Dear Content Contributor,

In the process of refreshing our courses and lecture notes, it is also nice to review our teaching and learning pedagogies. We need to reflect on the atmosphere of our previous classroom sessions. And ask: are they exciting or dull?

Meanwhile, an active learning (exciting) technique is adjudged by experts to be the best in our classrooms. This is a situation whereby learners are able to apply, analyze, synthesize and even evaluate themselves based on the knowledge captured in the classrooms.  They think about doing things on their own with minimum supervision. It is generally believed that active learning transforms our learners from passive listeners to active participants and this approach helps students in mastering the subject-matter under discussion in the classrooms.  

However, a teacher/lecturer can engage his/her students in general class discussions, create learning cells, introduce a small group discussion and learning by teaching during  some of the classroom sessions.  These techniques allow learners to get better prepared before coming to the classrooms and the possibility of having a deep-knowledge of the topic under discussion. In harnessing innovative potentials for active learning, the use of technology is inevitable in our classrooms.

Meanwhile, it has been discovered by experts that in our traditional classrooms, learners only comprehend within the 15-20 minutes of the class while they become passive during the remaining period.  Consider this quote:

                 “I    HEAR  AND   FORGET”

                “I     SEE     AND    BELIEVE”

                 “I     DO     AND     UNDERSTAND" – Confucius                                                                           

It has shown from this quote that our traditional method of teaching is now obsolete! Of what benefit is learning when the learners “hear and forget”? However, when “they see, they believe” and when “they do, they understand”. Hence, the use of technology will capture the “believing and understanding”. Remember one of our previous tips, where we  referred you to: www.learnerstv.com, which has over 34,000 lecture videos for lectures, simulation and animations on various experiments in different subjects.  You can also make use of Google images for displaying different diagrams for your learners so as “to see and believe”. Again, you can make your classroom active by “allowing your students to do (learn) on their own in order to understand”.

Let us now look into Active Learning in the Science, as illustrated by the Derek Bok Centre for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University, USA   READ…MORE

Also, this grants’ directory/database may be of interest to you  and your students: http://www.terravivagrants.info/

Meanwhile, it is with pleasure to announce our in-house training workshop titled, “Modern Methods in Teaching and Learning for Higher Education”, coming up on the 12th and 13th of January 2016. Let’s come together to discuss how we can refresh our teaching and learning strategies in FUNAAB. Watch Out!!

I will be glad to read your opinions and reactions on this subject-matter. 

You also can read our previous tips from  HERE 

Thank you.

 

Dr.  O. Folorunso

Director, Centre for Innovation and Strategy in Learning and Teaching