Finding the best way to teach is dependent on understanding how people learn. Researchers have studied how people learn for years - and have found that while individuals have various learning styles, on average, people remember:
- 10% of what they read
- 20% of what they hear
- 30% of what they see
- 50% of what they see and hear
- 70% of what they say and write
- 90% of what they do
This means the majority of learning takes place when individuals are actively participating in the content they are trying to learn. In the classroom, this concept is often termed "active learning."
Active learning engages students in the process of learning through activities and / or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert or lecture.
According to Cynthia J. Brame, from the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching - active learning focuses more on developing students’ skills rather than on transmitting information.
She explains,
“Active learning requires that students do something—read, discuss, write...and also tends to place some emphasis on students’ explorations of their own attitudes and values.”
Therefore, active learning emphasizes higher-order thinking and often involves group work that helps maintain student concentration while deepening comprehension and encouraging critical thinking.
Research from expert educator Edgar Dale led to the development of the learning pyramid (also known as the ‘Cone of Experience’) and shows experiential learning is the most effective learning format.
He found that when students participate in active learning, they: analyze, define, create, and evaluate — all which result in higher student retention rates.
"Our traditional lecture model of education is going away – it needs to go away. You don't want to look in the back of someone’s head for two hours as they lecture. We would much rather students participate in the lessons that are being taught." - George Chacko, Director, Educational Media, Pace University
While most educators embrace active learning in theory, it can be difficult to apply to classrooms — especially classrooms that lack the adequate technology to promote active learning.
Additional challenges to active learning are created with hybrid learning — when classrooms are spread across multiple rooms in a building, at multiple campuses, or with remote students joining virtually from home.
ThinkHub Education, our visual collaboration technology for active learning, is designed to facilitate student participation and group work in learning environments, no matter an individual’s location or device. It’s powered by our ThinkHub visual collaboration software and provides a flexible solution for any learning environment.
Choose your active learning classroom —
Keep a more traditional classroom set up with a large single or multipanel display powered by ThinkHub at the front of the room for in-room and remote instructors and students to collaborate on.
Take a student group-work model approach with a large single or multipanel display powered by ThinkHub (or what we call an Instructor Station) at the front of the classroom and students grouped at tables with Student Stations. This enables instructors to monitor and provide feedback on student work in real-time through the Student Stations around the classroom.
No matter which approach you choose, all displays powered by ThinkHub house massive, interactive Canvases for sharing and co-creating with all types of content. That includes presentation decks, web browsers and web-based applications like Google Workspace and O365, image and video files, PDFs, and more…
Not to mention, connecting remote students with those in the classroom is easy with T1V app and ThinkHub Cloud. Students can connect personal devices like laptops, tablets, and mobile devices for seamless collaboration no matter their location.
"With technology like this, it allows you to more seamlessly integrate applications and further the students' understanding and interest in the subject matter – and the students really, thoroughly enjoy it." - Josh Hartman, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Chemistry Department UC Riverside
See how some of our higher education customers are using ThinkHub to create HyFlex, active learning environments:
- University of California, Riverside XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning
- Pace University
- Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Learn more about how ThinkHub Education provides a flexible solution for modern learning environments or book a demo with a T1V team member to see it for yourself.
Additional Reading:
From Passive to Participatory: How ThinkHub Drives Experiential, HyFlex Learning at Pace University
Elevate University Impact with T1V Story Brand Storytelling
Create High-Impact Spaces for Learning with T1V
Ohio University Transforms Medical Education with MultiSite, MultiCampus ThinkHub Technology for Distance Teaching and Learning