Introduction

Most of the students I’ve worked with have a very simple formula for learning: they read and read and read until they manage to memorise the topic. While this approach might be one of the most commonly used techniques, it rarely fosters genuine understanding or critical thinking. This reliance on rote memorisation highlights a gap in deeper learning strategies that promote engagement and long-term retention.

Centuries ago, the philosopher Socrates recognised that true learning extends beyond memorising facts. He promoted engaged learning centred on questioning, dialogue, and active participation. This method, known as the Socratic method, laid the groundwork for what we now call active learning—an approach that emphasises doing, reflecting, and interacting as part of the learning process.

Today, active learning has expanded into various strategies that prioritise student engagement and critical thinking over passive absorption. Techniques such as think-pair-share, 3 – 2 – 1, or the Feynman technique are designed to develop not just content knowledge but also essential learning strategies. These activities encourage students to engage with material actively, work collaboratively, and think deeply—fostering skills that go far beyond memorisation and contribute to meaningful, lifelong learning.

In this article, we will explore the transition from passive to active learning, examining how lecturers can implement activities that support deeper understanding and help students engage with the content they learn.

Definitions and Components of Student Engagement

Student engagement is seen as a multifaceted construct that impacts academic achievement, retention, and overall educational outcomes. Researchers often break down student engagement into three primary components:

1. Behavioural Engagement: This aspect involves students' participation in academic and social activities. Indicators include attendance, homework completion, involvement in discussions, and participation in extracurricular activities.
2. Emotional Engagement: This component relates to students' feelings towards learning, their teachers, and their school or university. Positive emotional engagement is marked by enthusiasm, interest, and a sense of belonging, while negative emotions like anxiety or boredom can decrease engagement.
3. Cognitive Engagement: Cognitive engagement encompasses the investment students make in their learning process, including their willingness to put in the effort and the strategies they use to understand and master complex concepts. This includes metacognitive practices like self-monitoring and goal setting.

Let's briefly go back to our example of students reading until they memorise the text and observe it from the cognitive perspective. While this strategy is one of the most commonly used among students, it lacks the depth associated with true cognitive engagement.

Cognitive engagement involves more than just repetitive reading; it requires students to actively process and analyse information, connect it with prior knowledge, and apply it in various contexts.

Simply reading and re-reading material may support short-term recall, but it does not encourage the critical thinking, problem-solving, or metacognitive practices needed for deep learning (1).

Some authors (2) describe cognitive engagement as the willingness to invest time and effort in complex tasks and the use of effective learning strategies that lead to comprehensive understanding. For instance, students who are cognitively engaged go beyond surface-level learning by questioning what they read, relating it to their previous knowledge, and discussing their insights with peers or instructors. Research (3) indicates that such deep learning approaches result in more meaningful comprehension and better long-term retention compared to rote memorisation.

Studies also show that cognitive engagement is influenced by factors such as teaching methods, classroom environment, and intrinsic motivation. Providing students with opportunities for autonomy and self-directed learning can transform basic memorisation into deeper engagement.

So, which activities can help students turn their passive reading into engaged learning?

Think-Pair-Share

The think-pair-share activity is an active learning technique designed to engage students in deeper cognitive processing by breaking the learning process into three distinct steps: thinking individually, discussing with a peer, and sharing with a larger group. This method promotes collaboration, enhances communication skills, and allows students to reflect on and deepen their understanding of the subject matter.

Detailed Breakdown

1. Think: Students are first given a question or problem to consider independently. During this phase, they reflect on their prior knowledge, analyse the question, and formulate their own responses or solutions. This promotes individual cognitive engagement by encouraging them to organise their thoughts and consider the material critically.
2. Pair: Next, students pair up with a partner to discuss their individual responses. This step allows for the exchange of ideas, fostering a collaborative environment where students can learn from each other’s perspectives. During this interaction, they have the chance to articulate their thoughts, listen actively, and refine their understanding based on their partner’s input.
3. Share: Finally, pairs share their insights with the larger class. This step not only broadens the discussion by incorporating diverse viewpoints but also reinforces knowledge as students verbalise and defend their ideas. The sharing phase can lead to further questions, promoting deeper inquiry and class-wide engagement.

I used this activity with my psychology students when we worked on the social behaviour and group dynamics.

It started with a classic question based on the findings of Solomon Asch’s conformity experiments: “Why do individuals conform to group pressure even when they know the group is wrong?”

• Think: Each student first considers the psychological factors contributing to conformity, such as the desire for social acceptance, fear of rejection, or the belief that the group might know better. During this time, students draw on their knowledge of social psychology theories and concept and their personal experiences.
• Pair: Students then pair up and discuss their individual analyses. One student might mention how normative social influence plays a role in group conformity, while the other could bring up informational social influence or discuss examples from real-life situations where groupthink led to poor decision-making. This exchange allows them to refine their understanding and integrate new insights from their partner.
• Share: Each pair then shares their combined thoughts with the group. One group might highlight how conformity can be reduced through the presence of a dissenting peer, while another could discuss strategies individuals can use to resist group pressure. This broader discussion deepens everyone’s comprehension of the psychological mechanisms behind conformity, as students build on each other’s contributions and connect theories to practical examples.

