23. Rich Envioronments for Active Learning

R. Scott Grabinger

University of Colorado at Denver

23.1 Chapter purposes

In today's complex world, simply knowing how to use tools and knowledge in a single domain is not enough to remain competitive. People must also learn when to use tools and knowledge in new domains and different situations. Industry specialists report that people at every organizational level must be creative and flexible problem solvers (Lynton, 1989). Even members of the "blue-collar" workforce must demonstrate advanced levels of problem-solving skills to attain and retain employment. This requires the ability to apply experience and knowledge to address novel problems. Consequently, learning to think critically, to analyze and synthesize information to solve technical, social, economic, political, and scientific problems, and to work productively in groups are crucial skills for successful and fulfilling participation in our modem, competitive society.

This chapter has two main goals: First, I describe and organize the common elements of rich environments for active learning, or REALs, including the theoretical foundations and instructional strategies to provide a common ground for discussion. REALs are based on constructivist values and theories including "collaboration, personal autonomy, generativity, reflectivity, active engagement, personal relevance, and pluralism" (Lebow, 1993, p. 5). REALs provide learning activities that, instead of transferring knowledge -to students, engage students in a continuous collaborative process of building and reshaping understanding as a natural consequence of their experiences and interactions with the world in authentic ways (Forman & Pufall, 1988; Fosnot, 1989; Goodman, 1984). Advocating a holistic approach to education, REALs reflect the assumption that the process of knowledge and understanding acquisition is "firmly embedded in the social and emotional context in which learning takes place" (Lebow, 1993, p. 6), Second, I look at some of the research conducted with various implementations of REALs. I examine the research methodologies used, the topics investigated, and close with suggestions for future research directions.

The author wishes to thank Joanna Dunlap for help with the initial conceptualization of this chapter, and Karen Norum, Dawn Buckingham-Hull, and James Teslow for research assistance. All are outstanding doctoral students at the University of Colorado at Denver.