Active learning is a non-passive approach to learning. It is acquiring knowledge through participation. Contemporary educational research confirms the view that people learn most efficiently when they are engaged in interaction rather than in merely receptive or passive activities.
“In contrast, passive learning occurs when teachers explain and tell (the ‘now I told you; now you know’ paradigm) and students primarily listen. In these settings, we often hear students ask, ‘Do I need to learn this? Will it be on the test? Tell me what I need to know.’ The student’s role is to be the recipient of information, while the teacher is the ‘knower,’ or giver of information.”*
“Passive teaching assumes that students are ‘empty vessels,’ or ‘blank slates.’ Active teaching assumes that students are meaning-makers,
active constructors of their own knowledge; that they bring to each learning experience a reservoir of information from which they will draw as they try to understand.”**
What is true for teachers in formal education situations is also true for youth ministry leaders in religious education settings. While the experience of God in worship leads to knowledge of God, the primary mode of knowing is by participation.
Active vs. Passive Learning
Circle each statement below which models active learning.
- “Tell me what you know about the Sabbath.”
- “Today I’m going to give you a Bible study on tithing.”
- “Let’s brainstorm ideas and questions about prayer, organize our responses into categories, and prioritize our discussion.”
- “How have you experienced God’s presence in your life?”
- “Please take notes on my lecture this morning.”
- “Here’s a study sheet with the dates you need to memorize.”
- “What do you think would happen if this story took place on your campus this week?”
Also see: Curriculum; Involvement; Learning Styles
*Shirley Ann Freed, “Encouraging Active Learning,” in the Journal of Adventist Education February/March, 1995, 4.1
**Ibid, 5.2
From: ABZ’s of Adventist Youth Ministry
© 2000 John Hancock Center for Youth&Family Ministry
Permission to copy for use in the local congregation or group.
