1 Theme: According to Baldick, a theme may be defined as âa salient abstract idea that emerges from a literary workâs treatment of its subject-matter; or a topic recurring in a number or literary worksâ (Baldick 258). 2  Themes in literature tend to differ depending on author, time period, genre, style, purpose, etc.
Active Learning. Active learning is any activity that allows students to engage the course materials during instruction so that the teacher and the student can ascertain the students' mastery of the materials and adjust the instruction to facilitate further learning.
The primary activity of passive learning is passive listening. Critics of passive listening say that students are just retaining information until the next test, instead of beyond the classroom. Active learning is a teaching method aimed at solving this problem. Active learning places more responsibility on the participants of the classroom environment: the teacher and the students. Teachers using an active learning style are not only responsible for knowing the subject they teach, but also for knowing how to best teach the material.