Ten Tasks for students in classes that use active learning

1. Switch from an “authority-based” to a “self-regulated” conception of learning. Recognize and accept your own responsibility for learning.

2. Be willing to take risks and go beyond what is presented in class or the text.

3. Be able to tolerate ambiguity and frustration in the interest of understanding.

4. See errors as opportunities to learn rather than failures.

5. Engage in active listening to what’s happening in class.

6. Trust the instructor’s experience in designing class activities and participate willingly, if not enthusiastically.

7. Be willing to express an opinion or hazard a guess.

8. Accept feedback in the spirit of learning rather than as a reflection of you as a person.

9. Prepare for class physically, mentally, and materially (do the reading, work the problems, etc.).

10. Provide support for your classmate’s attempts to learn.