Active Learning Strategies for Students

Have you ever sat through a class, taken notes, and realized afterward that you weren’t sure what the lesson was really about? Hearing or reading information doesn’t always mean you’ll remember it. Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Active learning involves working with course material to deepen your understanding and remember what you’ve learned. Whether you’re listening to a lecture, working with classmates, or reading a textbook, you can use active learning to get more out of class time and retain information longer.

In this guide, you’ll learn what active learning is, why it works, and five practical strategies you can try in your next class.

What is active learning?

Active learning requires you to think, participate, and work with information during a learning process. Instead of passively listening to your instructor or reading a textbook, you actively engage with concepts to deepen your understanding. Active learning strategies include:

• Retrieving facts from memory
• Discussing ideas with classmates
• Paraphrasing concepts in your own words
• Connecting new information to what you already know
• Applying abstract concepts to real-world scenarios

These strategies help you process information more deeply. When you retrieve, explain, or apply what you’ve learned, you practice using the information rather than simply recognizing it. This strengthens your understanding, improves long-term retention, and helps you apply knowledge in new situations.

Instructors often incorporate active learning into their lesson plans, but you can use these techniques yourself, too. Even while listening to a lecture or reading a text, you can make predictions, connect the information to what you already know, ask questions, and check your understanding.

Active learning vs passive learning

Active learning involves mentally working with information, while passive learning involves receiving information without actively processing or applying it. The difference comes down to how you engage with the material. Here’s what active and passive approaches might look like in common learning situations.

Active learning strategies instructors use

You might recognize some of the most common active learning strategies that instructors use in the classroom:

• Think-pair-share: Students think about a question, discuss their answers with a classmate, and share ideas.
• Class polls: Students answer questions that test their understanding (and help the teacher formatively assess which concepts to reteach).
• Jigsaw: Students work in small groups to become experts on one part of a topic and then teach that information to other students.
• Case studies and real-world scenarios: Students apply course concepts to practical situations.
• Quick writes: Students respond to a writing prompt about the concept they’re learning.

Active learning strategies for students

You can also use active learning strategies independently, even when your instructor hasn’t planned a specific activity. Try these five techniques to engage with course material, check your understanding, and make class time more productive.

1. Make a visual representation

Turn information from your notes into a visual that helps you see how ideas connect. Visual representations help you organize complex information and understand relationships between concepts.

• Create a flowchart to show the steps in a process.
• Use a mind map to connect a central idea to related concepts.
• Draw and label a diagram to illustrate how something works.

2. Discuss questions with classmates

Talking through questions with classmates exposes you to different perspectives and gives you an opportunity to test your reasoning. Use class discussions and group activities to work through ideas rather than simply compare answers.

• Share your answer and explain how you arrived at it.
• Ask classmates to explain their reasoning.
• Discuss disagreements and use evidence from your course material to evaluate different answers.

3. Apply concepts to real-world scenarios

Connect what you’re learning to situations outside the classroom. Applying concepts helps you understand when and why to use them, rather than simply memorizing facts for a test.

• Think of an everyday example of a concept from class.
• Predict what might happen if one part of a process changed.
• Create a hypothetical scenario and explain how you’d use what you’ve learned to solve it.

4. Use active recall to practice what you’ve learned

Active recall involves retrieving information from memory instead of looking it up immediately. It helps you practice remembering information and identify what needs more review.

• Close your notes and textbook, and write down the key points.
• Answer practice questions before checking the answers.
• Review anything you missed, then try recalling it again.

5. Reflect on your successes and challenges

Take a moment to evaluate what you learned and where you struggled. Reflecting on your progress helps you decide what to keep practicing and which strategies to use next.

• Identify one concept you understand well and one you find challenging.
• Consider what helped you understand a difficult idea or solve a problem.
• Write down one specific step you can take to improve, such as asking your instructor a question or practicing a similar problem.

Frequently asked questions about active learning

What is passive learning?

Passive learning (rather than active learning) occurs when students receive information without any interaction, response, or immediate practice.

For example, when students listen to a lecture or read a textbook without actively participating or responding, the learning is passive rather than active.

Because it involves minimal participation or effort, students are less likely to understand and retain the information.

Curious about active learning strategies for yourself or your students? Quillbot’s AI Chat can help you brainstorm ideas.

What is active reading?

Active reading involves engaging with a text by interacting with the ideas rather than passively scanning the words. Active reading strategies include:

• Surveying the headings and key terms before reading
• Annotating questions, comments, and reactions in the margins
• Summarizing sections or paragraphs in your own words
• Connecting the information to your own experiences and prior knowledge

Curious about other forms of active learning? Ask Quillbot’s AI Search to show you a list of research studies from educational experts.

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