What is an Active Learning Space?

An active learning classroom is flexible, student-centered, and technology rich. They feature flexible furniture, often round or curved tables with moveable seating that allow students to face each other to support small-group work. The tables are often paired with their own whiteboards for brainstorming and diagramming (Baepler, et al., 2016). Common elements found in these learning spaces include wireless bandwidth, numerous display screens, flexible furniture, varied writing surfaces, throwable microphones and abundant power.

Features of Active Learning Spaces

Flexible Furniture

Flexible furniture permits easy circulation in the environment. Clear sightlines and flat design decrease the instructor-student distance and reduce the traditional hierarchy of front-facing rooms. It promotes a student-centered environment for teaching and learning.

Collaboration

Flexible tables and chairs encourage group collaboration. Wall-mounted whiteboards and individual writing boards are available for groups as they collaborate, problem solve, and present.

Student Voice 

The throwable microphone is a wireless device that allows students to be heard in larger learning spaces. In this student-centered classroom environment, it is important for student voices to be heard.

Many active learning classrooms also offer a wireless projection system that allows students the ability to project work from their laptop or hand-held device to be viewed by the course.

A&S Active Learning Classrooms

View the list of Active Learning classrooms on the ITS Classrooms site