Heather Burke (editor) - Archaeology to Delight and Instruct: Active Learning in the University Classroom (One World Archaeology)

Active Learning in the University Classroom

Heather Burke
Claire Smith
editors

First published 2007 by Left Coast Press, Inc.

Published 2016 by Routledge
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Copyright 2007 Taylor & Francis

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Archaeology to delight and instruct : active learning in the
university classroom / Heather Burke, Claire Smith, editors.

p. cm. (One world archaeology series ; v. 49)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59874-256-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-59874-257-2 (paperback : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-59874-256-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-59874-257-4 (paperback : alk. paper)

1. ArchaeologyStudy and teaching (Higher) 2. Active learning. 3. College teachingPhilosophy. 4. ArchaeologyStudy and teaching (Higher)Activity programs. I. Burke, Heather, 1966- II. Smith, Claire, 1957-

CC83.A73 2007

930.1071dc22

2006031669

Editoral Production: Last Word Editorial Services
Typesetting: ibid, northwest

ISBN-13: 978-1-59874-257-2 (paperback)

Speaking in the first century AD, the Roman author Horace argued that the purpose of literature is to delight and to instruct (Pinker 2004). While this demonstrates that there has long been a link between learning and enjoyment, in archaeology at the early 21st century this link is being considered with renewed interest. A recognition that normal classroom teaching can alienate students from the teacher prompting them to see themselves as fellow captives under the never-distant teachers eye (McClure 1990: 67) has brought about a new concern with creating alternative classroom environments that encourage students not only to contribute and collaborate, but also to enjoy themselves. Recently, the idea that learning can combine serious intent with fun content has become a mainstay of the active learning movement. Active learning in essence any instructional strategy opposed to the passive consumption of lecture material incorporates all four modes of learning behavior (auditory, visual, kinaesthetic, and tactile) to enhance the ways in which students learn. It can include listening practices which help the students to absorb what they hear, short writing exercises in which students react to lecture material, and complex group exercises in which students apply course material to real life situations and problems (Paulson and Faust 1998: 3). When students actively participate in teaching and learning, they are more likely to retain information, are better equipped to process new information and solve new problems (Jenkins 1992; McKeachie 1999), and are more likely to become emotionally engaged with the material (Coco