Promoting Students’ Meaningful Engagement in Active Learning Within a Group Setting: Reflections on Teaching and Learning Using Brookfield’s Four Lenses Model

Abstract

There is broad recognition for using group discussion to enhance students’ active learning in face-to-face and online teaching models. However, our efforts to engage students in active learning through Moodle-based group discussions have largely been unsuccessful. We applied Brookfield’s four lenses framework to guide the reflection on teaching practices by building on personal teaching experiences, the perception from 20 students, the experience of three peers, and surveying related literature. The findings indicate a broad acknowledgment of online group discussions. However, small groups, grading discussions, and computer skills development were proposed to enhance active learning engagement through online group activities.