Active Learning Technique example: 

"Two-sides, Same Coin" Debate

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The capability to consistently recognize high-quality research and apply it in practice is an essential skill for all healthcare professionals, regardless of role or specialty (i.e. academic, clinician, researcher, etc.).  The active learning technique of “Two-sides, Same Coin” debate is a method used to test a student’s ability to effectively perform qualitative and in-depth analysis of scientific research. 

Instructions:

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1. ​Students are split into groups of three participants and each group is assigned a specific section – Introduction, Methods, Results, or Discussion – from a selected high-quality research article.  ​

2. Each member of the trio is designated a specific critique tone (either a “pro” or “con” position) for their assigned section, while the third member remains neutral and becomes the designated facilitator of discussion.  All input is guided by and recorded on a “critique template”, which is provided by the teacher and completed by the students prior to the class.

3. During class, the students are asked to join their group members and debate / defend their position while the facilitator moderates the discussion, which effectively engages the class in peer debate and active participation in learning.  Additionally, this step provides each student with exposure to diverse viewpoints, which may or may not change the conclusion from their critiquing process. 

4. At the end, the class comes together for large group discussion on insightful observations of the debating process.   Ultimately, the students are asked to consider post-debate insight and whether this process changed their position on the article and their confidence in applying the information in day-to-day practices. ​

5. The students are asked to submit a reflection paper on what knowledge they had gained from the experience and how they envision the lesson changing the way that they approach the process of reviewing and critiquing research.

This active learning technique is an effective way of eliciting student participation, honing their critical thinking and reasoning skills, and provides a framework that can be utilized repeatedly by rotating roles, introducing new articles weekly, and driving discussion around individual and group perceptions (or changes to viewpoints).