Active

Learning Techniques
Resource Guide

Young Africa Works in Kenya

Technical Vocational Education and Training – 01 (TVET-01) Project:
CBET Training Program
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Student Engagement Looks Like 9
Brief Introduction of Active Learning 9
Strategies to get the ball rolling 10
Detailed Active Learning Strategies for the Classroom 11
Think pair share 11
Dotmocracy 12
Minute paper 13
Buzz groups 14
Continuum line 15
Plus, minus, interesting (PMI) 16
Mind maps 17
Jigsaw 18
Who Am I? 19
Houston, We Have a Problem 20
Anticipation Guide 21
Guided Note-Taking 23
Experience-Text-Relationship 24
Select a Sentence 25
Lecture Bingo 26
Circle of Voices 27
What If 28
Milling 29
Clustering 30
Concept Maps 31
RSQC2 (Recall, Summarize, Question, Comment, and Connect). 32
Interactive Lecture 33
Muddiest Point 34
Post-It Note Parade 35
Snowball 35
Index card Pass 35
Complete turn Taking 36
Respond, React, Reply 36
Pro-Con Grid 37
Think Aloud 37
Crowdsourcing 38
Give One, Get One 38
Quiz/Test Questions 39
Flash Review 39

Active learning strategies for Building Community 41

Icebreakers and Energizers 42
getting to know each other (small or large group) 42
Fact Bag 43
Story time 43
 Colours 44
Names 44
Bingo Variation: Find a person who 44
Two truths and a lie (or a wish) 44
Story-telling Theatre Sports 45
Commonalities 45
My Four Faces 45
Human Bingo 46
17 Green Trips 46
Penny Stories 47
Toilet Paper Intros 47
Name Game 47
Top ten reasons you don't want to be here 47
Introduce your partner 48
Scrapbook Selection 48
brush with fame 48
line dance 48
name tag trio 48
sketch intro 48
speed skating 48
word association cloud 48
answer any three 49
family name game 49
what's in a name 49
line up 49
wheel in a wheel 49
Scavenger Hunt 49
course expectation exercise 50

Building trust Ice breakers 51

Rose and Thorn 51
Circle of Comfort 51
Gives and Gets 51
Teaching is like 51

IceBreakers that can be adapted for Online 52

Picture walk 52
name game 52
Synchronous Storytelling Icebreaker: 52

Further Active Learning Techniques for all situations 53

Instructor Action: Lecture 53
Picture Prompt 53
Think Break 53
updating notes 53
Choral Response 53
Word Cloud Guessing 53
Instructor Storytelling 54
Grab a Volunteer 54
Muddiest Point 54
 Socratic Questioning 54
Reverse Socratic Questioning 54
Pass the Pointer 54
Turn My Back 54
Empty Outlines 54
Classroom Opinion POlls 55
Discussion Row 55
Total Physical Response 55
Student Polling 55
Self-Assessment 55
Quote Minus One 55
Everyday Ethical Dilemma 55
Polar Opposites 55
Pop Culture 56
Make Them Guess 56
Make It Personal 56
Read Aloud 56
Punctuated Lectures 56
Word of the Day 56
Recall, Summarize, Questions, Connect and Comment 56
Focused Listening 56
Background Knowledge Probe 57
Goal Ranking 57
Interest/Knowledge/Skills Checklist 57
Documented Problem Solutions 57
Provocative Picture 57

Instructor Action: Lecture (Small Class Size) 58

Pass the Chalk 58
Whiteboard record 58
Pass the Dart 58
Beach Ball Bingo 58
Bingo Balls of Doom 58
Town Hall Meeting 58
The Half Class Lecture 58
Tournament 58
Three Part Interview 59

Student Action: Individual 60

One-Minute Papers 60
Muddiest Point 60
Misconception Check 60
Drawing for Understanding 60
Turn Taking Reading 60
Haiku 60
Media Break 60
Photo Homework 60
Board of Artwork 61
Video Selfie 61
Gallery Walk 61
 Circle the Questions 61
Ask the Winner 61
What’s the Principle? 61
Infographic 61
Bookmark Notes 61
True or False? 62
“Real-World” 62
Concept Mapping 62
Advice Letter 62
Tabloid Titles 62
Bumper Stickers 62
One-Sentence Summary 62
Directed Paraphrasing 62
Word Journal 62
Truth Statements 63
Objective Check 63
Opposites 63
Student Storytelling 63
Application to Major 63
Pro and Con Grid 63
Harvesting 63
Chain Notes 63
Focused Autobiographical Sketches 64
Course-Related Self-Confidence Surveys 64
Profiles of Admirable Individuals 64
Memory Matrix 64
Categorizing Grid 64
Defining Features Matrix 64
What/How/Why Outlines 64
Approximate Analogies 64
Problem Recognition Tasks 64
Switch it up! 65
Reading Rating Sheets 65
Assignment Assessments 65
Exam Evaluations 65
Group-Work Evaluations 65
Teacher-Designed Feedback Forms 65
Writing Fables 65

Student Action: Pairs 66

Think-Pair-Share 66
Pair-Share-Repeat 66
Wisdom of Another 66
Do-Si-Do 66
Forced Debate 66
Optimist/Pessimist 66
Teacher and Student 66
Peer Review Writing Task 67
Invented Dialogues 67
 My Gift 67
Psychoanalysis 67
Get One, Give One 67

Student Action: Groups 68

Jigsaw (Group Experts) 68
World Café 68
With a Creative Twist 68
Gap Exercise 68
Brain Drain 68
Interactive Lit Review 68
Balloon Pop 68
Things You Know 69
Board Rotation 69
Make it a Story 69
Creating Categories 69
Pass the Problem 69
Pick the Winner 69
Layered Cake Discussion 69
Student Learning Communities 70
Lecture Reaction 70
Movie Application 70
Student Pictures 70
Definitions and Applications 70
TV Commercial 70
Blender 70
Human Tableau or Class Modeling 71
Build from Restricted Components 71
Ranking Alternatives 71
Simulation 71
Group Instructional Feedback Technique 71
Classroom Assessment Quality Circles 71
Audio and Videotaped Protocols 71
Imaginary Show and Tell 71
Six Degrees of “RNA Transcription Errors” 72
Sticky Note Discussions 72

Second Chance Testing 73

Déjà vu 73
80/20 Rule 73
Up to Half 73
Group Test / Group Grade 73
Group Test / Individual Grade 73
Group Second-Test 73
Draw Your Partner 73

Peer Feedback Strategies 74

Three Stars and a Wish 74

Audience Response Tools 74

Top Hat 74
 Hand Held Response Cards 74
Plickers 74
Color Boards 74
Fingers on Chest 75
Assertion Agreement 75

Creating Groups 76
Quick Division 76
Question and Answer Cards 76
Telescoping Images 76
Speed Sharing 76
Trio Rotation 76
Go to Your Post 76
Four Corners 77
Deck of Cards 77

Games (Useful for Review) 78

Crossword Puzzle 78
Jeopardy 78
Bingo 78
Pictionary 78
Super-Password 78
Guess the Password 78
Twenty Questions 78
Hollywood Squares 79
Scrabble 79
Who am I? 79
Ticket out the Door 79

Interaction Through Homework 80

Find the Company 80
Diagnostic Learning Logs 80
Process Analysis 80
Productive Study-Time Logs 80
Double-Entry Journals 80
Paper or Project Prospectus 80
Annotated Portfolios 80

Student Questions 81
Student Questions (Index Cards) 81
Student Questions (Group-Decided) 81
Questions as Homework 81
Student-Generated Test Questions 81
Minute Paper Shuffle 81

Role-Play 81
Role-Playing 81
Role Reversal 81
Jury Trial 82
Press Conference 82
Press Conference (Guest Speaker) 82
 Analytic Memo 82

Student Presentations 82
Fishbowl 82
Impromptu Speeches 82
Anonymous Peer Feedback 82
PowerPoint Presentations 83
Shower Boards 83

Brainstorming 83
Group Concept Mapping 83
Round Robin 83
Brainstorming on the Board 83
Brainstorming Tree 83
Brainstorming in a Circle 83
Whiteboard Talk / Chalk Talk 84

Digital Media and Online Activities 85

YouTube 85
Video Demonstrations 85
Student Videos 85
Closed Eyes Method 85
Interactive Video Quizzes 85
Movie Clips 85
Embed into PowerPoint 85
Shared Account 85

Mobile and Tablet Devices 85

Compose a Musical Theme 86

Online Interaction 86
Online Chat (All-Day) 86
Online Chat (Quick) 86
Online Evaluation 86
Pre-Class Writing 86
E-Mail Feedback 86

Small Group Closing Ideas: 87

Building community once course is finished (Afterward) 88
Ongoing Group Connection 88
Mini Online Conference 88
Social Media Connections 88

Adapted in part from these sources 89

 WHAT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT LOOKS LIKE

BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF ACTIVE LEARNING

Participatory Learning involves the learners actively in the learning process. This intentional
sequence of activities or learning events helps the learners achieve the desired learning
outcome.

