Examples of Active Teaching Methods

The teaching methods mentioned below cover various approaches commonly used in higher education. However, it's important to note that many other teaching methods and techniques can be utilised depending on the specific educational context and desired learning outcome.

Problem-based learning

Previous knowledge and experiences are activated. Complex real-world scenarios improve student grasp of concepts and principles rather than the straight presentation of facts and notions. In addition to course material, PBL can promote the development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving ability, and communication skills.

Students acquire new knowledge in a better way (theory is connected to practice)
Students better use what they learn in new, future situations.
The students should also work in groups using a problem-solving cycle (the 7-stage model).
Problem-based learning is often abbreviated as PBL. PBL usually takes the opposite view of subject-based education. In PBL, what the students learn springs from interpreting an open problem. This means that the exercises are often formulated as tasks for the students to solve.

Case-based teaching

The basis for the session is a case – a situation, event, etc. that can illustrate one or more issues relevant to the subject. The problem should be real (or inspired by a real case) and allow different proposed solutions to be debated. The students prepare by receiving a paper from the teacher containing the case itself, a summary of particularly relevant reading material and reflection questions that can encourage students to problematise and reflect on the different aspects of the case. The teacher facilitates the academic discussion in the teaching session, and as many people as possible must participate.

Based on reality
Students learn to think independently, make decisions
Promotes student activity, insight, and experiences
Closes the theory-practice gap
Engaging and fun
It helps students see connections and patterns

More resources

Karen Thorburn on her case-based teaching

A practical guide on how to implement case teaching at NHH by Carsten Bienz: Case Teaching at NHH
NHH Executive casebibliotek (in N.)
Free undergraduate cases (NHH license): https://www.thecasecentre.org/ (Until 31 July 2024). More information.
NHH has two dedicated auditoriums for case-based teaching: Aud Finn E. Kydland (Aud P) and Aud Ingid Simonnæs (Aud L)
Developing your competence: Harvard summer course - Global Colloquium on Participant-Centered Learning or at the Case Centre, London

Flipped classroom

Teaching that has traditionally occurred in the classroom or an auditorium using a board and PowerPoint is moved to the student's homes. In contrast, home exercises are transferred to the school. This means that many lecturers record the traditional lecture on video, make a film of a PowerPoint presentation, etc. – which the students watch at home – while at school, more time is spent working on exercises under the guidance of the lecturer or other competent resource people.

Increased time for interaction between the lecturer and the students
The students can re-watch and revise selected videos under challenging areas.
The students are more in control of their learning
The lecturer can re-use the teaching material

Team-based learning

TBL is a form of group-based learning. It is a teacher-steered and student-activating form of learning that gives students good training in reasoning, decision making and argumentation. It consists of teams working on problem-solving with concrete response options.

A group of students creates a learning collaboration.
An increased individual responsibility
It helps students get different ideas, views, opinions, and feedback
Encourages constructive discussions and leads to several arguments until an appropriate solution is constructed.

Blended learning and online learning

Blended learning combines several different teaching methods and includes elements of e-learning and courses on campus led by a lecturer. It may consist of, for example, independent study, video lectures and online group discussions, etc. It allows for using the most appropriate elements from traditional school and online learning activities.

Increase student interest
Keep students focused for a longer
Provides student autonomy
Instil a disposition of self-advocacy
Promote student ownership
Allow instant diagnostic information and student feedback
Enables students to learn at their own pace:
Prepares students for the future

Lecturing - teaching in large groups

Lecturing is a traditional and widely used teaching method in higher education. In his book "Råd og tips til deg som underviser" (advice and tips for the teacher), Professor Arild Raaheim gives 17 tips for increasing the learning outcome before, during and after lectures. According to Raaheim, there are many ways to prepare a good lecture. Primarily, it is about establishing a good dialogue with the students. It is about listening to the student's input and avoiding the use of irony and humour at the student's expense. Establishing a dialogue with the students early in the lecture is essential. This increases the probability of their active participation later.

Creates an overview of the topic
Structures the students' work for a period
Ensures a review of complicated topics
Motivates the students
It is possible to problematise the topic and challenge the students.

Some ideas for interaction when lecturing

Ask the Winner – Ask students to solve a problem on the board silently. After revealing the answer, instruct those who got it right to raise their hands (and keep them raised); then, all other students are to talk to someone with a raised hand to understand better the question and how to solve it next time.

