Benefits

 The Benefits of 'Active and Experimental' Leaning

 There are several benefits of active learning, these include a student's ability to access his prior knowledge, the likelihood that students will find meaning in the knowledge they are learning and relate it back to the world they know, and that students receive immediate and more useful feedback when participating in active learning. Benefits also include an increase in self-confidence and motivation to continue learning. The main benefits  of active and experimental teaching and learning strategies are: Students usually find such activities energising and are likely to engage more with the subject matter as a result. All students have previous experiences and knowledge of some kind and active strategies offer them the opportunity to make informal connections with things they have already learned. The opportunity to discuss topics with others and to listen to or address other points of view (as in small group work or role play, for example) may often lead to the revision of existing perspectives and to enhanced learning opportunities. Many of these strategies are appropriate in inter-disciplinary contexts where students may need to address a problem from a range of view points. In collaborating with each other, they are more likely to have the opportunity to learn to debate and challenge basic assumptions and values. Active teaching and learning approaches will often yield unanticipated outcomes; there will be some learning that takes place, in other words, that has not been (and could not have been) planned for and this can be rewarding for both students and teachers. Collaborative activities (such as group work or simulations) provide students with opportunities to learn from and support each other in ways that are not facilitated by more formal, teacher-centred approaches. By sharing knowledge and experiences, by being encouraged to take a different perspective on a particular topic (e.g. in a debate) students may learn to reflect critically on the things they do and say. Active teaching and learning approaches may encourage students to become more self-directed and self-motivated. By taking on a more enquiring and autonomous role, they are more likely to develop a sense of ‘ownership’ in relation to their learning and to be able to build on this independently in later life. Strategies afford many opportunities for students to develop interpersonal and communicative skills; as well as being important in any search for employment, these skills are essential to personal effectiveness in a range of contexts.
 * High levels of participation
 * Use of prior experience or knowledge
 * Adoption of new perspectives and positions
 * Contestation of values and assumptions from different disciplines
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Openness with respect to learning outcomes
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peer support and peer learning
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Critical reflection on action and experience
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Greater ownership of and responsibility for learning
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Development of generic communicative skills (e.g. listening, debating, collaborating)