Learners understand and remember concepts by testing, exploring, and mentally manipulating
them. A number of educational theorists propose that each learner personally constructs his or
her own knowing. This suggests that the most effective learning may occur when, through
personal interaction with the content or materials, each person actively creates his or her own
set of knowledge, skills, and values. Only by engaging with the material or task can most
students experience learning that lasts.

Some formal learning approaches are inherently participatory, including cooperative learning,
inquiry-based learning, and problem-based learning. Other approaches incorporate
participation in more informal ways. For many, phrases like active learning and participatory
learning imply movement, noise, and busyness. However, while learner activities like thinking
and writing can both be highly active and participatory, they may also be relatively still and
quiet. Thus, at any given moment in a lesson, participatory learning may sound noisy to silent,
and look physically active to completely still.
 STRATEGIES TO GET THE BALL ROLLING

Orchestrating participation from all participants requires a wide variety of techniques. Although
there is not one recipe, the level and quality of participation can increase significantly by
applying these suggested techniques:

Volunteering (raised hands) should be used when the question or task is challenging, and you
don't want to put any participant in the spotlight.

Random calling (facilitator selects a participant to respond) should be used when you want
all participants to know that they are expected to have an answer; when you know through
observation that a particular participant has something to offer or when you want to keep a
record to make sure that everyone has a chance to say something.

Snow balling (one participant addresses a question to another) should be used when you want
to increase interaction among participants; when you want participants to stop talking to you
and start speaking to each other.

Round robin (every participant has a turn to talk or write on a sheet of paper) should be used
when you want participants to know that they will have an opportunity and a responsibility to
speak or write; it is especially useful when participants may feel tense about sharing.

Surveying (everyone shares a response at once through raised hands or other signs) and
sampling (you ask the same question to a number of participants and in turn to get a sample of
their responses) should be used when you want your participants to see where their fellow
colleagues stand on a particular issue.

Redirection (you redirect a participant’s question to another student or to the group as a whole)
should be used when you want your participants to explore a participant-raised proposition that
moves the discussion forward and keeps it on track.

Note: These 6 strategies can be altered or blended very effectively. And they are great
opportunities to correct, clarify, and celebrate. Secondly, I foresee the possibility of adapting
these suggested strategies as an online engagement activity as well.
 DETAILED ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR THE CLASSROOM

THINK PAIR SHARE

What is Think Pair Share?

Think Pair Share is an active learning strategy that helps to facilitate class wide participation,
critical thinking, debate, discussion, and collaboration. It is a useful strategy because it can be
applied in almost any higher education teaching context, from a class of 4 to 400.

Think Pair Share encourages critical thinking of questions or new concepts taught and allows
students to share and discuss their ideas with their peers in a comfortable setting. It also allows
the instructor to monitor discussions to determine what they should do next in their teaching.

PROCESS

1. Pose a meaningful and open-ended question to the students. It can be related to course
concepts, field work, experiences, etc.
2. THINK: As individuals, give students time to think about they would respond to the
question. Encourage a quiet environment. Set a time limit you think works best. Generally, 2-3
minutes will give all students ample processing time.
3. PAIR: Once the time is up, have students get into pairs and discuss what they thought about for
a time limit that works for your class. You don’t always need to use pairs – groups of 3 or even 4
can work. You can also ask students to write down what they discuss.
4. Take this time to walk around the room and monitor or engage in discussions with the groups.
This is a great opportunity for you to identify gaps in student understanding, clear up
misconceptions, or build on student ideas.
5. SHARE: Once time is up, inform the groups they will be sharing as a class. If you wish, instruct
the groups to appoint a speaker (this might help the more nervous students). Go around the
room and have groups share what they discussed in relation to the question. If you choose,
record the different responses. From here you can choose to facilitate a large class discussion,
move onto the next part of your class, close the class, or do whatever you see fit!

EXAMPLES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW87rihT38I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqrOxeL-fwk
 DOTMOCRACY

What is Dotmocracy?
Often referred to as “dot-voting” dotmocracy is an active learning technique that poses
questions and reveals opinions. You can do an effective dotmocracy with a group of 10 to even
50 people. Dotmocracy is best done in a room where this space to move around and you have
walls to hang up large sheets of paper.

PROCESS
1. SET UP: You will need large sheets of paper taped to the walls, with a prompt/prompts written
on each sheet for students to respond to with their “dots.” This could be something you have
been discussing for a while or a new concept you want students to explore from different
perspectives. You will need something to be the “dots” that students use to indicate which
statement they agree or disagree with – these could be stickers, markers or something else.
2. INSTRUCT: Tell students that the posters around the room include statements/responses to the
question(s) you just posed. Instruct the students that they will go around the room and think
about which perspectives they agree/disagree with the most. They will indicate their thoughts
using colour-coded stickers/markers (e.g., green = agree, red = disagree).
3. FACILITATE: Take this opportunity to walk around the room with students to assess what and
how they are thinking about the questions you pose. You can encourage debate, pose
questions, or address any gaps during this period.
4. CLOSE: After a set amount of time look at each poster and open up a class discussion analyzing
the responses. It is good to have a look at the posters and see which opinions/thoughts are
more popular than others, and why.
Variations of Dotmocracy
● For a deeper version you could include multiple colours that indicate a spectrum of agreement
(strongly disagree – agree – neutral – disagree – strongly disagree)
● To encourage critical thinking, you could have students vote with their dots and explain their
choice by writing with a marker on the poster.
● Encourage students to discuss the different statements with their peers as they go through the
posters or have them write their own responses on the poster.
● In closing, you can also lead the discussion into a debate or another activity.

EXAMPLES

http://dotmocracy.org
http://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/active/12_exmples_of_active_learning_
activities.html
https://teaching.uwo.ca/teaching/learning/active-learning.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLYqH3xjKLk
 MINUTE PAPER

What are Minute Papers?

Minute Papers are a student-centered active learning strategy that helps students reflect on
their understandings. They also help the instructor(s) assess what students know and where
gaps in understanding are. This allows the instructor to identify areas of need and adapt their
teaching based on student feedback.

PROCESS
1. MATERIALS: All you will need are slips of paper. Blank index or flash cards work well. You could
also ask students to rip a sheet of their own paper in half and give one half to a peer.
2. Determine what classes you would like to get student feedback on their learning. Perhaps there
is a class where you will discuss a particularly challenging concept or an important topic.
3. INSTRUCTION: Take 3-5 minutes at the end of class to explain and administer the papers. Ask or
write a question down for students to respond to. These can be specific to the content you
explored that day, or they can be general questions such as “what was the most important thing
you learned today?” or “What questions do you still have?” Explain responses should be a few
sentences.
4. Distribute the papers and give students time to write the responses. Once they are done collect
these responses as students leave the room.
5. Ensure you give yourself/your team time to review the responses. Determine a strategy on how
to best follow up. This may mean adjusting your teaching strategy, taking more time to review a
concept, or discussing the feedback with the class.
Variations on Minute Papers
● You can use these anywhere! In class, on a field trip, after an activity, etc.
● Can be modified to be done at the beginning or middle of a class as well.
● You can read aloud some responses/questions and discuss as part of the class

SAMPLES

http://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/active/12_exmples_of_active_learning_
activities.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7l6GrhxYdI
 BUZZ GROUPS

What are Buzz Groups?

Buzz groups are a simple active learning strategy that fosters collaboration and helps generate
new ideas on a specific topic or question being discussed. This helps instructors assess student
participation and learning in small groups.

PROCESS
1. SET UP: Make sure you have around 10 – 20 minutes for this strategy. Pose a question or
discussion topic to the class. Then, break the class into small groups (3-5 students).
2. INSTRUCTION: Tell each group they will have some time to generate ideas around the topic or a
response to the question. Once time is up, have each group share their answer or one idea with
the whole class. Record these answers or ideas on the board or somewhere else.
3. CLOSE: Consolidate the ideas generated by the groups with a larger discussion or revision and
close the activity.
Variations on Buzz Groups
● You can also use buzz groups if you want students to generate an argument to a question or
prompt.
● This activity can be used anytime during a lesson. Just make sure if you are using it at the
beginning or middle you connect it to the next part of your lesson.
● Group sizes usually range from 3-5 people. Keep in mind larger group sizes can limit
participation from each student.
● You can adjust time for group discussions depending on the topic/question and students’
knowledge of it.

