Appendix of Active Learning Techniques
Opinion Line-Up
Opinion Line-Up is an interactive activity that prompts students to consider their position on a complex issue and discuss it with peers. By physically or virtually placing themselves along a spectrum of opinions, students clarify their reasoning and engage with diverse perspectives.
Sticky-Note Clustering
Sticky-Note Clustering is a collaborative activity where students generate ideas individually and then work together to categorize and organize them. This activity combines brainstorming with critical thinking to deepen understanding of a topic.
Dotmocracy
Dotmocracy is a visual and participatory decision-making process where students allocate “votes” to express their preferences or priorities. This strategy fosters discussion and collaboration by making group opinions visible.
Fishbowl Discussion
Fishbowl discussions involve a small group of students engaging in a focused activity or dialogue while the rest of the class observes. This strategy promotes deep engagement, critical reflection, and collaborative learning.
Cumulative Brainstorming
Cumulative brainstorming encourages students to generate, critique, and build upon ideas collaboratively, fostering critical thinking and teamwork.
Think-Pair-Share
Think-Pair-Share is a collaborative learning strategy that encourages individual reflection, peer discussion, and class-wide sharing to promote deeper understanding and engagement.
Minute Reflections
Minute Reflections are quick, written responses that encourage students to summarize, question, or reflect on their learning. This activity is simple to implement and provides immediate insight into students’ understanding and concerns.
Structured Debates
Structured Debates are formal discussions where students take opposing sides on an issue, defending their positions with evidence and reasoning. This activity develops critical thinking, argumentation skills, and an appreciation for diverse perspectives.
Concept Mapping
Concept Mapping involves creating visual representations of relationships between concepts, fostering understanding of how ideas connect. Students map key terms, ideas, or processes using diagrams, linking them with lines and labels to show relationships.
Application Cards
Application Cards challenge students to apply a concept or skill to a new scenario, fostering transfer of knowledge and critical thinking. By engaging students in this process, instructors can assess students’ ability to make connections and use concepts in novel contexts.
Peer Review
Peer Review involves students exchanging their work and providing feedback to each other, fostering collaboration, critical thinking, and self-assessment skills. By evaluating their peers’ work, students gain insights into their own understanding and approaches.
Polling and Voting
Polling and Voting involve asking students to respond to questions, scenarios, or problems to gauge understanding, elicit opinions, or spark discussion. It can range from quick polls to more elaborate voting activities that shape the direction of a class discussion.
Decision-Making Scenarios
Decision-Making Scenarios challenge students to take on the role of decision-makers, analyze a complex issue, and propose solutions. This strategy helps students apply knowledge to real-world or hypothetical situations, developing critical thinking and collaborative skills.
Case-Based Decision-Making
Case-based decision-making combines real-world scenarios with the critical thinking process of making and justifying decisions. It engages students in applying theoretical knowledge to practical problems while evaluating multiple perspectives and possible outcomes.
Sources and Attribution
Primary Sources
This section is informed by and adapted from the following sources:
- University of Waterloo, Centre for Teaching Excellence. Active Learning Activities.
- Available at: Waterloo CTE
- Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University. Active Learning for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
- Available at: Eberly Center Website
- Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University. Active Learning Strategies for Online Courses.
- Available at: Eberly Center Website
- Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Active Learning.
- Available at: Active Learning PDF
Use of AI in Section Development
This section was developed using a combination of existing research, expert-informed insights, and AI-assisted drafting. ChatGPT (OpenAI) was used to:
- Synthesize best practices for active learning strategies into a cohesive and accessible guide for instructors.
- Clarify approaches that promote student engagement, participation, and deeper learning.
- Enhance readability and coherence, ensuring that active learning techniques are both research-based and practically applicable in face-to-face and online classrooms.
While AI-assisted drafting provided a structured foundation, all final content was reviewed, revised, and contextualized to ensure accuracy, alignment with research, and pedagogical effectiveness. This section remains grounded in institutional best practices and respects Creative Commons licensing where applicable.
