—be it a list, answer, choice, or structure—is unambiguously described.
  6. Your activity aligns with your learning objectives. 

In this section, we’ll cover different strategies and advice for incorporating active learning in the classroom. 

Engaging Students Consistently

Active learning doesn’t always require formal or structured activities; it can be as simple as inviting students to think, respond, and make connections in real time. However, to be effective, it should include consistent and frequent moments of active engagement. 

Aim to interact with your students in small but frequent ways to keep them from becoming passive observers in their own learning. One way to do this is to pepper your lectures with questions that prompt students to think critically and apply concepts. Ask questions like:

  • What comes next?
  • What does this imply?
  • How does this connect to something else we’ve covered?
  • What does this remind you of?

These quick prompts keep students alert, thinking along with you and making connections as they learn. Pause often to give them time to reflect with a peer, even if it means sitting for a few seconds in silence to let ideas form. Integrating brief reflective exercises or free-writes (see “Sample Activities” below) invites students to process and retain new information. 

Consider your teaching from a student’s perspective. Aim to create a stream of engagement so they’re not just receiving information, but actively processing and interacting with the material. This approach can significantly improve retention, motivation, and confidence in their learning.

Designing Active Learning Moments

When selecting active learning strategies, take into account your course structure and student needs. You can start by introducing shorter, low-stakes activities to gauge student responses, then layer in more complex activities as students grow comfortable with active learning. When planning, keep the following in mind:

  • Goals for Student Engagement: Think about the specific skills or concepts you want students to engage with in each activity, and how these exercises help you achieve your instructional goals. 
  • Timing: Use shorter activities when introducing new topics, reserving more extended activities for deep dives into core content. Ensure the time spent on an activity matches its importance and objective, so students remain engaged without getting overwhelmed. 
  • Directions: Regardless of the activity’s length, provide clear, step-by-step instructions. When students break into small groups or start an individual task, they should know exactly what to do next—no confusion or guesswork. Whenever possible, display instructions visually on a slide or board so students can reference them as they work.
  • Equity: Some students may feel more comfortable with individual reflection, while others may prefer group discussions. In short, different students prefer different formats. Incorporating a mix of activities ensures varied participation, supporting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles that make learning accessible to everyone. 
  • Space Considerations: Perhaps surprisingly, you’ll find that where students sit has a direct impact on their learning experience. Ask yourself: Will students stay in the same seating arrangement from the beginning of class until the end? Does the space support the activity you’re planning? Allow time to rearrange the classroom if needed. 

Active learning techniques can be adjusted based on the feedback you receive from students and your own reflections on what works best. 

Incorporating Structured Active Learning 

As you’ve now seen, active learning can take many forms. When selecting activities, think about how they relate to your broader instructional objectives; activities should reinforce core concepts, scaffold learning toward more complex tasks, or provide structured practice in applying knowledge. Being explicit with students about the purpose of an activity helps them stay engaged and see its relevance to their learning. 

Students should be given clear instructions on what they’re expected to do, how long they have to complete the task, and what the outcome should look like. Always check for understanding before students begin, as it can prevent confusion and support full engagement (even if you end up having to repeat instructions!). Transparently linking activities to learning goals also helps students take ownership of their learning and see how different tasks build toward larger course outcomes. 

When deciding whether or not to integrate technology into your activities, consider its purpose.  Do you have a backup plan if there are technical issues? Is there a low-tech version of this activity that’s equally effective? Does technology simplify or complicate the activity? Technology can be a great aid to many active learning strategies, but isn’t always necessary. 

Below are sample activities you can incorporate in your classrooms across a variety of different formats. These have been organized according to their expected length: short-form, medium-length, and long-form activities.

1. Short-Form Active Learning Activities

Retrieval

Give students a few minutes to recall key concepts learned in previous sessions. This activity strengthens memory and highlights gaps in their understanding, setting students up to learn new content. 

