Active student responses are observable behaviors made by students following specific instructional stimuli. Active student responses are one part of what has been referred to as a learning trial or a learn unit, which consists of the presentation of an instructional antecedent for a student response (i.e., an opportunity to respond) followed by a student's active response directed to the instructional antecedent, which is either contingently reinforced (if correct) or followed by corrective feedback. Examples of active student responses include words read orally, words written, steps taken, hands raised, and math problems calculated. The demarcation of active responses indicates that they are not only observable but also measurable. Therefore, descriptors of student responses such as thinking or understanding are not satisfactory.

Active student responding ...