Most of us learn more when we are involved in what is being taught or presented. Our brains are wired to be interactive and thrive on processing new stimuli in order to formulate a response. If you are a teacher, engage your students and get them absorbed in the lesson. If you are a student, you need to fully engage your attention and focus, actively searching for the importance in what is being taught.
Research done for a report entitled "Teaching and Learning in the Classroom" concluded that students engaged in classroom discussion methods that involved problem solving, thinking, attitude change or motivation had retained far more information than just passively listening. Not only do engaged students learn more, they also enjoy it more and see better results.
This conclusion has been made by several researchers. Here are some more statements from other reports to further support the importance of having the students be engaged when learning:
“All genuine learning is active, not passive. It is a process of discovery in which the student is the main agent, not the teacher.” In other words, it’s not the teacher who is learning, it’s the students that have to do the work. The teacher shouldn’t just provide the answer or the conclusion of the topic, but rather equip the students with what is needed in order to arrive at the point on their own. The students will learn more from the process than just receiving facts and information.
Another good statement from a report is: “Students learn what they care about and remember what they understand.” In this we understand that the material has to be relevant to the students. If it’s language learning, then showing them in what situation the new knowledge can be applied is extremely beneficial. What difference does the material make when speaking? Is it to express a feeling clearly? Is it to persuade someone? When the students see the value, then like the above quote mentioned, they will care about more.
Finally, this next one drives the point home nicely: “Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in class listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves.” To continue with the sports analogy, we can compare the students to being the players on the field in a sports match. The coach, or the teacher, gives the instruction and guides them, but it’s the players that are the participants of the game. They need to carry-out the game plan in order to succeed and actually understand how it works.
In the classroom, there are some clear benefits when the students are engaged. There’s more emphasis placed on development, rather than then transmission of information. Motivation is increased. Students receive immediate feedback from the instructor. Moreover, those learning are involved in a higher order of thinking, in other words, using more of their cognitive function, thus creating more neural pathways for greater memory retention.
If you are the one learning, be sure to engage the lesson. If it’s a discussion-based class, ask questions. If it’s more of a lecture style class, then take notes, actively connect what is being taught to what you already know, and if possible use some forethought and try to determine where the lesson is headed. All of these techniques will help you be engaged and draw benefits from the class.
Therefore, no matter from what side of the classroom room you’re on, or nowadays which side of the computer screen, active engagement is essential for the learning process!
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