Learning is more effective when it is an active rather than a passive process.
Interpretation
Active learning enhances the effectiveness of the educational process.
This quote by Kurt Lewin emphasizes the idea that engagement in the learning process leads to better retention and understanding of material compared to a passive approach, such as simply listening or reading without interaction. Active learning involves participants in the process, allowing them to experiment, discuss, and apply concepts in a hands-on manner, which ultimately fosters deeper comprehension and critical thinking skills.
In practice
In a classroom, the teacher can encourage students to participate in discussions rather than just lecturing for hours.
The American culture ideal of the "self-made-man," of everyone "standing on his own feet" seemed as tragic a picture as the initiative-destroying dependence on a benevolent despot. He felt and perceived clearly that we all need continuous help from each other, and that this type of interdependence is the greatest challenge to maturity of individual and group functioning.
The history of acceptance of new theories frequently shows the following steps: At first the new idea is treated as pure nonsense, not worth looking at. Then comes a time when a multitude of contradictory objections are raised, such as: the new theory is too fancy, or merely a new terminology; it is not fruitful, or simply wrong. Finally a state is reached when everyone seems to claim that he had always followed this theory. This usually marks the last state before general acceptance.
If you want truly to understand something, try to change it.
Fortunately I experienced Max Wertheimer's teaching in Berlin and collaborated for over a decade with Wolfgang Köhler. I need not emphasize my debts to these outstanding personalities. The fundamental ideas of Gestalt theory are the foundation of all our investigations in the field of the will, of affection, and of the personality.
Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals & character is superior to the man who tries to teach & train others.
We cannot always build a future for our youth, but we can always build our youth for the future.
What we want to help children with is, just because you feel sad or happy or depressed doesn't mean that is who you are. We want them to know, 'I am really sad right now, but I am not a sad person.'
A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.
I went out of my way to play games I didn't like or find interesting. Those ended up being a lot more informative for me. At home, I have literally thousands of games, and I think of them as pearls of wisdom from my predecessors.
Language is an art, like brewing or baking.... It certainly is not a true instinct, for every language has to be learnt.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.