ACTIVITY BASED TEACHING STRATEGIES

An efficient instructional strategy that mixes guidance with active learning is "Learning by teaching" (Martin 1985,
Martin/Oebel 2007). This strategy allows students to teach the new content to each other. Of course they must be
accurately guided by instructors. This methodology was introduced during the early 1980s, especially in Germany,
and is now well established in all levels of the German educational system. "Learning by teaching" is integration of
behaviorism and cognitivism and offers a coherent framework for theory and practice.

Activity based instruction distinguishes itself as a modern form of instruction as opposed to the teacher –
monopolized instruction which thrived in antiquity leaving the students as mere recipients and absorber of
knowledge. Its approach is more of providing opportunities for pupils to express their freedom to explore
possible ways to solve a certain problem or to manipulate materials with the teacher’s role reduced to that of a
facilitator.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

1. The application of Dewey’s principle of learning by doing is very evident in this form of instruction which
benefits the students as it creates in them a natural urge to learn to strengthen and enhance learning.

2. Practice, through manipulation and free self – expression, is another benefit students get from it. This feature
of the activity – based instruction makes learning permanent in a more meaningful way.

3. The provision of diverse activities to the students become venues for them to express themselves creatively
on how to deal with certain situations or how to solve problems. They get to apply their knowledge in these
instances towards the achievement of goals they set with the teacher.

4. The opportunities provided by the teacher for students to work in  groups, whether small or big, paves the
way for the development of the students’ social self and sense of belonging.

5. The teacher’s role in an activity – based classroom is reduced to that of a facilitator. This lessens the anxiety
felt by students as compared to situations when the teacher is always there as a symbol of authority.

6. The teacher is spared from having to talk and talk all throughout the lesson and is honed to become a
creative engineer of the classroom, especially, in devising activities that work for most of the learners.

Disadvantages

1. The activity based instruction calls for long term planning which requires teachers to master the schemes
and understand the details and carefully  go about them. Failure to do so makes the practice of this instruction
half – baked.
2. Prerequisite skills play a vital role in the achievement of the instructional objectives in activity based
instruction. It becomes frustrating on the part of the slow learners to see fast learners showing their topnotch
forms in performing certain activities.

3. Activity – based instruction works best with experimentation or in experimental sciences but is less practical
to use in social sciences.

*Activity based instruction, by nature, has its advantages and disadvantages which are utilized to evaluate how
its use fits in the classroom setting. While the advantages delved on the benefits that the stakeholders of the
educative process (the teachers and the students) get from the application of activity based instruction in the
classroom, the disadvantages are identified as results of improper planning and implementation of instruction.

PROBLEM BASED LEARNING

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an exciting alternative to traditional classroom learning.

With PBL, your teacher presents you with a problem, not lectures or assignments or exercises.Since you are not
handed "content", your learning becomes active in the sense that you discover and work with content that you
determine to be necessary to solve the problem.

In PBL, your teacher acts as facilitator and mentor, rather than a source of "solutions."

Advantages:

 Active process
 The way we make decisions anyway
 Increases tolerance of uncertainty
 Stimulates self-learning naturally
 Positively aids modelling
 Trainee-directed/trainer-monitored
 Increases motivation
 Encourages "experience" > "intuition"

Disadvantages:

 Other teaching methods are useful too!

Self Learning Modules (SLMs) are learning activities designed for participants to do independently when they are
unable to attend individual or group education sessions.

A learning module is otherwise known as a self-learning kit (SLK). It consists of systematic sequenced materials for
learning. (F. Hidago, 1994) The teaching-learning module in a vast variety of subjects was proven effective as an
instructional tool. This is an innovation in the education of new generation of learners who are described as self-
directed learners. The significance of learning modules is based on the groundwork that college students may learn
through different methods. Classroom discussion may turn to be effective but may omit essential part of learning
and understanding. Planning on how students may learn still suggests that there is no single methodology in their
learning process. Significant learning should be self-initiated and teachers should be there to guide and to
supervise progress. We should let students discover what they would like to discover in the subject being
introduced and give more responsibility to them.

What is the importance of Self-learning Kits?

The following considerations bring forth the relevance and importance of Learning Modules. Instructional package
presented in modular forms is one great way of imparting knowledge to students. Instructional modules involve
students in planning their future learning process.

1. The need of instructional material in modularized form is immediate and intense for the reason that people
value time and effort. Students nowadays need to finish a course the soonest time possible for economic reasons.
Students as well need to finish a task or a course in the most convenient and easy way without sacrificing the
quality of work.

2. There is a need to change the attitude of students in as much as innovations in the learning of students are
needed. There is a need to redirect them in a way that they may maximize their participation in their learning
endeavor, which will make them even proud of their active involvement in their education without much help from
their instructors. Deviating from the traditional way to accomplish a work using lesser effort and time will yield to
better result. This could be construed that this constructive change in the system is another milestone in
education.

3. Through the creation of learning materials, student-learning will be made easier for the reason that all
important topics and lessons they need are already put into one material making it possible for students to
conserve time, effort, mobility and financial resources.

4. Another important reason why teachers must embark on module making is the scarcity of books, materials or
references that is almost complete. Modules prepared may give solution to student’s difficulty in looking for
materials needed in their study. The offshoot of modular instruction will benefit students taking up Criminology by
enriching their knowledge by creating avenues through easy access to information.

5. Including students in planning how to meet the objectives, which are outlined in the syllabus, is one of the best
experiences an educator may have. Modifying the design to build their knowledge of the subject and to fit
student’s needs should be the goal of every teacher to deviate the passive and dependent learning attitudes of
students as an effect of traditional academic teaching.

6. Furthermore, modules reduce dependency and passiveness in the education process.

1. Instructional materials are subject to continuing assessment and revisions to input relevant, up-to-date
information and innovations in the academe.

2. These instructional materials are recommended for use by the faculty and students of Criminal Justice
Education.

3. Colloquium for teachers should be launched, spearheaded by the Dean of the College to orient them on how to
teach their students through the modularized study method.

4. It is further recommended that teachers must revolutionized their methods of teaching by involving students in
their learning process by giving them some autonomy on how to handle their lessons with minimal intervention
but with sufficient guidance from the instructors. It is timely that instructors must adhere to their duty, which is to
instruct and not to teach. College students should not be treated, as they were elementary pupils.

So, as an advocate of the modular system of study, I therefore recommend the employment of some methods of
teaching suitable for college students such as the introduction of buzz groups, peer study method, brainstorming,
simulations and other methodologies that increases the involvement of students, thereby, reducing dependency
and passiveness in the education process. Nonetheless, the introduction of these systems, teachers should not
completely abandoned the traditional methods of teaching nor should it be a substitute but rather a means to
reinforce the education process.

5. It is also highly recommended that other instructors, handling other Criminology subjects should embark on the
creation of modules to be used in their profession as educators.

6. One way of imparting knowledge to students is to provide them with instructional package presented in
modular forms. Students should be given part in deciding what to learn and freedom to attain the objectives in
some practical ways without much interference of the teacher. Involve the students in planning their future
learning process. The students playing a part on deciding what is to be taught and how it is taught should also be
encouraged to reduce dependency and passiveness in the education process.