Think-Pair-Share
One of the most accessible active learning techniques, think-pair-share encourages students to reflect on a question or prompt, discuss their ideas with a partner, and share insights with the class. This approach is effective for sparking discussion without requiring much time.

Free Writes and One-Minute Papers
Free writes give students one minute to respond to a question or reflect on recent material. This private, low-pressure exercise encourages students to organize their thoughts and develop questions they might otherwise not share aloud.

Polling and Quick Surveys
Use tools like PollEverywhere or Kahoot (or even a simple show of hands) to gauge student opinions, check comprehension, or prompt discussion. Polling offers instant feedback and helps students see where they stand relative to their peers on certain topics, which can be an effective entry point for group discussion.

Error Identification and Concept Mapping
Have students find errors in a sample solution or create a concept map linking ideas or theories from the lesson. These quick activities reinforce material in under five minutes, making them ideal for transition periods.

Brainstorming Sessions
Encourage students to generate ideas in response to a question or challenge. Allowing students to share their responses anonymously can make brainstorming feel more comfortable, especially for those who might feel hesitant about sharing their thoughts.

2. Medium-Length Active Learning Activities

Small Group Discussions
In small groups of two or more people, students can share interpretations, work through complex ideas, and explain their reasoning with peers. Small groups are especially useful for discussing case studies and higher-level content, as they can help students build confidence by practicing their ideas before presenting them in front of the class.

Problem-Solving Session
Particularly useful in STEM courses, these sessions ask students to solve a problem in pairs or small groups. You can also introduce variations like different assumptions to challenge different groups, promoting creative problem-solving and critical thinking.

Gallery Walks
Set up stations around the room with questions, visuals, or problems. As students rotate through, they engage with the material in varied ways, prompting them to reflect on what they’re learning and make connections between ideas.

3. Extended Active Learning Activities

Collaborative Projects
Assigning projects over several weeks or an entire unit. Students work in small groups to produce presentations, reports, or models. Collaborative projects can be scaled based on the available time and complexity of the material. They’re also useful because they allow students to explore topics in more depth and hone their teamwork skills. See Ch 4.3, “Peer-to-peer Learning and Collaboration” for more information.

Role-Playing
Role-playing exercises immerse students in different perspectives, making this technique ideal for subjects that involve social, ethical, or political dimensions. By simulating real-life scenarios or historical events, students can better understand the different elements of the material through experiential learning.

Structured Debates
Debates encourage students to research a topic in depth, articulate a position, and respond to counter-arguments. Assigning students to teams or specific perspectives helps them practice critical thinking and develop their speaking skills. As an instructor, you can moderate and guide the discussion to keep it respectful and focused on learning outcomes. You can even make this fun—assigning roles to yourself and your students as the judges, the defendants, and the jury. 

Adapted from:

  1. Yale University, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, “Active Learning”
  2. Cornell University, Center for Teaching Innovation “Getting started with Active Learning Techniques”
  3. McGill University, Teaching and Learning Services SKILLSET “Active Strategies”
  4. Pennsylvania State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, “Pedagogical Approaches with Canvas”

Summary

Active learning and metacognition are techniques you can implement as early as in your first session, or even earlier if you conduct a pre-semester survey. While brief engagement strategies can be used consistently throughout a class session, fully structured active learning activities should be limited to 1-3 per 50-minute lecture to allow time for setup, execution, and transitions.

Reflection Questions

  • Have you experienced active learning as a student or instructor? What worked well? What was challenging? 
  • Review your upcoming lesson plan. Can you identify examples of objective-driven active learning? If yes, are there other activities that could help students achieve the same goal? If not, where can you incorporate new strategies to better support your learning objectives?
  • How balanced is your current use of active learning? Is there too much, or too little? How can you tell? 
  • Does your plan include opportunities for student metacognition in the session and throughout the semester?

Works Cited

Freeman, S. et al. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and Mathematics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), pp. 8410–8415. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1319030111