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As a university student, sitting in lecture halls and typing for hours may not be the most enjoyable way to learn. Today, Carolyn Loconte went to check out what Laurier University is doing to create a more exciting learning experience, for everyone.
It may be reading week at Laurier University, but this classroom is full. The teachers are here to learn
“Anybody who wants to be a creative instructor can use this room in some way” said active associate Vice President of Teaching & Learning, Kate Carter.
The university has added an active learning classroom to its Brantford campus. Unlike traditional classrooms, there are no fixed rows of chairs or beige coloured walls. Instead, tables loaded with swivel chairs, pod projectors, and international video conferencing an appealing way to engage the students.
“It’s a really great way for students to share ideas, work on ideas together, teach each other and have the professor facilitate their learning.”
Active learning classrooms have more options for professors to connect with their students. It’s a growing teaching method practiced in universities across Canada like Western, McGill, and the University of Calgary.
Laurier’s Waterloo campus already has three.
And it’s for every discipline. Just ask Kyra Jones who teaches science. “The pods can really let you attempt to solve problems using a lot of graphics, the science has a lot of graphics, like pictures of protein structures.”
The possibilities spread all the way to English. Assistant professor Michael Ackerman says English is more than reading and writing and he wants to use this classroom to connect his students with the world. “What we’re doing in the classroom here should link to the community around us and the world beyond our academic walls.”
The university says lecture halls will not become obsolete anytime soon. They’re still a useful part of learning. But the active learning classroom is the tool of choice to create a new way of learning and is a change from the professor-controlled lectures.
“It really lets me step back from being kind of an expert on the stage and I can really let students learn from each other.” said Jones.
A new method of learning to take on the digital age.