EXAMPLES

http://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/active/12_exmples_of_active_learning_
activities.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rphcuLl4ebo
 CONTINUUM LINE

What is the Continuum Line?

Known also as the “Line-Up” or “Social Barometer” this is a great large group activity that helps
generate discussion, clarify concepts, and get students thinking about their own perspective in
comparison to others. This is an excellent activity for opening discussions about “grey-area”
concepts where opinions can differ.

PROCESS
1. SET UP: You will need a medium to large space for this activity. An open space is ideal, but not
required as students will be moving around.
2. INSTRUCTION: Tell the class that the room is a continuum, with one wall being the “strongly
agree” side and the opposite wall being the “strongly disagree” side. Now, present an issue or
open question where students must decide the extent to which they agree or disagree with the
prompt. Tell them to move to their ‘position’ along the continuum.
3. Once students have found their positions on the continuum, take some time discussing the
prompt and the similar or different positions students have taken.
4. This can be repeated for a variety of prompts, issues, or open-ended questions.
5. CLOSE: Once you are done with all the prepared prompts, have students go back to their normal
arrangement and continue or close the lesson.
Variations on the Continuum Line
● This activity usually takes 10 minutes or much more depending on the group size and number of
prompts – make sure you budget your time appropriately.
● Once students take their positions on the continuum you can have them discuss their
perspectives with each other, have a larger class discussion where they present their opinions,
or both! Though be mindful some students may feel uncomfortable publicly demonstrating their
opinion.
● Ensure you are able to facilitate the discussion respectfully, especially if discussing potentially
sensitive topics. If this is the case, you may want to instruct students that if a certain topic is
too overwhelming, they can step out or choose not to participate and just listen.

EXAMPLES

http://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/active/12_exmples_of_active_learning_
activities.html
https://inspired.fb.com/activities/continuum/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbEdqG8gI8Y
 PLUS, MINUS, INTERESTING (PMI)

What is Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI)?

Initially developed as a thinking technique, this is a great active learning strategy that enables
critical thinking and is incredibly easy to do as there are no limitations in terms of materials,
space, or group size. This strategy helps instructors assess students’ knowledge and thinking
when it comes to any concept. As such, it is most beneficial to use at the end of a lesson or
unit.

PROCESS
1. MATERIALS: You will need a worksheet with three columns in it: Plus, Minus, and Interesting.
Alternatively, you can write this on the board as well.
2. INSTRUCTION: Tell students they will be evaluating a concept/idea you have been discussing.
This could be a text, piece of art, music, video, scientific process, mathematical approach,
clinical approach, and much more. Distribute the worksheet with the three columns to
students.
3. Explain each column and what students need to fill in. Under positive, students list all ‘good’
things about the concept or idea. Under negative, students list all the ‘bad’ things about the
concept or idea. Under interesting, students should jot down anything else they think is worth
noting or any questions they still have about the concept.
4. CLOSE: End this activity by collecting the worksheets or initiating a class discussion. Now the
instructor should be able to assess their students’ understanding of the concept.
Variations on PMI?
● This is a great activity to use along with other active learning strategies to address one
concept. For example, you could couple this activity with a Think Pair Share.
● This activity is usually done individually, but you could have students do it in small groups.
● Ensure you take 10 or so minutes to allow students time to complete this activity.

EXAMPLES

https://sites.google.com/a/hcschoolstn.org/hcboe/teaching-strategies/formativeassessment-
plus-minus-interesting
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/PMI-plus-minus-interesting-retrospective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhdgrD6_Qjw
 MIND MAPS

What are Mind Maps?

Mind Maps are an excellent and very popular teaching technique. In particular, they can help
facilitate discussion, improve collaborative thinking, connect concepts, and break down larger
concepts or ideas.

PROCESS
1. MATERIALS: Students just need some type of writing surface and writing instrument.
2. INSTRUCTION: Mind maps can be integrated in teaching in so many ways and at different points
of a lesson or course. Ask students to draw and identify connections between various concepts
discussed in a single class, or across multiple classes, by drawing a schematic map. This map
could include key ideas, terms or sketches, with lines drawn between these entries to indicate
relationships.
3. CLOSE: You can end the mind map activity in a variety of ways as well. If you want to assess
students’ understanding, consider collecting the mind maps.
Variations on Mind Maps
● You can dedicate as much time as you want to mind maps depending on the concept, students’
knowledge, and the context of your lesson. They could be a 10-minute activity to a class-long
activity. You can even make a mind map an assignment.
● You can easily integrate mind maps in other activities, such as having larger class discussions,
having group presentations, etc.
● In addition to writing, students can develop a metaphor or draw images to simplify and explain
a given concept.
● Consider sharing mind maps that students have made with each other to prompt further
discussion and critical thinking.

EXAMPLES

https://teaching.uwo.ca/teaching/learning/active-learning.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCyjFipytRE&t=35s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nTuScU70As
 JIGSAW

What is a Jigsaw?
Jigsaws get students moving and interacting with each other as they learn from one another.
This is an excellent strategy to promote confidence, leadership, information management skills,
and presentation skills.

PROCESS
1. SET UP: Decide on a concept or topic you want students to explore. Ensure you either have
multiple topics that are related to each other or one concept that is complex enough that you
can break down into sub-topics for students.
2. INSTRUCTION: Split students into medium sized groups (3-5 is ideal). These are their home
groups. Assign each student in the group a number aligned with the relevant topics. For
example, if the larger concept was “Education” you might have 1 = Teaching Strategies,
2 = Students’ Perspectives, 3 = Learning Sciences, etc.
3. Now, have students split from their home groups and join a group where each person has the
same number (i.e., Group 1, Group 2, etc.). These are the “expert groups.”
4. In these expert groups, give students time to research and learn everything they can about their
assigned topic.
5. After some time, have students return to their home groups (formed at the beginning) and each
student has to share what they have learned from their expert group.
Variations on the Jigsaw
● Depending on the size of groups and complexity of the topics/concepts ensure you allow ample
time. In general, this activity can take anywhere from 20 – 40 minutes.
● When students return to their home groups from their expert groups to discuss ideas, you can
have one student record everything that has been learned/discussed and collect this
● Alternatively, you could also have all groups do a short presentation on what they’ve learned to
the class

EXAMPLES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhtXUgBEts&t=102s
https://tlc.uoit.ca/services/teaching-support/active-learning.php
https://teaching.uwo.ca/teaching/learning/active-learning.html
 WHO AM I?

Who Am I? is an activity that provides students with the opportunity to use their content
knowledge to identify a significant concept, idea, theory, person, place, or object related to
course content. This activity requires students to develop an understanding of course content
and think through key concepts by asking questions. This practice in asking questions and
thinking about elements of course material can help students’ comprehension. By forcing
students to ask questions to come up with the answer, Who Am I? improves student learning
and recall of course material.

PREPARATION
Prior to using Who Am I? identify a list of significant concepts, ideas, theories, people, places, or
objects related to the course content. It is helpful to include information or items used in prior
material to help students to integrate information. Write down the ideas on index cards that
students can draw.

PROCESS
● Select a student (or group of students) to draw a card with a concept, idea, theory, person,
place, or object on it.
● Allow a couple of minutes for selected students to reference readings or other materials to
prepare to answer questions.
● Students in class ask questions of the selected student in order to determine who or what was
on the card selected. The questions must be phrased to allow for only a “yes or no” response.
● After each question, the student or group of students asking the question may guess or pass.

EXAMPLE
In an Assessment and Evaluation course, you might create index cards with concepts such as
“Formative Assessment”, “Summative Assessment”, “Essential Employability Skills”, and
“Rubrics” etc. and then use this activity as a review of these key concepts.
 HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

In a classic scene in the movie Apollo 13, all of the NASA engineers gather in a room with all of
the stuff in the spacecraft and have to figure out how to make a square air filter fit a hole made
for a round filter. In the Houston, We Have a Problem activity, students are given a collection of
items or information that they must use to solve a problem presented by the instructor. The
game is designed to encourage class participation, creativity, and problem solving. The structure
allows the opportunity for students to work together to think of innovative ways to use a set
collection of items to solve a problem. Houston, We Have a Problem can be a fun activity that
forces students to think through various issues, hypothesize solutions, and use knowledge
gained from class.

PREPARATION
The first step to prepare for Houston, We Have a Problem is to identify a problem for students
to solve. The problem should be related to an application of course content and preferably
(although not necessarily) one with multiple paths to a solution. Next, you will need to collect
items or information for students to use to solve the problem. You might literally put the items
on a table or provide a list. The items might be objects (e.g., lab equipment) or information
(e.g., equation or formula) that can be used to figure out a solution. It is also useful to provide
red herring items that likely will not be useful but will require students to think about their
possible use.

