Page 5 - ADU Campus Chronicles

5

Education and

Research

Daniela Coelho
Assistant Professor of Education

The good old ways: How to balance traditional and progressive methods in a higher
education lesson

The current educational rhetoric advocates for strategies that favor active learning at all levels of education
(Roberts, 2019; Michael, 2006). Active learning involves student-centered, practical, and meaningful
activities (Ang et al., 2021; Novak, 2002), fostering student agency, autonomy, and real-life connections, in
contrast to teacher-led, passive strategies. However, large class sizes in profit-oriented higher education
settings often limit active learning and lead teachers to revert to lecture-like methods (Roberts, 2009).

While I support active teaching and learning methods, an article by MacDonald & Frank (2016) made me
reconsider my beliefs. They suggest reflecting on “When does passive learning improve the effectiveness
of active learning?” and advocate for a balanced approach that values traditional methods before students
engage in active learning. Since reading this article, I have become more aware of the benefits of alternating
between passive and active methods within a lesson.

The lesson plan below arises from my experience in balancing traditional and progressive teaching. It was
developed for our Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching but can be adapted for other disciplines. It combines
the traditional, teacher-centered Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP) procedure (Harmer, 2015) with
active learning strategies such as checking prior knowledge, sharing experiences, reflecting on practices,
analyzing concepts, brainstorming, learning collaboratively, and creating solutions. I have identified the
passive learning (PL) and active learning (AL) moments in the lesson plan.

Course: Methods of Teaching English
Topics: Overview of English Teaching in the World/ Definition of Approach, Method and Technique
Resources: PPT presentation with ClassPoint (see my tip on ADU Smart Learning Centre Tips on how to
use this tool), slips of paper, video, and Kahoot.
Duration: 1h45

Abu Dhabi University | ADU Campus Chronicles Issue 1