Customer Reviews

Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom (J-B ASHE Higher Education Report Series (AEHE))

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This book focuses on the higher education classroom, but grades 9-12 may benefit from the cited research and the author gives readily available ways to implement active learning in the classroom. Gives much food for thought, backs up claims with research and gives easily done suggestions to transform your classroom from a room full of zombies to a bunch of young adults actively taking part in their learning. It spurred me on to do a research project with active learning for my Master's degree.

I have been a psychology instructor for 2 years, and I am always searching for new and creative ways to engage students in learning. Within one week of reading the first chapter of this book, I implemented a new action-based activity in the classroom. It was a huge success!! The students loved the hands-on experience, and they demonstrated greater connection to the material than rote lecturing. I believe this book should be in every teacher's toolkit, and it has changed the way I view and think about teaching my students. I now look for ways to empower them and help them become more engaged with what they are learning. LOVE this book - it has become a go-to guide that helps me continuously improve.

I teach 7-12 science. Although I do not lecture every day, I rely on it more than I'd like to- that's how I was taught, both in high school and in college. I have known that lecture is not the most effective method of helping kids learn the info, and I have been searching for ideas to change my way of teaching.

Although this book was published in '91, the information is still relevant. The ideas are backed by research and data. It provides insights into active learning strategies to make lectures less passive; while this book is geared towards college professors, I can definitely incorporate the ideas into my classroom at the middle/high school level. However, the book doesn't provide as many ideas as I would have liked, but it's a solid starting point. For more strategies, take a look at the book entitled, "Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject."

If you're looking for ways to make lectures more active, this book is a good starting point. It's a quick read- especially since I skimmed some of the parts that weren't as relevant to me- and there are some great ideas. If you want a ton of ideas though, you'll have to look elsewhere to supplement the info in this book.