Discussing Active Learning from the Practitioner’s Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of how active learning took place in a class containing specific readings,cooperative and collaborative group work, and a writing assignment for college students at a Northern Virginia Community College campus (NVCC). Requisite knowledge, skills, learner characteristics, brain-based learning, and the active learning environment in relation to motivation and participation, as well as the transfer of learning, are also discussed from a practitioner's stance. Learning is a process the individual actively discovers and builds on previous knowledge through a progression of carefully planned activities. The lesson model followed was that of Madeline Hunter (1994) (see Appendix A), but more current research, such as that of Dawes and Larson (2011) and Yoders (2014), is also used.