COMPLEXITY OF ACTIVE LEARNING TASKS
The following categories — adapted from the article, “The Active Learning Continuum: Choosing Activities to Engage Students in the Classroom” by Charles Bonwell and Tracey Sutherland — place activities on a continuum from low to high complexity. The placement blow into specific categories is a suggestion; the actual complexity may vary based on the details of your activity.
LOW COMPLEXITY
- Relatively little class time to facilitate (less than 15 minutes in most cases)
- Little-to-moderate time for the instructor to prepare — some tasks could be used spontaneously in class
- Little-to-moderate time for the instructor to process results
MODERATE COMPLEXITY
- Significant class time to facilitate (between 15 and 45 minutes in most cases)
- Moderate time for the instructor to prepare
- Moderate time for the instructor to process results
HIGH COMPLEXITY
- Completion of tasks may require more than one class session and/or time outside of class
- Instructor preparation and activity design time may be high
- Significant time for the instructor to grade and respond to results
| LOW COMPLEXITY | MEDIUM COMPLEXITY | HIGH COMPLEXITY |
| Buzz Groups | Defining Features Matrix | Analytic Memos |
| Round Robin | Pro and Con Grid | Content, Form, and Function Outlines |
| Talking Chips | Background Knowledge Probe | Collaborative Writing |
| Think-Pair-Share | Empty Outlines | Dialogue Journals |
| Three-Step Interview | Memory Matrix | Paper Seminars |
| Categorized Grid | Analytic Teams | Peer Editing |
| Focused Listing | Case Studies | |
| Minute Paper | Muddiest Point | Group Investigations | |
| Send-A-Problem | ||
| Structured Problem-Solving | ||
| Think-Aloud Pair Problem-Solving | ||
| Student-Defined Questions |