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Learning Theory and Concepts

Passive learning

Foundational and Developmental Learning Concepts

Passive learning describes an instructional model in which a student receives information largely without actively engaging with it, such as by listening to a lecture, watching a demonstration, or reading a text without discussion, questioning, or application, in contrast to active learning methods that require the learner to participate directly in constructing understanding. The term is most often used critically in education research and teacher training, where studies associate passive reception of information with weaker retention and understanding compared with active, participatory approaches such as discussion, problem solving, and hands-on practice. Despite this critique, passive formats such as lectures remain widespread in schooling and higher education, particularly for delivering large amounts of foundational content efficiently to large groups. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

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Core Claim
Students receive information from the instructor and internalize it 1
Sources
1. Passive learning (Wikipedia)
Lead section
Quote, Lead section
Passive learning is a teaching method where students receive information from the instructor and internalize it.
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Passive learning (Wikipedia)
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