PROCESS
● Divide the students into groups and present the problem to be solved. Provide the groups with
the items available for use in solving the problem.
● Have the students work on creating a solution. Answer questions from the groups seeking
clarification about the problem but do not provide examples of how to use the items or ways to
come up with a solution.
● After each group is finished, ask each to briefly report on their solution. Time permitting, you
can also ask each group to explain the process they used.

EXAMPLE
In a Computer Systems Hardware course, you might present the students with a technical issue
and provide them a list of the tools that they are able to use in order to troubleshoot the
problem. In small groups, students would then have to use the tools provided to come up with
a solution to the technical issue and present their plan of action to the class.
 ANTICIPATION GUIDE

Anticipation Guide is an activity that asks students to respond to a series of questions and to
make predictions prior to reading assigned text in order to activate prior knowledge and
increase curiosity. This process helps students think about ideas and concepts prior to reading
about them. By asking students to respond before reading, instructors are able to focus
students’ attention on significant concepts as well as prepare them for reading. This activity
encourages and motivates students to read closely and critically think about what they are
reading.

PREPARATION
First, identify the major points that you want students to gain from the reading. Next, write up
8–10 statements that will challenge students to think about the concept. The goal is to get the
students to make predictions about the material they are about to read. Typically, the questions
or statements are dichotomous. You may write them using a true/false, fact/opinion, or yes/no
format.

PROCESS
● Share the Anticipation Guide with the class.
● Ask the students to respond to each question and be prepared to share their responses and also
to be prepared to explain the logic behind their answers.
● Next, have the students read the assigned text.
● Time permitting, you can have the students re-evaluate their answers in light of the information
they learned from the reading.

EXAMPLES
 GUIDED NOTE-TAKING

Guided Note-Taking uses the concept of scaffolding to provide students with a structure for
taking notes during a lecture. Scaffolding is a fundamental aspect of learning. It is the process by
which individuals learn new information by building on what is known. Guided Note-Taking
provides students with a format for active listening, and research suggests that being active can
improve learning. Students have specific questions to answer or blanks to fill in, and this can
improve their willingness and ability to pay attention. Through scaffolding, students identify the
most important concepts introduced and begin to make distinctions between these concepts
and less important ones. The information missing from the note-taking structure is only
provided during lecture, Guided Note-Taking shows students which information is most
valuable and gives them an incentive to come to class and pay attention. Thus, this can also
have a positive effect on class attendance (which typically improves performance).

PREPARATION
Create a note-taking structure that students can “fill in” during a lecture. If you post notes prior
to class, simply leave out critical information. If you use PowerPoint or Prezi, remove key words
and phrases and insert blanks in their place. Of course, this technique is greatly enhanced if you
remove concepts and insert conceptual questions. Simply removing individual words alone
tends not to prompt the desired level of thinking. Explain to students that you are using this
technique to enhance learning and that your hope is that they will come to class in order to “fill
in” the information that is missing from the outline.

PROCESS
● Provide students with the note-taking structure, whether ahead of time by email or Web or in
class as a handout.
● Present your lecture on course content using the same note-taking structure.
● As information is presented during the lecture, ensure the students are filling in missing content
to complete the guided notes. You may do so by asking key questions or even asking specifically,
“Based on what you have learned, what do you think goes in this space?”
●

Coupling Agent:

compound coats the filler particles to chemically bond t

filler to the resin matrix.
The portion of the compound bonds to the quartz, gla silica,
and the

EXAMPLE:
 EXPERIENCE-TEXT-RELATIONSHIP

This activity begins by asking students about their Experiences with a topic, then asking
questions from an assigned text, and concludes by asking Relationship questions that help
students bridge their own experience and the knowledge from the text. Experience-Text-
Relationship proves particularly useful in activating students’ background knowledge of a class
topic and relating new information to this prior understanding. Helping students think through
their own experiences in relationship to a reading can assist with students developing
frameworks to understand new content. This process also elaborates the connection of the text
information and provides additional retrieval cues to the newly learned material.

PREPARATION
To start the activity, select a reading to apply the Experience-Text-Relationship framework. The
goal of your questions should be pulling out the students’ views and interpretations as part of a
discussion of the text.

PROCESS
● During the Experience phase, ask questions about the students’ background and prior
knowledge of the topic.
● Next, have students read a particular passage or section of the reading. Resume the discussion
by asking students to identify themes in the text, important points, or confusing areas that can
be clarified.
● Finally, ask questions that invite the students to draw connections between the themes and
concepts from the text and their own experiences.

EXAMPLE
In a Teaching Methodologies course, you might select a reading related to Universal Design for
Learning (UDL). To begin, you could start a discussion to activate students' background
knowledge about the topic and determine if they have any familiarity with the UDL principles.
You could then ask students to read the article and provide a few guiding questions to
encourage active reading. Once students finish reading the article, you could ask them to relate
the content of the article to their personal experiences implementing UDL principles or
experiencing them as a student.
 SELECT A SENTENCE

In Select a Sentence, the instructor asks each student or group of students to identify one
sentence that they believe contains a significant idea for the class topic. The instructor takes
each of the sentences, pulls together themes, and helps students think through the main ideas
of the class. This activity assists students in identifying key concepts from reading and analyzing
ideas across readings to improve understanding of course content. Select a Sentence can be
used for dense or heavily theoretical content with which students often struggle or to compare
different approaches or viewpoints across readings.

PREPARATION
Prior to the use of the Select a Sentence activity, identify key themes along with supporting
sentences. It is not necessary for the students to pick the same sentences that you do but
having a list prior to class provides two benefits. First, you will be better prepared to pull out
themes from the sentences students do provide. Second, if there are areas that are important
and students do not identify them, you have specific examples to bring to the discussion.

PROCESS
● Ask students individually or in groups (depending on the size of the class) to identify a sentence
that contains a significant idea or concept (three to five minutes).
● One by one, ask students to share their sentence. Write down key phrases or ideas on the
board. Group the phrases by theme.
● After collecting all of the sentences, help students see the major themes from all of the
sentences identified. You may use lectures, discussions, or other means. The goal is to help
students see how individual sentences and readings can be analyzed to develop an
understanding of larger concepts.

EXAMPLE
In a Leadership course you might ask students to read a chapter about Leadership Styles and
identify a sentence that contains a significant idea. As students share their sentences you can
identify the major themes which can lead to a discussion about effective leadership.
 LECTURE BINGO

The instructor creates a bingo card with terms that will be discussed in a lecture. During the
lecture, students listen for the terms and mark them accordingly on their bingo cards when the
terms are used in the lecture. This technique is particularly useful when the content is factual,
conceptual, or early in a block of material when students have little foundational knowledge of
the information.
Lecture Bingo also promotes active listening, which is a process that requires the listener to go
beyond surface-level listening for information. Instead, this type of listening typically requires
additional action on the part of the receiver of information to indicate that he or she has heard.
Lecture Bingo gives students a specific task: to listen for specific concepts and to make a
physical motion when they have heard them. This task not only helps them focus their
attention but also to actively interact with content.

PREPARATION
When using Lecture Bingo, you will first need to create a bingo card, with five cells across and
five cells down. Mark the center with “free space.” Populate the rest of the card with terms you
will use in your lecture. (Note: There are many free Internet-based, bingo-card-generating
programs.) For example, http://print-bingo.com/print-bingo-cards.php provides a free template
with up to five cards.
Create one Bingo Card for each student or within a group. Vary the arrangement of the terms
on each card you create to ensure that each student receives a unique card (or that only a few
of the students have the same card if you have a large lecture class). Next, decide how students
should mark their responses. You can copy the cards so that students mark off the appropriate
space as they hear the term. If you plan to reuse the cards, however, consider using tokens
(such as poker chips) that students can use to cover the spaces but not permanently change the
cards. You can also laminate the cards and have them use colored stickers to mark their
responses.

PROCESS
● Announce the activity and distribute the bingo cards to the students.
● Inform students that they should mark the corresponding space when they hear the term
mentioned in the lecture. Tell them how they should mark their responses.
● As participants collect five vertical, horizontal, or diagonal dots in a row, they yell “Bingo!
● Conclude the game as one person wins or, alternately, continue the lecture, allowing as many
students as possible to yell “Bingo.”
● An alternative is to put students in groups and the teacher calls out the terms until a team
announces “Bingo.” Once the team announces Bingo, they will need to call out the terms and
give a brief overview of each.

