Prospective Teachers’ Understanding of Active Learning

Abstract

The pre-service teacher education programme in national Colleges of Education in Sri Lanka has been facing a challenge to transform traditional didactic instructional process to a more learner-centred direction. The purpose of this study was to find out the prospective science teachers’ understanding about the active learning and how their understanding change as they complete a two-year institutional training period. 77 science prospective teachers were randomly selected from a population in the academic year 2017/2019. Data were collected using the open-ended questionnaire, informal discussions, and written documents. Results showed that at the beginning, prospective teachers explained active learning in various ways and were unable to give a clear definition. Majority of them learnt as passive learners in the secondary level classes and thought development of subject matter knowledge through group activities is the way of active learning. When they followed the preservice curriculum engaging learner-centred activities, laboratory work, field trips and teaching practice they experienced learning theories and teaching-learning methodologies and gradually developed the understanding of active learning. There were no observable changes in the middle of second year. Prospective teachers, further equipped with good knowledge and practicalities on active learning showed a gradual transformation in their understanding.