Let’s figure out what active and passive learning are in the process of studying. Lifelong students know that passive learning is where they find the most comfort and satisfaction. The reason for this is not because it requires less effort, but because it is the way they learn almost everything. It also makes it easy for them to memorize and repeat material in this way.
Many people believe that the amount of information they know is a real reflection of their intelligence and ability. But as it turns out, this is absolutely not the case. In this article we would like to explain to you that in order to learn foreign languages successfully it is necessary to combine several important factors.
What is Passive Learning
When the whole process of education is created by the tutor and assimilated by the student, it is called passive learning. There are also conventional lectures and seminars. Passive learning is also a component of most people’s daily lives. It comes from the books we read, the television programs and Youtube we watch, the social media we constantly browse and different other sources of information and new words.
These sources of information actively influence the world, even if they are used passively. Similarly, we quietly adopt our parents’ mannerisms, which are then passively transmitted to our children. Passive learning may seem more relaxed, but that is not always true. Although it does not need the internal feedback that active studying provides, it does have its advantages.
Many of the students expect immediate results, which is not always the case with lecture-based learning. Nevertheless, passive learning, simply listening to information, provides important opportunities for anyone. For instance, understanding which notes to take, what to pay attention to and insights into the structure of the topic. Moreover, after proper passive learning, you may have an active recall in active learning process that is very important for language studying.
What is Active Learning
Imagine, the instructor or teacher is standing at the front of the audience and giving information, while students are sitting in front of him or her and just listening – that’s passive learning. But as soon as a teacher takes a break and gives the students time to discuss the information they’ve learned among themselves, that’s active learning.
Throughout this process, students will have the opportunity to form their own opinions and positions, argue with their colleagues, and explain their thoughts about this theme. Receiving an opinion from another student does not make them feel threatened. More than that, they gain confidence in their own thoughts and ability to learn, remember, and put knowledge into practice. Then students reflect on their opinions and make necessary changes in their work. Problem solving is then disclosed to the teacher and described in detail.
Active learning seems to be time-consuming, doesn’t it? On the one hand, it certainly can be. On the other hand, without the ability to defend your opinion, to find the truth, and the ability to implement your knowledge in practice, you cannot become a specialist or fluent speaker. That’s why active learning and passive learning must be combined at the same time.
Differences: Active and Passive learning
The main difference between these two methods of learning is in the person who does the work to achieve the learning objectives. The teacher should not spend time making sure students understand the material. There should be a healthy balance between teaching and learning. Passive learning is focused on the teacher whereas active learning is focused on the students. Active studying requires students to think, discuss, question, and master their knowledge. Passive learning, on the other hand, requires the acquisition, assimilation and feedback. Active learning encourages discussion and debate, while passive learning encourages active listening and paying attention to the details of what was taught. Active learning is traditionally thought to stimulate higher-order thinking, while passive studying helps students simply memorize information.
As a result of active learning, students will have the opportunity to question preconceived notions and biases as they engage in conversations and defend their opinions. To succeed, students must have excellent observation, communication, and critical thinking abilities. Passive learning, on the other hand, provides students with opportunities to reflect on their own views.
What to use: Passive or Active Learning
Use both. Every day. Or at least as often as possible. Days when you need to be pumped with information about a new language should alternate with days when you need to practice. So you’re struggling with the difficulties yourself. Try reading books, newspapers, listening to songs or radio broadcasts in the language you are learning, watching movies, learning while sleeping, conversing with a native speaker friend, playing word games with them, listening to lectures, using online apps etc. In case that doesn’t work, try something else, then another, and then a third until you succeed in active and passive learning at the same time. Each of these types of learning is better for a particular stage of language proficiency. Find out more in this article.
For example, if you would like to practice both passive and active learning try to use modern flashcards apps to improve your vocabulary.
Active learning and vocabulary improvement
You really need to work on expanding your vocabulary, including working through materials, finding gaps in your vocabulary, keeping your own dictionary, learning new words – all this is active learning. This is more effective than waiting for words to be memorized on their own (as passive students usually do).
If you want to improve your vocabulary through active learning, the Langavia Personal Dictionary application offers a convenient environment for doing so. Learning a language, specifically new words, is easy and fast with a provided training system. The only thing you need to do is to create and keep your own dictionary here. Add all the words you want to know, and after that just let the system teach you those words.
Solo-learning of flashcards is passive learning for the most part, but you can find friends with whom you can exchange flashcards, discuss topics and debate, and that would be active learning!