EXAMP

Active Techniques Resource Guide © 2022 by Algonquin, Camosun & Durham - Young Africa Works in
Colleges
 CIRCLE OF VOICES

Circle of Voices encourages students to participate and engage with one another as they work in
groups of four to six to address a given challenge. In this activity, the teacher poses a question
with multiple answers or interpretations. Within each group, students share their answers or
insight into the question. Circle of Voices encourages equal participation and allows every
student to express an idea.
Circle of Voices provides a structure for cooperative learning and provides a vehicle for all
students to participate and interact with one another (Kagan, 1994). By providing structure to
the interactions, this technique facilitates the opportunity for students to join in course
discussions and actively participate in the class in a meaningful way.

PREPARATION
Begin preparation by identifying a question or set of questions to seed the group discussions.
Next, consider the benefits and challenges of assigning readings around the discussion topic
prior to class. These readings may be comprised of required textbook chapters, journal articles
secured for this activity, or even popular press information identified by the students. Having
prior readings provides perspectives that help provide useful material for group discussions.

PROCESS
● Explain the amount of time to be devoted to the Circle of Voices idea generation, specify how
the group will record responses, and note whether you will collect Circle of Voices responses or
only a summary of the final group considerations.
● Have the students form groups of ideally four to six people.
● Pose the concept or question for the groups to consider.
● Going around the circle, each member of the group provides their answer to the question.
● Students can go around the circle multiple times considering the original question, or you can
pose an additional prompt after a set time period.
● At the conclusion, have a spokesperson from the group report on the answers generated by the
group.

EXAMPLES
● Here is an example of a discussion question from a Biology Class: What would kill you first and
why? Lack of oxygen to the brain? Or lack of oxygen to the heart?
● Biochemistry: If the following mix of molecules were purified using size exclusion
chromatography, what would be the order in which the molecules pass through the opening in
the bottom of the column? Mixture containing: hemoglobin, 65,000 Daltons; myoglobin, 17,000
dal- tons; myosin, 180,000 daltons.
● What type of activities would be best suited for large classes?
 WHAT IF

With this technique, students examine an actual event, whether recent or from the distant past,
and discuss how the outcome that surrounded the event might differ if one crucial condition
were changed. Students move away from summary and even critical analysis toward creative
thinking and discussion about course-related content.
Imaginative inquiry is an approach to teaching and learning that harnesses students’ power of
imagination to create meaningful and challenging learning experiences (Egan, 2005). The notion
for this activity is that with the rise of industrialism, our curriculum and teaching methods have
become too objective based, too rote, and too standardized. Rather than teaching and testing
for memory of objective facts, higher education should instead be teaching students to think
creatively, to learn to do and to “make.” Beyond foundational knowledge, colleges should also
help students develop skills and demonstrable outcomes in creative thinking (Fink, 2013).

PREPARATION
In advance of using the What If activity, you will need to select a suitable course-related event.
Next, identify one variable to change or have students discuss which variable to change
themselves. Finally, determine the level of formality of the discussion and how long students
will have to think about the event prior to engaging in the discussion.

PROCESS
● Announce the activity and tell students the parameters of the discussion.
● Provide students with time to prepare.
● Have students form small groups to discuss the implications of the changed variable on the
event and aftermath.
● Debrief as a class and consider other potential impactful variables.

EXAMPLE
● What if Dolly, the famous cloned sheep, had been successfully produced on the first try?
Students in science disciplines can speculate about scientific elements of this event; students in
agriculture courses can focus on the immediate impacts in food production; students in ethics
courses could examine the balance of world-wide patterns of food production v. individual
identity; students in political science could focus on government funding issues; and so on
(WAC, 2014).

● What if a welder who was welding on a big plate from a dump truck using the ground as a
platform, decided he was tired of bending over so he started using 55-gallon drum that was on
the worksite instead? Students would take turns sharing different outcomes.
 MILLING

Milling prompts students to respond to a set of questions about a given unit of content for
items they know and to poll each other for information about questions that they cannot
answer. Helping students to develop the skills to answer when they know and seek answers
from others when they need assistance is a valuable approach in lifelong learning.
Students are at different levels of academic development, even with closely related content,
and sometimes the one-size-fits-all approach does not bring about the best learning. Milling
provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate competence at different levels at
different times. The notion is that when the questions are too easy students get bored. When
the content, or presentation of the content, is too difficult, the proposition is that students
become frustrated and tune out.

PREPARATION
Select an assignment for students to complete as homework, such as a reading or video lecture.
Next, create a list of related questions that students should be able to answer after having
completed the assignment. The list should contain a mixture of easy, moderately difficult, and
difficult questions. It may include definitions, multiple-choice questions, incomplete sentences,
or short essays. Practice responding to the questions yourself to get a sense of the time frame
students will need to complete the Milling activity (they will need longer than you do to answer
the questions).

PROCESS
● Announce the activity and the time frame that students will have to complete it.
● Provide students with the question list.
● Ask students to complete the list by filling in the answers to the questions as well as they can.
● Ask students to mill around the room, finding other students who could answer the questions
they could not. Encourage students to help each other.
● Reconvene as a full class and discuss the answers.
● Supply any answers that any students do not yet have.
● Alternatively, this could be completed in partners or groups.

EXAMPLES
● A variety of questions can be used such as MC, short answer, fill in the blanks.
● What marketing era or eras we are in now in terms of the Marketing Era and Relationship Era?
● Most professional brand valuation firms consider the impact of brand’s contribution to overall
profitability to measure brand equity, rather than softer emotional metrics, such as likability –
do you agree with this profit-focused approach?
● The 4 P’s of marketing are
 CLUSTERING

Identifying connections among concepts and teaching someone newly learned information is
helpful for both understanding and later recall. Clustering involves having students transfer
factual or conceptual information to each other while looking for connections and links between
concepts and ideas. Clustering is similar to a physical model of a concept map, with individuals
holding a single concept and then grouping that concept together with similar or related
concepts.

PREPARATION
Develop a list of factual bits of information or conceptual statements around a single topic that
can be grouped into different subcategories. Put each concept or statement on a separate index
card. Shuffle the deck of cards so that linked ideas are not all grouped together.

PROCESS
● Have students draw a card from a container or hand out one card per student.
● Give students two to three minutes to look up information about their concept or statement if
needed to ensure everyone understands the card they are holding.
● Ask students to move around the room, comparing their cards with other students’ cards and
explaining their card to others as needed.
● When students find links between their statements, they form a cluster.
● Students continue moving around the room, adding individuals to their clusters as appropriate.
● When each student has found a cluster, students determine whether they need to be broken
into sub-clusters.
● Students give their clusters a name and a description.
● Students introduce the cluster to the rest of the class, explaining why they have formed a
cluster.
● Students record their clusters, either on the board or a flip chart. They may then explain any
relations they see between clusters.
● The following boxes depict file cards with various topics to cluster together. (Or not)

EXAMPLE

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 CONCEPT MAPS

Concept Maps are drawings or diagrams showing the mental connections that students make
between a major concept stressed in class and other concepts they have learned. This technique
provides an observable and assessable record of the students' conceptual schemata (the
patterns of associations they make in relation to a given focal concept). Concept maps allow you
to discover the web of relationships that your students bring to the task at hand-their starting
points-and compare their understanding of relevant conceptual relations to your own. By
literally drawing the connections they make among concepts, students gain more control over
their connection making.

PREPARATION
Select a concept that is both important to understanding the course and relatively rich in
conceptual connections to use as the stimulus or starting point for the Concept Map. Before
class, create your own concept map to determine if the topic lends itself to the mapping
process.

PROCESS
● Have your students draw their own maps, either individually or in groups. Give them the
directions and show a simple example of a concept map.
● Begin the process by brainstorming for a few minutes, writing down terms and short phrases
closely related to the stimulus.
● Draw a concept map based on your brainstorming, placing the stimulus in the center and
drawing lines to other concepts. It can look roughly like a wheel with spokes, or it might take
other forms such as a geographical map, a hierarchical chart, a flowchart, etc.
● After sketching in the primary associations, move on to add secondary and even tertiary levels
of association, if appropriate.
● You can compare the students' maps to your own, being aware that they might come up with
different elements and relationships.

EXAMPLE
 RSQC2 (RECALL, SUMMARIZE, QUESTION, COMMENT, AND CONNECT).

RSQC2 is an assessment strategy that encourages students to recall and review class
information comprehensively. In so doing, it allows the instructor to compare students'
perspectives against his or her own. Students who are less skilled at organizing information and
applying it to the supporting RSQC2 is a technique that provides both the student and the
teacher with formative feedback. The Recall, Summary, and Question sections are
amplifications of the One Minute Paper. The Connect feature is key because it forces students
(and the instructor) to confront course structure.

