Active learning, some say, is the key to improving education procedures. They claim people learn better when they are doing, as opposed to watching and listening.

“How Does Active Learning Work?” is the topic of the faculty forum and dinner to be on held Monday, Nov. 4, in the Campanile Room in the Memorial Union.

Steve Richardson, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, coordinated the forum, which has been offered since 1993.

“Across higher education today, one of the buzz words that comes up over and over again is ‘active’ learning,” Richardson said.

He said all the research shows that when people are engaged in doing something, rather than just listening and watching, they actually learn better.

“Still, the question is out there for the individual faculty member: How do I do it?” Richardson said. “How can I do more of this without feeling hokey, without falling flat on my face and embarrassing myself and doing something that’s actually worse than if I just didn’t do anything at all?”

Barb Licklider, whom Richardson lauds as “an expert in this business,” will answer some of these questions at Monday’s forum.

Licklider, associate professor in the department of professional studies in education, has used and taught active learning as a former high school principal, as a university faculty member and as a member of Project LEA/RN (Learning Enhancement Action/Resource Network).

“What I intend to do is model some strategies to initiate a discussion among faculty about what they think active learning is and how they might use it,” Licklider said.

“It’s not an advocacy for everybody throwing out everything they’ve ever done, and it’s not an intention to say to anybody anywhere that you’re not a good teacher. It’s to open dialogue about what are some additional things we could do to help students better learn,” she said.

“We don’t try to say, ‘You’ll never lecture again.’ Lecturing is very important,” Licklider said.

She said the whole point of active learning is to use strategies that cause the students to really be engaged with the subject matter.

“That means the kind of questions professors might ask in class, strategies they might use, from what we call a ‘turn to your partner’ to discuss something within a lecture, all the way to putting students in learning teams outside of class,” Licklider said.

“There’s a full range of different kinds of activities,” she said.

Active learning also has the benefit of promoting attributes that employers value, Licklider said. These attributes include leadership skills and better interaction skills.

The forum will begin with a social half-hour at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be at 6 p.m. and the discussion at 6:45 p.m. Richardson said faculty and guests are welcome to attend all or any part of the event.

To register for the dinner, which costs $10 and should be paid at the door, call 294-2906 or e-mail [email protected].