Effective education transforms the way students think. Consider these statements based on research:
Students who were interviewed after a “lecture” class with no opportunity for active learning/engagement in the class, only had a vague general notion of what the class was about.
In another study, 18 students were asked to answer 6 questions from a fourteen minute lecture. Only one student of the 18 got the answers correct.
Students who were taught using active learning strategies, could describe what the class was about and answer post-class questions correctly.
Reference: American Association of State Colleges and Universities Academic Affairs Summer Meeting, July 2007, “From Student- Centered to Learning-Centered.” Notes from a presentation by Carl Wieman, Nobel Prize in Physics (2001) and Carnegie Foundation’s 2004 U.S. University Professor of the Year.