In Defense of Active Learning.

Today, these types of early years activities are disappearing from some programs. This is due partly to Western society’s entrenched belief that the role of the mind is more significant than the role of the body. Society has labored for years under a misguided notion that mind and body are separate entities, resulting in the determination that learning should occur via the eyes and ears only. Today, children are spending time passively interacting with “educational” products instead of engaging in active, sensory experiences. And because some parents are excited by the “evidence” that their children are “learning”—via flashcards, DVDs, and computer programs— they’re asking for more of the same in their children’s early schooling. But feats like Tara’s represent rote learning—the result of memorization. Authentic learning involves comprehension. And until a child is developmentally ready to understand what the numbers, letters, and words he’s reciting represent—until the information has some relevance to his life—there will be no comprehension. Some rote learning has its place, of course; it’s how most of us learned the multiplication tables and the state capitals. However, unless a child is going to grow up to become a TV game show contestant, memorizing facts will have little use in life once she’s passed all the required tests. Active, authentic learning, on the other hand—the process of exploration and discovery, of acquiring knowledge, of knowing how to acquire it (no one can memorize all the facts!)—will serve a child endlessly. Moreover, active, authentic learning is far more likely than rote learning to foster a lifelong love of the learning process (Jensen 2008). Recent brain research is confirming what many educators have believed all along: the mind and body are not separate entities. Jensen (2008) confirms that not only do children learn by doing—and that movement is the child’s preferred mode of learning—but also that physical activity activates the brain much more so than doing seatwork. While sitting increases fatigue and reduces concentration, movement feeds oxygen, water, and glucose to the brain, optimizing its performance. Furthermore, learning by doing creates more neural networks in the brain and throughout the body, making the entire body a tool for learning (Hannaford 2005). Active learning is also more fun for young children, which means it matters more to them!