3-2-1 

The 3-2-1 learning technique is a reflective strategy that helps students consolidate and articulate their learning, promoting active recall and metacognitive awareness. By summarising key takeaways and identifying questions, students engage in a structured review of material that supports deeper comprehension and retention. The technique is straightforward and can be adapted to various subjects and educational levels.

Detailed Breakdown

1. 3 Things Learned: Students list three significant concepts or ideas they have learned from a lesson or reading. This encourages them to recall key information and prioritise the most important takeaways.
2. 2 Interesting Things: Next, they identify two interesting or surprising points from the material. This step encourages curiosity and helps students engage with content that resonates personally or adds depth to their understanding.
3. 1 Question: Finally, students write one question they still have or something they are curious to explore further. This helps identify areas of confusion or interest, providing direction for future study or discussion.

Try out some of these variations:

• 3 surprising facts, 2 connections to prior knowledge, 1 question to research
• 3 main ideas, 2 supporting examples, 1 analogy
• 3 areas of confidence, 2 areas for improvement, 1 action plan

Let’s use Asch’s conformity experiment to see how students could learn applying this strategy.

3 Things Learned:

1. The conformity rate in Asch’s experiments was significant: about 75% of participants conformed to the incorrect group consensus at least once.
2. Normative social influence played a major role, showing that people often conform to be liked or accepted by the group, even when they know the group’s answer is wrong.
3. The presence of just one dissenting peer drastically reduced the rate of conformity, demonstrating the power of social support in resisting group pressure.

2 Interesting Things:

1. It was interesting that even when participants knew the correct answer, the majority still chose to conform due to social pressure, highlighting how strong the urge for group harmony can be.
2. The simplicity of the experiment (matching line lengths) contrasted sharply with the complexity of the psychological factors at play, making the findings even more compelling.

1 Question: “How would the results of Asch’s experiment change if it were conducted in a digital environment, such as an online forum or social media platform?”

The Feynman Technique

The Feynman technique is designed to deepen understanding through simplified explanation. Named after physicist Richard Feynman, who was known for his ability to convey complex concepts in simple terms, this technique involves breaking down information into its simplest form and teaching it to someone else—or pretending to do so. This approach helps identify gaps in knowledge and reinforces learning.

Detailed Breakdown

1. Choose a Concept: Select a topic or concept you want to learn—in this case, Solomon Asch’s conformity experiments.
2. Teach It to a Child (or a Layperson): Explain the concept in simple, clear language, as if teaching it to someone without any background knowledge. Avoid jargon and break down the explanation into basic parts.
3. Identify Gaps and Go Back to the Source: If you struggle to explain a part or realise there’s something you don’t fully understand, revisit your notes or source material to fill in those gaps.
4. Simplify and Use Analogies: Refine your explanation by simplifying complex ideas and using relatable analogies to ensure true comprehension.
5. Review and Repeat: Repeat the process as necessary, each time refining your understanding and explanation.

How does it work with the Asch’s experiment?

1. Choose a Concept: The concept chosen is Solomon Asch’s conformity experiments.

2. Teach It Simply: Imagine explaining it to a child or someone unfamiliar with psychology: "Imagine you’re in a classroom, and the teacher shows you three lines on the board: one short, one medium, and one long. The teacher then asks everyone which line matches the length of a fourth line shown separately. You know the right answer is the medium line, but all your classmates say the short line is correct. Even though you know they’re wrong, you start to wonder if you should go along with them just to fit in. That’s what happened in a famous study where people were asked to match lines, and most went along with the group even if they knew it was wrong."

3. Identify Gaps and Go Back to the Source: If explaining it revealed any unclear aspects—such as why people conformed or what social influences were at play—review the study details or theoretical underpinnings related to normative social influence and the need for social acceptance.

4. Simplify and Use Analogies: Refine your explanation by saying: "It’s like when everyone at school says they love a new movie, but you didn’t like it. Even though you have your own opinion, you might say you liked it too so that you don’t feel left out. That’s similar to what people did in Asch’s experiment; they agreed with the group to fit in."

5. Review and Repeat: After teaching and refining the explanation, repeat the process to improve any remaining unclear areas or add more examples for better understanding. 

Conclusion

Engaging students effectively in learning requires a comprehensive understanding of what engagement entails and how to foster it through targeted strategies. In this article, the notion is presented as a multi-dimensional concept, involving behavioural, emotional, and cognitive aspects that collectively contribute to academic success.

To support cognitive engagement, the article highlights three effective learning techniques: the 3-2-1 technique, which helps students summarise their learning and identify questions for further exploration; the think-pair-share strategy, which fosters collaboration and deeper discussion through structured peer interactions; and the Feynman technique, which involves simplifying and teaching concepts to reveal and fill knowledge gaps.

Through these approaches, lecturers can create active, engaging, and enriching learning experiences.

References

1. Chi, M.T.H. (2009), Active-Constructive-Interactive: A Conceptual Framework for Differentiating Learning Activities. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1: 73-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-8765.2008.01005.x

2. Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059

3. Saeed, S. & Zyngier, D. (2012). How Motivation Influences Student Engagement: A Qualitative Case Study. Journal of Education and Learning. 1. 10.5539/jel.v1n2p252.