Active Learning Works Better Than Traditional Lectures (but students don’t often see it that way)

Have you ever had students complain about active learning in your classroom? Or have students ask for worksheets and lectures?

I have, and it honestly confused me. I believe there is a place and time for traditional lectures, but have seen the benefits to student learning when it is active, hands-on, and applied. However, many of our students (and many of us) feel like we learn more through lecture and traditional approaches -- even though the research shows that is not always the case:

For decades, there has been evidence that classroom techniques designed to get students to participate in the learning process produce better educational outcomes at virtually all levels. And a new Harvard study suggests it may be important to let students know it.

The study, published Sept. 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that, though students felt as if they learned more through traditional lectures, they actually learned more when taking part in classrooms that employed so-called active-learning strategies.

Lead author Louis Deslauriers, the director of science teaching and learning and senior physics preceptor, knew that students would learn more from active learning. He published a key study in Science in 2011 that showed just that. But many students and faculty remained hesitant to switch to it.

So the authors set out to create a study where students would learn in two different settings (traditional lecture vs active learning) and then be assessed afterward. The students would be surveyed on their perceived understanding of the topic after the traditional (or active) learning experience, and in turn, would see if those perceptions were correct.

When the results were tallied, the authors found that students felt as if they learned more from the lectures, but in fact scored higher on tests following the active learning sessions. “Actual learning and feeling of learning were strongly anticorrelated,” Deslauriers said, “as shown through the robust statistical analysis by co-author Kelly Miller, who is an expert in educational statistics and active learning.”

This outcome was both fascinating, and a bit reassuring. Students "believed" they learned more in lectures, when in fact, the study shows they did not. Quite the opposite. Often when we introduce project-based learning and active learning in our classes there can be hesitation from students. This is felt by all kinds of staff trying out facilitating (instead of lecturing), and is something we need to acknowledge and talk about.

As the authors share, it isn't about liking or disliking "active learning" but instead shows what our beliefs around learning are and what it should look like.​

Those results, the study authors are quick to point out, shouldn’t be interpreted as suggesting students dislike active learning. In fact, many studies have shown students quickly warm to the idea, once they begin to see the results. “In all the courses at Harvard that we’ve transformed to active learning,” Deslauriers said, “the overall course evaluations went up.”

What Does This Mean For Us In The Classroom

First, it’s important to remember that students are not resisting learning, they are resisting discomfort. Active learning often feels harder, especially at the beginning, because it requires them to think a bit longer and struggle to make meaning instead of simply consuming information.

The tension between effort and comfort is real.

Lecture is familiar for most of us. Worksheets are predictable. And predictability can feel like “learning” because students are used to associating school with passively taking in content, writing it down, and then replaying it on assessments. But, as the research shows, comfort is not a reliable indicator of deep learning.

Active learning experiences demand cognitive effort, and cognitive effort can feel like confusion or even frustration before it feels like confidence.

In other words, real learning often feels harder, not easier.

The Harvard study beautifully illustrates a truth many of us intuitively know: just because students feel they learned more listening to a lecture does not mean they actually did. Our brains tend to underestimate the value of productive failure and the kind of sustained thinking required in active learning.

And if students (and sometimes adults) misinterpret that discomfort as “not learning,” then of course they prefer traditional approaches.

That doesn’t mean traditional methods are useless. Far from it. Lectures, mini-lessons, and direct instruction have a rightful place. They are powerful tools when used with intention, especially for clarity, modeling, or foundational knowledge.

As an even further aside, let’s be clear. Traditional lectures and not explicit teaching. Much of the research behind explicit teaching show just how active the learning experience really is for the learners.

If we want students to 1) understand deeply, 2) transfer knowledge, and 3) build durable learning skills then we have to agree lecture-based instruction cannot carry the load alone.

As Deslauriers and Miller note, once students start seeing that their performance improve (and their confidence grows) active learning becomes not just tolerable, but preferable. The discomfort fades and is replaced by competence, autonomy, and a sense of ownership.

Normalize Discomfort, Celebrate Growth

A few practical ways we can normalize active learning for students:

1. Talk about how learning feels before you do it
Set the tone. Share the research. Be transparent about why the classroom might look and feel different.

2. Use quick reflection tools
Ask students after a hands-on or project experience:

• What was confusing or challenging?

• What strategies did you try?

• How do you know more now than an hour ago?

Reflection makes learning visible.

3. Show before-and-after gains
Simple formative checks can help students see that their skills or understanding grew. When they see evidence, they trust the process.

4. Scaffold the transition
Early in the year, start with small active-learning routines before diving into big performance tasks and authentic experiences. Let students build stamina.

5. Explain why lectures still matter
Lecturing is not the enemy. It is a tool. We just don’t want it to be the only one.

Reframing Our Job

If I’m being honest, lectures feel more comfortable for me too.

They are easier to control.
They feel efficient.
They minimize unpredictability.

But active learning requires us to become facilitators of learning, not just distributors of information.

And here's the key takeaway from all of this:

If learning feels effortless, it’s likely not as deep or durable as we think.

Active learning is a belief system about how humans learn best, and one me must put into practice.

The takeaway from the Harvard research is not that lectures are bad, or that we all need to jump into 24/7 hands-on projects.

It’s much simpler:

Learning happens through doing, not just receiving.

And doing often feels uncomfortable before it feels rewarding.

If students believe “easy equals learning,” they will constantly misread their own progress and avoid the deeper work.

If we help them understand that cognitive effort is necessary then they become stronger learners for life. And that my friends, is the goal.