Sophie Colbourne
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Research Portfolio:
Practical Activities in the classroom
For some teachers, nothing is more fear inducing than the thought of unleashing the students from their
seating plans and allowing them to be active in the classroom. Pupils roaming the classroom; making a
noise; not producing any tangible written work; is what some would consider an unsuccessful and
unmanageable lesson. Yet research shows us that the use of practical activities and ‘hands on’
experiences in the classroom can help pupils to learn better (Kolb: 1984).
Using practical activities to engage pupils in learning is one of the most efficient ways of making sure
pupils retain information. Pupils are likely to retain 75% of the information through doing and practicing,
compared to a mere 5% from simply reading (Subject Session: 2013). Furthermore, Howard Gardner’s
Theory of Multiple Intelligences shows us that some pupils may be ‘Bodily-Kinesthetically Intelligent’,
meaning that they prefer to be active and learn through their bodily experiences (Gardner: 1983). For
people who are ‘body-smart’, knowing happens through physical movement; being ‘hands on is being
minds on’ (Bullock: 2010).
Practical activities can consist of role-play, thought spectrums, presentations, group discussions, card
sorts; anything that gets the pupils active in the learning itself. Such activities can provide the pupil with a
sense of freedom and autonomy, which encourages the pupil to engage with the lesson at a deeper level.
They are often fun and enjoyable and provide a memorable way of accessing material. ‘Tell me, I forget;
Teach me, I remember; Involve me, I learn,” was famously quoted by Benjamin Franklin over 200 years
ago and was originally attributed to Xun Kuang, a Chinese Confucian philosopher, nearly 400 years
before Christ. It is not surprising that such an ancient proverb still has mass significance today. Being
involved in the learning process, allows the pupils to discover the information for themselves.
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One particularly positive outcome of practical activities is its accessibility for special educational needs
children. Practical activities can help with differentiation and enable the pupil to engage with the material
in an accessible and manageable manner. Pupils who have been diagnosed with dyslexia and who often
find written tasks challenging, tend to excel in more practical activities. ‘Participatory/active learning
methods tend to impact positively on the child’s social and behavioural development’ (Davis and
Hopwood: 2002). Not only does it encourage independence and autonomous learning, which is not often
seen as a viable outcome for SEN children, but allows pupils to be assessed on a variety of skills.
Similarly, practical activities can be embodied as an Access for Learning strategy, which is shown to
enhance the effect size and grade potential of students of all abilities.
A point of discussion that materialised from the online thread was how practical activities enable and
enhance a teacher/pupil relationship. There has to be an element of trust bestowed upon the pupils, by the
teacher, to partake in the practical activity sensibly and effectively. This is to ensure that the learning is
valuable and the pupils are safe. Therefore, when preparing to use a practical activity in the classroom,
the teacher must be fully aware of the pupils in which they are planning for. In most cases practical
activities will be specifically planned with the students in mind. Certain classes will need strict
instructions and explanations, whereas other classes may benefit from an abstract approach, where they
have had the opportunity to structure the activity themselves. Practical activities enable the teacher to
tailor their lessons to suit different learners and learning styles, which can only be effective if the teacher
really knows the pupils.
Furthermore, the success criteria and learning outcomes need to be reviewed in light of different practical
activities and assess whether appropriate learning is taking place, as one concern would be the validity of
the practical activity. Not all practical activities are beneficial. Putting a video on for the entirety of the
lesson or asking the pupil to create a mosque out of cardboard, may not support the intended learning.
The legitimacy of the task needs to correspond to the nature and purpose of the learning in the classroom.
Sophie Colbourne
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If the practical activity enhances the learning then it is constructive and valuable. But if the activity is not
furthering the education of the child it can be equally as detrimental.
Using practical activities as a resource is pedagogically neutral. Although one could argue that
experiential religious education, methodologically, places emphasis on the doing. Critical realist
pedagogy similarly places emphasis on discussion and active learning, which could be equally fulfilled
through practical activities. The progressive approach of the experiential pedagogy of the 80’s, 90’s and
00’s, was concerned with moving away for the phenomological approach and accentuating the spiritual
experience. This was often accomplished by encouraging imaginative engagement and connection. These
activities are often practical and the aim is to highlight spiritual connection and commitment. Doing
meant engagement and engagement meant connection. Whereas, critical realist pedagogy is concerned
with the ontological truth and stresses the importance of pupils engaging in intellectual conversations
about religious truth claims. Pupils’ interaction and discussion could be classified as a form of practical
activity. Group work and debating are both ways in which pupils are actively engaging with the material
and not simply copying or learning by rote.
My pedagogical commitment to critical realist religious education, encourages me to explore the benefits
of practical activities in most of my lessons. A specific example of a practical activity that I have used in
my classroom recently was similar to a thought spectrum and was related to the Teleological Argument. I
placed visually stimulating images at either end of the room and got all the pupils to stand at the front of
the class. I then asked them a series of questions and the pupils had to move to which picture they thought
best fit the answer. The pupils loved being up and out of their seats and this flexibility allowed them to
really think about the questions. Pupils had to make a decision and every decision had to be justified;
pupils had to take part and think for themselves. The teacher was able to see which students lead
discussions, which followed, which ones were confused, and was able to critically question their
reasoning throughout the session. This practical activity engaged and motivated the pupils, and the results
were remarkable.
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Despite the obvious advantages of including practical activities in the classroom, it is fair to state that the
cohort of pupils has to be considered. If the pupils are particularly rowdy and lack discipline, allowing
them the freedom to partake in active tasks may be problematic. This, however, should not discourage
teachers from including some kind of practical engagement in their lesson. Firstly, the pupils will always
surprise you and planning for them to be active may be what really focuses them. Disruptive students
often crave independence and the opportunity to be involved with the lesson. Secondly, practical
activities do not have to simply include ‘up and out of your seat’ tasks. All kinds of active engagement
through doing and practicing are effective. A simple card sort gives the pupil a sense of sovereignty over
their learning. Finally experiential learning, endorsed by practical activities, is the best way to make
material accessible and memorable. Pupils will engage significantly more with tasks that they have to get
actively involved with.
Bibliography:
Bullock, J. M., (2010) Involve Me and I Learn; Getting Children Involved with the Outdoors,
http://www.kidsalfresco.com/articles/involve-children-outdoors/
Davies. P, Florian. L, (2004) Teaching Strategies and Approaches for Pupils with Special Educational
Needs: A Scoping Study, Research Report, No 516
Davis and Hopwood., (2002) Participatory/active learning methods tend to impact positively on the
child’s social and behavioural development
Gardner (1983) Frames of the Mind, USA: Basic Books
Kolb(1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. PrenticeHall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J
Maine. B., National Training Laboratories.