finding new ways to promote active learning

Finding new ways to promote active learning

I was searching material for my paper on autonomous learning and I accidentally found this professor of Harvard who developed a new way of making learners participate and assume an active role in their learning. I found very interesting videos about some of his lectures. I think it is worthy to have a look at them and find out more about his research on education.

Eric Mazur is a Dutch Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard University and Area Dean of Applied Physics. An internationally recognized scientist and researcher, he leads a vigorous research program in optical physics and supervises one of the largest research groups in the Physics Department at Harvard University. Mazur founded several companies and plays an active role in industry.

In addition to his work in optical physics, Mazur has been very active in education. In 1990 he began developing Peer Instruction, a method for teaching large lecture classes interactively. He is the author of Peer Instruction: A User's Manual (Prentice Hall, 1997), a book that explains how to teach large lecture classes interactively. In 2006 he helped produce the award-winning DVD Interactive Teaching. Dr. Mazur's teaching method has developed a large following, both nationally and internationally, and has been adopted across many disciplines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYiI2Hvg5LE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBzn9RAJG6Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9orbxoRofI