NCRM Bitesize Lessons for Teaching Social Science Research Methods 1: Active Learning

This document is the first guide in the series NCRM Bitesize Lessons for Teaching Social Science Research Methods. It focuses on active learning.

Active learning is an approach that values learning by doing. It involves a mix of doing and reflecting and may be referred to as ‘hands on learning’. It requires activities in which learners do things in practical and thoughtful ways so that they actively construct knowledge and build skills.

The underpinning ideas include:

• To learn something we need to experience it concretely and actively, not just abstractly and reflectively

• Applying knowledge in active ways facilitates understanding as well as competence

• The more we do, the more we learn and retain and the more we feel ownership of the learning and appreciate it.