What Traditional Apprenticeship Principles Can Teach Us about Active Learning

Steven Ehrlick

Active learning has recently become a popular pedagogical tool, however, its antecedents stretch back to antiquity. While any non-lecture activity will positively affect student attention spans [1], mere activity alone is not sufficient to inspire students to engage in deep learning. An active learning module should further course learning outcomes, and foster critical thinking [2] and be perceived by students as a link between these classroom activities and the skill set they must acquire for their futures in the workforce [3] Apprenticeship is also a model of learning that transcends its application to vocational training, having been used in areas as divergent as law, medicine, culinary arts and media production [4, 5]. As a model of learning, apprenticeship can be framed by four guiding dimensions – pedagogical, occupational, locational and social [6]. This paper draws upon these four principles to provide a conceptual framework for active learning activities in higher education, which may be of use to all instructors but especially those charged with teaching students 21st century skills.

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