PROCESS
● Recall - Students take two minutes to recall and list in rank order the most important ideas from
today’ lesson or a previous day’s class.
● Summarize - Then they take another two minutes to summarize those points in a single
sentence in order to "chunk" the information.
● Question - Next, students are asked to write one major question that they want answered.
● Comment - Students now add a comment regarding their confidence in or wariness of the
specific course content.
● Connect - Finally, students identify a thread or theme to connect this material to the course's
major goal.
●

SAMPLE FORM: RSQC2

Recall:

Summarize:

Question?

Comment:

Connect:

T.A. Angelo and K. P. Cross, 1993. CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES, 2nd ed. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass., p. 344-8.
 INTERACTIVE LECTURE

Interactive lectures are classes in which the instructor incorporates engagement triggers and
breaks throughout the lecture, so students participate in an activity that lets them work directly
with the material. Interactive lectures begin with an attention-getting introduction—maybe
music, a cartoon, or even a provocative question— followed by 10- to 15-minute lectures. Then,
in groups of two or three, students actively process content by talking about it, writing about it,
and working on a sample test item or even a short problem-based scenario. Even though these
interactions are brief, they help students grasp, apply, and analyze the content rather than just
memorize it. These short, interactive “think tanks” also reset students’ attention span for the
next 10- to 12- minute content chunk. End your interactive lectures with an assessment
measure, like a one-minute paper on the muddiest point.

PROCESS
● Be comfortable with your instructional material.
● Plan on short mini-lectures supported by student activities. (No more than 20 minutes)
● At the start of the lecture, raise a question to be answered by the end of the hour, or use
another type of “attention getter,” such as a personal anecdote or by telling a funny story or
joke.
● Provide an overview of the lecture (or its learning objectives).
● List the main points or areas to be discussed on the chalkboard or a piece of poster paper. This
is your lecture’s “roadmap” and students can refer to it as you lecture.
● Explain the relationship of the lecture’s topic to the real world and the students’ daily lives, as
well as to previous lectures and materials.
● Have students complete exercises, work sheets, case studies etc.… to make sure that they are
engaged in their learning.
● Present your lecture in an interesting manner. For many students, memorable lectures are
those that are presented by teachers who have effective presentation skills.
● Vary their voice projection (such as raising and lowering their voices), enunciate clearly, and
speak at an appropriate pace (such as slowing down and repeating Important points).
● Walk up and down the aisles and get close to students if and whenever possible.
 MUDDIEST POINT

The Muddiest Point is just about the simplest technique one can use. It is also remarkably
efficient, since it provides a high information return for a very low investment of time and
energy.
The technique consists of asking students to jot down a quick response to one question: "What
was the muddiest point in ?" The focus of the Muddiest Point assessment might be a
lecture, a discussion, a homework assignment, a play, or a film.

PREPARATION
● Determine what you want feedback on: the entire class session or one self-contained segment?
A lecture, a discussion, a presentation?
● If you are using the technique in class, reserve a few minutes at the end of the class session.
Leave enough time to ask the question, to allow students to respond, and to collect their
responses by the usual ending time.
● Let students know beforehand how much time they will have to respond and what use you will
make of their responses.

PROCESS
● Pass out slips of paper or index cards for students to write on.
● Collect the responses as or before students leave. Stationing yourself at the door and collecting
"muddy points" as students file out is one way; leaving a "muddy point" collection box by the
exit is another.
● Respond to the students' feedback during the next class meeting or as soon as possible
afterward.

References
Major, C. H., Harris, M. S., & Zakrajsek, T. (2015). Teaching for Learning: 101 Intentionally
Designed Educational Activities to Put Students on the Path to Success. Routledge.
 POST-IT NOTE PARADE
This activity is a way for the instructor to get a general sense of what sort of questions, concerns
or ideas the students may have. It’s also a great way to generate a take-away (the list of
questions, ideas, or concerns posted by the students).

PROCESS
● Students are provided with a question or prompt for which they need to generate ideas,
solutions, etc.
● Give each student a few post-its, and have them write out 1 idea per post-it.
● Students then post the post-its on the chalkboard or wall. Depending on the question or
prompt, it may be useful to have them place the post-its in areas to group them by topic,
question, chronologically, etc.

SNOWBALL

PROCESS
● Present an idea, question, or issue to students. Each student first thinks about the
idea/question/issue for one minute, with the goal of generating at least three reactions,
comments, answers, etc.
● Two students then come together with their lists and try to come up with three things they
agree on.
● The pairs of students then join with another pair, and try to come up with three things they
agree on. Repeat for as many iterations as desired.
● Eventually, bring the class together as a group to hear what the students have decided are
the three most important issues, questions, ideas relevant to the topic discussed.

INDEX CARD PASS

PROCESS
● Give each student an index card. Ask them to write down one question they have from a
reading, or a question more specific to your needs.
● Students then exchange cards, making at least 4 passes (or more!). If they get their own card
back, they can keep it or they can make an extra pass.
● Have students get in groups of 3-4. Each student should read their index card, and as a
group pick one index card question they want to address. Students should then discuss
possible answers to the question.
● After students have had time to discuss, pick a few questions to discuss as a group.
 COMPLETE TURN TAKING

PROCESS
● Each student should be asked to bring a couple of questions to class. These can either be
questions to clarify, issues they think were left unresolved, or ideas or positions not yet
considered.
● Have the entire class arrange themselves in a circle. Alternatively, students can be in small-
medium size groups.
● One student reads a question aloud. The student to their left then has one minute of
uninterrupted time to speak and give their thoughts. This person signals that they are done
speaking by saying, “OK, I’m done.”
● The next person to the left goes, has one minute of uninterrupted time to speak, and signals
they are done by saying, “OK I’m done.” Finally, the third student to the left goes, following
the same pattern.
● After three people have had a chance to speak, the conversation is opened up to the whole
group for two minutes of discussion.
● The next student gets to ask a question, and this cycle continues.

RESPOND, REACT, REPLY

PROCESS
● Break students up into small groups.
● Provide students with a prompt. The prompt can be a targeted question, written
passage/text, or argument.
● Each student then responds to the prompt on their own in writing. After each student has
had a chance to write their response, have them read and share their response with the
group.
● Each student then reacts to each of the other group members’ responses.
● Then, the student replies to each of the reactions to their own response.

POINTERS
In creating your prompt, make sure it cannot be answered with a simple “Yes/No.” Try to
create questions that will generate discussion.
Be sure clear expectations and structure are provided to the students (e.g. how long
responses/reactions/replies should be, as well as the structure they should take; how this
activity will be evaluated; reminders of classroom rules; etc.).
 PRO-CON GRID

PROCESS
● Pick a topic that lends itself to the idea of making lists of pros and cons/advantages and
disadvantages for some issue (see pointers for suggestions). Break students up into small
groups.
● Have the groups come up with at least three points for each side. Additionally, let students
know whether they should be putting their lists together in point form or full sentences.
● Once students have had time to complete the activity, bring the class back together to share
and discuss points on each side.

POINTERS
This activity can help students in developing analytical and evaluative skills. It also requires
students to go beyond their initial position and reactions, and come up with points of
discussion for the other side of the issue. Finally, it also requires students to weigh the
points of competing positions and claims.

THINK ALOUD

PROCESS
● Choose 2-3 paragraphs of new text for students to read.
● Students work in pairs (student A gets text 1, and student B gets text 2).
● One student reads a passage of text aloud, and while reading they stop frequently to
“think” aloud. The reader stops after every few sentences, and reflects on what they have
read. (This process is awkward, and weird for most. Let students know this, and that it is ok!)
● Model this activity very briefly for students with a sample text.
● Once student A finishes their text, student B then performs their think aloud. Give students
15-20 minutes to perform this part of the activity.
● Bring the class back together as a group. Go over each of the texts, then perform a think
aloud as a class, asking students to contribute what they were thinking about at each point.
● Finally, conclude class with a “Meta-moment”: ask students what they thought of the
activity, and what they will take away to their next reading. (This can take the form of a 1-
minute paper!)
 CROWDSOURCING

PROCESS

● Tell your students that you will write onto the whiteboard everything they know, or think
they know, about a given topic. You can have them call out the information or, for a more
orderly approach, have them raise their hands before speaking (or use the mitten discussion
activity described above).
● For example, on the first day of Shakespeare course, the instructor might ask students to
share everything they know about that author. One student might comment that he was
born in the sixteenth century. Another student might say that he lived at the same time as
Queen Elizabeth I. Another might add that he wrote Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and
Juliet. Even if a student contributes something that’s incorrect – such as, "Shakespeare
visited North America" – the instructor writes it down on the whiteboard.
● The activity continues until the students can’t think of anything further, or until the topic is
sufficiently explored for the time being.
● The instructor then asks the students to organize the information into categories – such as
Shakespeare’s life, his plays, sixteenth century politics, and so on.
● The instructor then comments on the various pieces of information that students have
contributed, making connections, elaborating, and correcting any errors.

