“They Won’t Sit Still!”
One of my core beliefs about learning is that we learn by doing. I prefer active video conference sessions where students are interacting with the content or another class and I think this list would be helpful to content providers and teachers to engage the students more.
Remember, all learning structures do not work for every situation, but here is a list to get you thinking.
- Open Discussion: Ask the question and let the discussion take shape naturally.
- Response Cards: Ask students to answer the question by writing on the index card.
- Whip Around: Have the group stand and in a brief statement share a connection or learning.
- Calling on the Next Speaker: After a student shares her opinion have her call on the next person. Good to use when the group is highly engaged with the topic.
- Self-Rating System: Have students rate their knowledge or understanding by using numbers from 1-10.
- Take a Walk: Pose a question to discuss or a concept to review and take a walk with a partner around the building.
- Stand if You’re Like Me: Left-handed, like spiders, eat pizza, wear a watch, like to play soccer.
- 5-3-1 Jot down 5 words that were key in the last lesson. Share with your partners at your table then choose 3 of them. As a group selects the one word that is the key theme or concept from the last lesson.
- Turn to Your Neighbor and …
• Reflect on what I just said
• Repeat the directions I just gave
• Define the following word _____
• Tell them why you agree or disagree with what the character did at the beginning of the last chapter. - Touch Blue
- Write Your Name in the Air (or your spelling words!)
- Hand Dancing!
- Content Graffiti: Give each group a poster board with a content topic already written on it and a marker for each person in the group. The group reviews content related to this topic and then each person in the group adds their comments and key points to the poster.
- Group Juggling: Using a koosh ball, have the group stand in a circle and toss the ball to each person in the group to establish the pattern. Each person gets the ball one time and the person who begins it is the person who ends it. Repeat again with the same pattern. Repeat again adding additional balls.
- Sentence Completion (Don’t always do this in written form! Sometimes let them journal orally!)
• I used to ________________ but now I _____________________.
Photo credit: Tela Chhe
What are some strategies that you have seen used effectively to shift the energy in a group of learners or to reconnect them with learning? Have you connected with certain content providers that excel at this? What ideas have your teachers used in Read Around the Planet or other collaborations?
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