Action Learning

You may have heard about Action Learning, an instructional method and learning tool in which students engage in solving "real-life" problems. Action Learning has been used in corporations as managers and workers collaborate to solve a work-related problem, and in MBA programs to teach management students how to "fix" their organizations. Action Learning can also be used at the undergraduate level to engage students in the learning process, particularly if students lack any background knowledge in the subject at hand! Action Learning is a teaching technique in which students are given a "real-life" problem to solve. It works best when done in groups, since the various tasks of inquiry can be divided and conquered among several people.

At the undergrad level I have also used a modified version of action learning by giving students a case study of a past event, and had students research the problem and the causes of the problem, and then make recommendations on how this problem could be avoided in the future. Sometimes, I modify this experience even further by giving students specific "roles" they have to take on as they explore and research the problem further.

Action Learning was originally conceived by Reginald Revans in the UK in the 1940's. Since then, many corporations have used this to develop a collaborative approach to problem solving, and Dr. Michael Marquardt at The George Washington University has expanded Revan's original formula to also include a reflection piece. Marquardt claims that in order for students to truly understand what they need to know, they also need to understand what they don't know. And at the end of this learning experience, the reflection piece required in the Action Learning process can also be used to help students understand what they have learned.