Strategic Teaching for Active Learning

Abstract

This paper presents a model of strategic teaching for active learning to help teachers develop active learning exercises for their classes and to better understand the role of active learning in achieving students' learning goals. Teachers should approach teaching the same way that organizations approach the task of strategic planning. Instead of focusing on course content, strategic teaching begins by first identifying students' long-term career goals, academic goals, and life goals, and then identifying the skills, behaviors, and abilities needed to achieve those goals as well as the specific course content needed to master those skills, behaviors, and abilities. By identifying students' long-term career and life goals, active learning exercises can be developed to simulate the types of decisions students will be required to make in their future professional and academic careers. This paper also describes numerous types of active learning activities and tips for increasing the effectiveness of active learning exercises.