Active Learning Strategies for Teaching Lean Thinking

Active learning is a method of designing instruction so that classroom students are actively involved in learning concepts and content. Instead of casting students into the role of passive listener, active learning techniques strive to engage learners in reading, writing, discussing and doing things to connect the learners to the material. The Lean Aerospace Initiative sponsored the development of a foundational LAI Lean Academy® course about lean concepts.

The class is targeted for an audience with little or no experience in lean concepts and it was designed with a learner-centered focus using active learning techniques.

Several strategies used successfully in this class will be described in this paper, specifically: plant tours, the supply chain puzzle, mechanical assembly for lean engineering and interviews/out briefs. Results from student feedback indicate that class participants enjoy the active learning segments of the class much better than modules that are mostly lecture-based.