Abstract:

Successful active learning classrooms (ALCS) are designed to facilitate interactions between students as they work collaboratively on interesting tasks. Spaces and the furnishings within them are carefully designed with features that enable students to meet the goals of instruction. These goals vary from course to course and institution, but they increasingly include twenty-first century skills like problem solving, communication, use of technology, interpersonal and questioning and teamwork. Moreover, some of the objectives pursued with the ALC are to develop a good functional understanding of the subject, improving attitudes for learning and positive learning experience. Active learning classrooms make it easy for faculty to assign tasks that require students to practice these skills as a means of learning the subject matter.

Higher education institutions are increasingly creating large and medium active learning classrooms to replace traditional lecture halls. Although there have been many efforts to examine the effects of those classrooms on learning outcomes, attendance and failure rates, there is paucity of research that can inform the design and implementation process. This is the objective of this paper.

The pedagogy-space-technology (PST) framework has been developed for the design and evaluation of active learning spaces in order to help stakeholders critically and holistically consider the three aspects and their interactions. The three components are interrelated: Technology extends Space and enhances Pedagogy. Space that embeds Technology encourages certain Pedagogy. Pedagogy is enabled by Space and enlarged by Technology.

Fruit of the combination of these three elements, Pedagogy, Technology and Space, some ALC Models have emerged: SCALE-UP, TEAL, PAIR-UP, TILE, CLS.

From the perspective of classroom design, collaborative learning involves two types of classroom activities:
(1) small group or within group discussion, and
(2) class-wide, cross groups discussion.
That is, instructors not only engage students in small group discussion but also ask students to share what they have learned with the entire class, provide feedback and encourage other students to give feedback, or compare and contrast different groups’ processes and outcomes. For this reason, design decisions regarding space configuration and technology selection should be based on effectively and efficiently supporting these activities.

This study investigates the instructional components and classroom activities that support active learning, leaving Space and Technology variables for future research. The objective of this paper is to describe active learning methods as alternatives to improve the teaching and learning process in lecture halls.

Lee et al proposed some active learning methodologies: Lecture, Group activity, Class-wide discussion and Movie; and Araujo and Slomski these others: Discussion, Seminars, PBL, Problematization, Project-Based Learning, Case Studies and Simulation.

The paper has the following structure. First we explain the PST framework and its application in the different Active learning Classroom Models. Next, we pay attention in the varied active learning methodologies that has been used both in ALC and in cooperative learning approaches

Keywords:

Active learning classroom, instructional activities, PST framework.