Active Learning in Secondary and College Science Classrooms: A Working Model for Helping the Learner to Learn

Contents: Preface. Part I: Building the Foundation for an Approach to Active Learning. What Is Learning and How Does It Occur? Meaningful Learning and Problem Solving in Science. A Model for the Learning Environment. Part II: Roles for the Teacher in Creating an Active Learning Environment. Defining the Output State. Assessing the Input State: The Teacher as Diagnostician. Moving From the Input to the Output State: The Learning Experience. Part III: Creating Active Learning Environments. Preparing Students to Participate in an Active Learning Environment. Creating an Active Learning Environment in the Science Lecture Hall. Promoting Active Learning in the "Conference Room." Helping the Learner to Learn in the Student Laboratory. New Approaches to Science Learning: Cooperative and Collaborative Learning. Part IV: Assessment in an Active Learning Environment. Assessment of Student Performance. How Do I Know It's Working? The Teacher as Reflective Practitioner. Part V: Summing Up. The Challenges of Helping the Learner to Learn. Building a Community of Active Learning Practitioners. The Bottom Line.