Key Concepts & Strategic Dimensions
What is it? Activity-Based Learning (ABL) is, most simply, creating tasks, situations, activities,
and other instructional ways to guide children to acquire, understand, and apply new information
and skills that will help them in their studies and their lives. ABL expects learners not just to think
but to do and to feel (i.e., to have emotions). It involves them practically, personally, and socially.
The research is clear that children learn better when (i) they learn with all five senses, (ii) they
can handle and apply their lessons, and (iii) they are motivated with a clear sense of purpose.
How does it work? Fundamental to using ABL in the classroom are a diverse set of learning
behaviors and practices that require students to: (i) to observe, discover, think, and use
information and techniques; (ii) have clear learning goals; (iii) link their lessons directly to the “real
world;” (iv) come up with good questions and the strategies to answer these; (v) monitor, evaluate,
and adjust their learning; (vi) seek information and help from outside sources, not just the teacher
or text; (vii) record and communicate their work and results; and more. With ABL, they plan and
do all this both together and alone.
The responsibility of the classroom instructor within ABL is to: (i) create meaningful, interesting,
active learning tasks, situations, and other opportunities for students; (ii) provide clear, precise
instructions and goals for a learning task; (iii) make sure there are suitable, safe conditions and
enough of the necessary materials to perform the task; (iv) monitor and provide useful feedback
to students as they progress in their work; (v) guide students to collaborate effectively; (vi) support
students in assessing their work—both the process and the final results, or product; and more.
What does it look like? ABL methods fall into three main categories of instructional methods.
The first includes more conventional teaching methods, such as reading. Yet, with ABL, students
are at the center of their learning. They don’t just respond to what the teacher asks or presents.
Instead, they ask their own questions and choose what to learn more deeply. The second involves
more common learner-centered methods, engaging students actively in exploring and applying
the content from the curriculum. The third category involves students directly in learning within
the world. Here, students to apply their full range of knowledge and skills—academic and
personal—to learn independently—alone and in groups—from real-life interactions and situations.
The main ABL methods associated with Conventional Teaching include:
- Reading
- Dictation
- Lecture
- Question & answer
The primary characteristics associated with Conventional Teaching methods include:
- Content and specific learning outcomes which come mainly from the official curriculum;
- Assessment that is concerned primarily by single correct answers (but doesn’t have to, especially if students are allowed to come up with their own questions);
- Opportunities for learners to use diverse processes to find and even present their answers; and
- Opportunities to learn on their own and as a group
Major ABL methods associated with Common Learner-Centered Instruction include:
- Audio-visual aids
- Mastery learning
- Thinking maps
- Think-Pair-Share
- Demonstration
- Role-playing
- Drama
- ICT-assisted learning
- Group discussion & presentation
- Case study / Research
The primary characteristics associated with Common Learner-Centered methods include:
- Non-text-based ways to engage with the content and techniques from the official curriculum;
- The availability and use of materials brought into class from the local setting;
- Students’ applying lessons in ways that relate practically to their lives and local context;
- Students’ bringing new information, insights, and perspectives, to their formal lessons; and
- Students’ representing what they have learned in creative ways.
Some basic ABL methods associated with Learning Within the World include:
- Game-based learning
- Music-based learning
- Project-based learning
- Excursion/Field visit
- Nature-based learning
- Family-based learning
- Expert visits
- Community-based learning
- Banking and shopping
- Technology-based learning
The primary characteristics associated with Learning Within the World methods include:
- Learners’ engagement in activities that differ from normal classroom instruction but still draw
greatly on their academic knowledge and skills—e.g., reading, writing, calculations, …; - Learners’ linking lessons directly to the social, economic, cultural, environmental, and other aspects of their communities and homes, elevating relevance, usefulness, and motivation;
- Learners’ leading a learning activity, including: (i) defining its aims and strategies; (ii) setting the learning objectives; (iii) planning and managing the learning process; (iv) capturing, analyzing, and sharing results; and other aspects;
- The learners’ (and instructor’s) seeking knowledge and skills that (i) add to those in the formal curriculum and texts, (ii) permit deeper exploration and understanding of lessons, and (iii) require practical, more creative applications of formal content and techniques;
- Collaboration among the learners, both working together on similar or same tasks and assigning complementary roles to cover all aspects of an activity; and
- creativity and initiative, both contributing to and relying on learners’ personal competencies.
What are the challenges?
There are some challenges, and even disadvantages, that many associate with teaching and learning using ABL. These include especially the notions that ABL can …
- … take a lot of time, both to prepare the activity and to conduct it as a lesson; however, one
ABL lesson can provide rich content for many conventional and student-centered lessons,
strengthening greatly the quality and relevance of learning, motivating students to learn,
and, eventually helping them learn better and more quickly; - … require teachers to find and use more materials and manage more logistics, but again, this is not a daily burden, and, further, the opportunity to make students responsible for managing these can contribute greatly to their learning; and
- … be noisy; but excited learning noise is good noise, both encouraging and signaling learning.
Ultimately, ABL provides students better opportunities and greater motivation to learn not just their lessons but also the wide range of skills and attitudes they will need to succeed in school and in life.
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