Background Knowledge Probe – Use a questionnaire (multi-choice or short answer) when introducing a new topic.

Brainstorming - Introduce a topic or problem and then ask for student input.

Circle the Questions – Pre-make a handout with a few dozen likely student questions (make them specific) on your topic for that day and ask students to circle the ones they don't know the answers to, then turn in the paper.

Clarification Pauses - Stop presenting and allow students time to think about the information. Ask students to review their notes and ask questions about their writing.

Classroom Opinion Polls – Informal hand-raising suffices to test the waters before a controversial subject. Total Physical Response (TPR) – Students stand or sit to indicate their binary answers, such as True/False, to the instructor's questions.

Empty Outlines – Distribute a partially completed outline of today's lecture and ask students to fill it in - at the start or the end of class.

Everyday Ethical Dilemmas – Present an abbreviated case study with an ethical dilemma related to the studied discipline.

Grab a Volunteer – After a minute paper (or better: think pair share), pick one student to stand up, cross the room, and read any other student's answer.

Interactive Lecture - The instructor breaks up the lecture at least once per class for an activity that lets all students work directly with the material. Students might observe and interpret features of images, interpret graphs, and make calculations and estimates.

Make It Personal – Design class activities (or even essays) to address the real lives of the individual students.

Make Them Guess – Introduce a new subject by asking an intriguing question, something that few will know the answer to (but should interest all of them).

One-Minute Papers – Students write for one minute on a specific question.

One-Sentence Summary – Summarise the topic into one sentence that creatively incorporates all who/what/when/where/why/how.

Pass the Chalk – Provide chalk, a dry-erase marker or a soft toy; whoever has it must answer your next question and pass it on to the student of their choice.

Pass the Pointer – Place a complex, intricate, or detailed image on the screen and ask volunteers to temporarily borrow the laser pointer to identify key features or ask questions about items they don't understand.

Polar Opposites – Ask the class to examine two written-out versions of a theory, where one is incorrect, such as the opposite or negating the other.

Poster Sessions - In the classroom, poster sessions can provide a creative and efficient way for students can share their projects or present information from the course.

Provocative Picture – Begin the lecture with a picture to provoke discussion or emotion

Punctuated Lectures – Ask the students to perform five steps: listen, stop, reflect, write, and give feedback.

Read Aloud – Choose a small text (500 words or less) to read aloud and ask students to pay attention during this lecture phase. A small text read orally in a large lecture can focus attention.

Recall, Summarise, Question, Connect, and Comment – This method of starting each session (or each week) has five steps to reinforce the previous session's material: recall it, summarise it, phrase a remaining question, connect it to the class and comment on that class session.

Self-Assessment - Students receive a quiz (typically ungraded) or a checklist of ideas to determine their understanding of the subject. Concept inventories or similar tools may be used at the beginning of a semester or the chapter to help students identify misconceptions.

Self-Assessment of Ways of Learning – Prepare a questionnaire for students that probes their learning style so the course can match visual/aural/tactile learning styles.

Socratic Questioning – The instructor replaces lectures by peppering students with questions; always ask the following questions to guide the conversation toward a learning outcome (or central Driving Question) desired from the beginning. Reverse Socratic Questioning – The instructor requires students to ask them questions, and the instructor answers to goad another question immediately but also drives the next student's question in a specific direction.

Student Polling – Select some students to travel the room, poll the others on a topic relevant to the course, and then report the results to everyone.

The Half Class Lecture – Divide the class and provide reading material or problem sets into one half. Lecture on that same material to the other half of the class. Then, switch the groups and repeat, ending with a recap by pairing up members of opposite groups.

Think Break – Ask a rhetorical question, and then allow 20 seconds for students to think about the problem before you go on to explain.

Think-Pair-Share – Students share and compare possible answers to a question with a partner before addressing the larger class.

Updating Notes – Take a break for 2-3 minutes to allow students to compare their class notes so far with other students, fill in gaps, and develop common questions.

Video Selfie – Ask students to make a video of themselves performing the homework (or lab), as they will take it more seriously and be more likely to avoid mistakes.

Word Cloud Guessing - Before you introduce a new concept to students, show them a word cloud on that topic using an online generator

Learning outcomes

Assessment forms

Teaching spaces