GIVE ONE, GET ONE

This activity is designed to help students access prior knowledge. It promotes connection
between students and allows the teacher to also get some feedback about prior learning.
This activity can be easily scaled up by inviting students to connect with the people in the
vicinity of where they are sitting. It will be important to be clear to students how many people
they should connect with and the procedure that they should use to determine who to connect
with.

PROCESS

● Have students fold a piece of paper lengthwise to form two columns and write “Give One”
at the top of the left-hand column and “Get One” at the top of the right-hand column.
● Ask students to brainstorm a list of all the things they already know about the topic they will
be studying by writing the items down in the left-hand column. You may want to give them a
specific number of bullets to guide the amount of responses.
● After making the list, have students stand and find a partner. Each person should “give one”
of their ideas by saying it out loud. Partners take turns sharing.
● Have students write any new information they get from these discussions in the “get one”
column of their lists, along with the name of the person who gave them the information.
● Students should rotate around the room, talking to two or three partners.
● Once everyone has given and received information, the whole class can discuss the
information students have listed.
 QUIZ/TEST QUESTIONS

PURPOSE
Students are asked to become actively involved in the creation of tests and quizzes. The
examples they come up with maybe assigned for extra value or used on a regular class schedule
to provide feedback to the student regarding whether they understand the content or not. In
asking students to think up exam questions, we encourage them to think more deeply about the
course material and to explore major themes, comparison of views presented, applications, and
other higher-order thinking skills.
Beyond simply using example questions as a quiz or test, ask the students to evaluate the
question submitted; in discussing questions, they will significantly increase their engagement of
the material to supply answers. Students might be asked to discuss several aspects of two
different questions on the same material including degree of difficulty, effectiveness in
assessing their learning, proper scope of questions, and so forth.

TIP

This activity can be adapted for large scale classrooms with the use of small groups. Small
groups can work together to generate the questions. The small groups can share with the larger
groups either by sharing in the larger group or by posting their questions to an online discussion
board. Follow up by the instructor can happen in the next class or online through a generation
of a composite document.

FLASH REVIEW
It can sometimes be difficult to gauge the different areas that students need clarification on.
This activity provides you with an opportunity as an instructor to determine different areas of
the course content that are causing ‘blockages’ for students. Once the blockages have been
determined, you can address them with the class.

PROCESS

● Create a list of 10-15 questions based on major themes/ideas of course content.

● Integrate the open-ended questions into a simple PowerPoint Presentation and set the
slides to transition at a 20 (to 30) second interval.
● Instruct students to get into pairs and to discuss the correct answer for each question as it
emerges.
● While the slides are progressing, circulate through the classroom and listen to the discussion
that the students are having about each question. Make a note of places where they are
having difficulty, where there are blockages.
● Back in the larger group, ask students to share the ‘answers’ and to indicate areas where
they feel that they need clarification.
● Address the areas that they need clarification from what they have shared and/or from what
you heard while you were circulating.
● Follow up with a list of the questions and the answers generated through the activity, as
well as areas for further support and send the materials to students as an email or post
them online
ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY
 ICEBREAKERS AND ENERGIZERS

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER (SMALL OR LARGE GROUP)

Timing
45 minutes

Learning outcomes
● Participants will be able to
● Identify themselves with their teaching and learning origins
● Share this view of themselves with other group members
● Actively listen

Supplies
● Plain paper
● Coloured pencils or crayons
● Floor space

Activity

● Ask participants to draw a picture of themselves and one of their favourite teachers (it can be a
schoolteacher, a friend, a family member, a peer). Emphasize that this is not a test of their
artistic abilities and that stick figures are acceptable. (10 minutes)
● When the pictures are finished, each person finds a partner and they share their pictures with
each other (i.e., explain who is in the picture and why they have chosen this teacher as their
favourite). (5 – 7 minutes).
● When this first round of sharing is finished, each pair will join another. If the first pair is A and B
and the second pair is C and D, then A will explain B’s picture and designate C as the person
who has to pay special attention. B will explain A’s picture and designate D as the person
who has to pay special attention. C and D repeat this process with A and B (10 minutes)
● When each group has finished, they will join another group of four and repeat the process. (10
minutes).
● When all the small groups have become one large group, have the large group re-assemble and
invite feedback on the experience. Similarities? Differences? Surprises?

Note: If doing this with a small group, the group will re-assemble after Step 3.

Adapted from Jacobsen, W., Kindlen, M., & Shoemark, A. (1988). Living through loss. A manual
for those working with issues of terminal illness and bereavement. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
 FACT BAG
This activity is ideal for groups that already know a little bit about each other.
Materials: pens, paper, and a bag or bowl.

The way it works:

Give everyone paper and pens and ask each participant to write three things about themselves
they think no one in the room knows on separate pieces of paper. Once done, all facts are
deposited into the bag or bowl.
Mix up the facts and draw one out of the container. Read it aloud and have everyone guess
whom the fact matches. You probably will not get through all the facts, but you can keep the
leftovers to fill time during transitions later.
Time needed: at least 15 minutes

STORY TIME
This activity can be used with participants that know each other a bit or who are new to each
other. It inspires storytelling and bonding of group members through the sharing of
experiences. Storytelling is one way information gets passed on informally. A storytelling
session focused on work-related stories can get a large group to loosen up and open the door to
future conversations.
Materials: sticky notes, white board or other ‘board’ to hold ideas

The way it works:

Create a set of words that can kickstart a storytelling session. Think of words like "first day",
"online learning", "accommodation", “attendance” etc. – anything that you might know is an
issue or something meaningful to the group and context. Place each word on a sticky note.
Divide a whiteboard into two sections. Post all sticky notes from above on one section of the
whiteboard.
Ask a participant to pick out one word from the sticky notes and use it to share an experience
(e.g.: about his/her first day teaching; concern re attendance). Once complete, shift the chosen
sticky note to the other side of the whiteboard.
As the participant is relating his/her experience, ask others to jot down words that remind them
of similar work-related stories. Add these words to sticky notes and paste them on the
whiteboard. Repeat this process until you have a "wall of words" with interconnected stories.
Time needed: up to 45 mins
Note: It will be important to set time limits on the stories.
 COLOURS
Getting a sense of how participants are feeling. Good for day 2 or 3. Participants identify a
colour that indicates how they are feeling.

The way it works:

Group is sitting in a circle. Participants are asked to identify a colour that describes how they are
feeling.
A mechanism to get the group started in the morning or as a quick small group opener. Low risk
and quick.
Time needed: 5 – 10 minutes

NAMES
A fun way to remind everyone of / learn names.
The way it works:
As a round robin, each participant says their name followed by a verb. The condition is that the
verbs must begin with the same letter as their first names. For example, I might say ‘Carol cares’
or ‘Carol calms’.
Low risk and quick.
Time needed: 5 – 10 minutes

BINGO VARIATION: FIND A PERSON WHO….

How it works:
Facilitator calls out the criteria and participants move to find a new person each time.
1. Has the same zodiac sign as yours.
2. Plays a musical instrument.
3. Has drawn water from a well.
4. Writes / has written articles for magazines
5. Loves to sing
6. Has been to a foreign country. Etc.…. the options are endless
Participants take a moment to learn about the person before the next statement is called.
Materials needed: list of questions
Time needed: 15 minutes

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (OR A WISH)

This activity is often done at the start of a multi-day workshop, in a small group. Each person
comes up with two things that are true about themselves and one thing that is either a lie (you
may get some resistance to this word, and there may be cultural reasons not to use it) or a wish
(something that they wish were true about themselves). The person then talks a little bit about
each of those things, or answers questions from the others, and then everybody tries to guess
which item is untrue. You can do it all in one ‘go’ or keep referring back to it when you have a
few minutes on each day.
Contributed by Kat Scott, 'when it was TAG’
 STORY-TELLING THEATRE SPORTS
Have your group break into circles of 5-6 people. Start a story and invite the groups to build on
it. e.g., “I was driving up the highway to Whistler, when suddenly out of the fog ... “
Each member of the group then builds on the story, one person at a time. As the facilitator,
interrupt them with the sound of a bell, to signal it's time for the next person in the group to
continue. This activity is a lot of fun and the element of combining improvisation, creativity and
thinking on your feet gets the blood flowing. Responding creatively and intuitively to others,
moves you out of your comfort zone and stimulates fresh thinking. It's a good way to generate
energy and enthusiasm.

