Are you one of those who can read sentence after sentence, look up, and then realize that you don't know what you just read? I have many times. My mind would often wander, and when it did, I would think about everything beside what I was reading at the moment. You've done it, and I've done it: the result of passive learning. If adults do it, students are sure to have this issue as well.
Well, what do we do? In an era where student test scores translate directly into school resources, our students must be as efficient as possible in the classroom. We must teach our students to become active absorbers of information - fully digesting the knowledge that goes in and then translating that knowledge into actionable skills that produce results when they leave our halls. We must teach them to become active learners.
Active learners ask themselves what they already know about a subject area, what they want to know, and they record new knowledge frequently as they immerse themselves into the content. They seek out multiple sources for the information, including texts, technology, peers, and their instructors. Teachers then provide a plethora of opportunities for active learners to translate their new knowledge into pertinent skills that they can use not only on standardized tests but throughout their lifetime.
Creating a culture of active learners in America's classrooms could be challenging when the mainstream culture fosters an attitude of passivity. However, nothing is impossible for our Creator. Let's rise to the occasion, and produce the active learners the next generation will need to survive in this rapidly changing global economy.