Extending the constructs of active learning: implications for teachers' pedagogy and practice

Abstract

Active learning is a pedagogical construct widely appealed to within the global discourse of lifelong learning. However, an examination of the literature reveals a lack of clarity and consensus as to its meaning. This article provides a critical analysis of a range of dimensions underpinning the concept of active learning including policy discourses, definitions, interpretation and enactments in educational settings, and resultant pedagogical implications. A more robust theoretical framework is presented to support educator understanding which synthesises and extends current constructs and which bridges the divide between active learning considered as either theory of learning or pedagogical strategy.

Keywords:

• active learning
• constructivism
• curriculum
• lifelong learning
• pedagogy

Notes

1. In Scotland children begin primary education at approximately four or five years old. Children are entitled to two years of pre-school education, seven years of primary school (P1–P7) and then they begin between four and six years of secondary school (S1–S6).