They go on to assert that procedural knowledge is meaningful only if it is linked to a conceptual base. One focus of active learning strategies is to develop a firm understanding of concepts. Prior to a seminar, students are given an assignment that includes reading and problems. They receive a series of conceptual questions on the assignment to write responses to prior to the next class session. During the seminar time in class permanently assigned groups meet to discuss their written responses.
Students refine their responses based on the group's discussion.
Subsequently, the instructor orchestrates a whole class discussion on the areas of confusion. At the end of the class, the instructor may collect seminar papers and assess them. Constructive comments encourage students to reconstruct certain aspects of their understanding. On the first day of class, students were given a policy statement explaining the seminaring concept. Emphasis was placed on the goal of actively involving the students in their own learning.