Abstract :
This study was motivated to reveal teachers’ views on the use of active learning techniques in Philosophy class which is offered as a compulsory part of secondary education curriculum in Turkey. Phenomenological design was adopted in the study considering the fact that the sampling was constituted by the teachers who were supposed to explain the given phenomenon. Accordingly, 10 philosophy teachers working at various institutions of secondary education affiliated to the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Kahramanmaraş in 2016-2017 Academic Year, Turkey participated in the research. The data were collected through a semistructured interview form developed by the researchers. Themes, subthemes and codes were constructed based on the results obtained from content analysis and existing literature. Subsequently, they were illustrated and discussed/ interpreted. The findings have shown that such active learning techniques as question-and-answer drills, brain storming, conceptual mapping, cases, discussion, storytelling, and six-thinking-hats are frequently used by the teachers. The participants have also reported that these techniques are exclusively useful in making classes enjoyable, increasing efficiency of the classes, making learning permanent, increasing attention and self-confidence, eliminating prejudices against the class, improving teacher-student interaction, and improving students’ feeling of worthiness. The study concludes with the discussion of the findings, and practical implications.