Debrief: This exercise teaches people to build on the ideas of others, not shoot them down.
People are required to listen attentively and respond with the spirit of ‘yes and...' versus 'yes
but...'. Ask people to what extent they were trying to control the outcome? Many of us try to
control the story, by planning where it will go, rather than building on other people's ideas. To
what extent does this happen in the workplace? Discuss how this shift in communication can
affect the team.
Contributed by Linda Naiman, Creativity Catalyst, Vancouver BC

COMMONALITIES
Have everyone find a partner. If there is an odd number, then request one group to get into a
threesome. These pairs should then find three things that both people have in common that are
NOT: work related, visually obvious, or something that they already knew about each other.
After they have found those three things have them stand (if everyone is seated), move to one
side of the room (if everyone is standing), or some other obvious sign. After everyone has found
three similarities with their partner, challenge the pairs to partner with another pair and find
three new things that they all four have in common. Of course, they cannot use any of their
original three because they already know that about one of the teammates from their new
group of four! Keep building the teams up to 8 and then 16. If you need them broken into
groups for another activity, they are now in teams of 16!
Contributed by Darin Ulmer, The Woodlands, Texas

MY FOUR FACES
Everyone takes a piece of poster board and a magazine. They must cut out four pictures and
put them on the posterboard. One picture is a metaphor for 'Who I am at work', one picture is a
metaphor for 'Who I am at home', one picture is a metaphor for 'What I do for fun', and the
final picture is a metaphor for 'What I want to accomplish in the coming year'. Of course, you
can make these photos stand for any set of fun and informative topics. I just find these four to
be powerful conversation starters that people love to discuss.
After ten minutes of cutting and pasting, the poster boards are taped to the front of the shirt or
carried in front of the torso and people mingle around the room as music is played. When the
music stops, each person has one minute to tell the other person closest to them about the
four pictures. After 60 seconds tell everyone to switch the 'presenter'. After the next 60
seconds start the music. You may have to remind everyone to start moving again. They mill
about until the music stops. Then they have to grab another partner and do their 60-second
introduction
again.
I find this works best with smaller groups or really large groups. The facilitator's energy dictates
the number of times you can stop the music before losing the group's interest more than
anything else!
Contributed by Darin Ulmer, The Woodlands, Texas

HUMAN BINGO
Create in advance a bingo card with five columns and five rows with a 'wild card' in the middle.
The 'numbers' on the bingo card are made up of phrases that you either know from the context
of the group will apply to some or many of the people (e.g. "I like to eat chocolate") or that you
have determined in advance from some sort of needs assessment, intro survey, or, in the case
of the ISW, perhaps what they filled out on their online registration (e.g. "I have taught for 5
years or less." or "I use Problem-based Learning to help students learn.")

Give each person a bingo card, explain the game to anyone who has not played (any row,
horizontal, vertical or diagonal wins - call out when you have a full row filled in with names).Give
people time to chat to as many people as they can, writing down the name of a person who fits
each 'category' or cell on the bingo card. You may want to have a small prize for the first winner.

DERIVATIVATIONS FROM HUMAN BINGO

Each person in the group writes down one thing about themselves and then they are posted.
Then the individuals need to guess who matches the statements.
Nora Houlahan, Anka Lekhi, Alice Cassidy, Luisa Canuto, Joanne Nakonechny, ISW Facilitators
‘when it was TAG’

17 GREEN TRIPS
This might be a good icebreaker when some people in the room know each other quite well,
and others don't. I have taken 30 minutes for this activity. It involves everyone very actively and
shares interesting facts with and about each other. It also involves questioning skills and use of
narrative/storytelling. (Feel free to change the topics as you wish; I came up with these ones
purely randomly.)
Walk around the room and meet a person you have not met yet, then a person you have, then if
time, another person you have not met…. Introduce yourself with the usual (name, where/what
you teach, etc.) then either by requesting it especially, or being flexible to what they want to
share, tell a short anecdote about one of the following topics:
The colour green
A number from 1-20
A trip

Example: When I was young, my father bought a 1953 Hillman pickup truck on St. Patrick's Day,
and it was a beautiful shade of green.
Stories ideally are short (2-3 sentences) then switch (does not have to be same topic)
Aim to meet 2 or more people you don't know, and one (or 2 if time) people you knew but
didn't know this!

PENNY STORIES
Give everyone a penny (or if hard to come by these days, a nickel). Ask them to think about
what they were doing in the year the penny was minted. If the person was not born then, ask
them to think about world or local events that might have taken place then. Share with a team
(3-5 people). Then ask for a few unusual ones the team heard. (Or if you have a smaller class,
you could make this part of the intro where everyone says their name, company (or dept of all
within same company), and then says what they were doing the year the penny was minted.

TOILET PAPER INTROS

Pass around a roll of toilet paper. Just say "take as many pieces (squares) as you think you'll
need” Don’t say anything more. When you are ready to do the intro, each person comes up
individually telling as many items of info about themselves as they have sheets of paper. They
must finish their intro by the time they get to the front of the room. They are walking, tearing
off a square, as they relate each piece of info about them.

NAME GAME
Each participant is asked to answer one of three questions: 1) do you have a nickname? 2) are
you named after someone? or 3) do you have an anecdote about your name? You do one by
way of example, then go around and everybody says their name and their "story". It's simple,
versatile, and you have a story to go with each name (easier to remember names).

TOP TEN REASONS YOU DON'T WANT TO BE HERE

Ask for contributions by participants (write on flipchart or other) to brainstorm why they (or
why they think someone else) don't/doesn’t want to be here. By the time you get to Reason 7
or 8, the reasons get really silly. It diffuses the tension.
Contributed by Jan Johnson and Ingrid Price, ‘when it was TAG’

DERIVATION OF TOP TEN REASONS:

When invited to lead an all-day workshop on the uses of Problems and Cases at another
institution, I had just started, when someone put their hand up, and said something to the
effect that problem-based learning (PBL) was a waste of time. Whoa! I thanked them, then
asked everyone to brainstorm that very topic, up to 10 reasons. I wrote them down on the
flipchart. Like above, after about 4, people, including the one who first said it, started laughing.
They realized it was not a waste of time. Phew.
 INTRODUCE YOUR PARTNER
Students partner up and are tasked with learning one thing about the other person that is not
obvious by looking at them. Then, they introduce their partner to the larger class. Instructors
can use this time to record a crude seating chart of the students and begin to learn their
names.

SCRAPBOOK SELECTION
Put students in groups and give each group a big pile of printed photos (best if laminated –
maybe different shapes/sizes?) Ask them to choose one as a group that epitomizes their
reaction/definition of the topic being discussed and explain why.

BRUSH WITH FAME

Students relate their closest encounter with someone famous, even if it is a story about
something that happened to a friend or relative.

LINE DANCE
Students line up according to their level of agreement on a controversial subject: strong
agreement on one side, strong disagreement on the other.

NAME TAG TRIO

Color code name tags and ask people to form groups of three made up of people with nametags
of the same color, then introduce themselves.

SKETCH INTRO
Ask participants to draw a picture, using no letters, that captures a key facet of their experience,
philosophy, or personality.

SPEED SKATING
Like the Olympic sport that moves in a circle rapidly, line up students in a circle and step
forward one at a time to say a quick personal statement (i.e., I am Belgian, I am allergic to
peanuts, I love classical music) and then step back into position.

WORD ASSOCIATION CLOUD

Collect secret-ballot responses to a word association prompt related to your topic and paste
them into a word-cloud generator to create an image that shows which words were used the
most.
 ANSWER ANY THREE
Write 5 questions on the board and ask students to stand (or pair off) and answer any 3 of the 5
questions posed. Some sample questions might include: “I have always wanted to……, The
person I most admire is…, The two most important job responsibilities I have are … and …, I’m a
sucker for…, One reason why I entered my field is…, Something few people know about me is…”
Content-related questions may also be used to review material being presented.

FAMILY NAME GAME

To help students (and you!) get to know students’ names, ask them to share some history about
their name including: 1) who named them, 2) how was the decision for their name made, 3) are
they a namesake and do they know that person, 4) do they like their name, 5) have they ever
gone by a different name, 6) do they have a nickname, etc.

WHAT'S IN A NAME
Pair students up and allow them to interview one another about their first and middle names,
noting any cultural uniqueness. Then have each student in the dyad introduce their partner to
the rest of the class, sharing what they learned about their partner’s name(s).

LINE UP
Ask students to arrange themselves in a line according to measure of some characteristic (i.e.,
height, age, birthdate, level of athleticism, etc.). To add a twist, ask students to complete this
task without talking.

WHEEL IN A WHEEL
Ask half of the class form a circle facing outward. Then have the other half of the class form a
circle around those students, facing inward, so that they are facing one of the students in the
inner circle. The inner circle remains seated throughout the exercise, while the outer circle
rotates to the right, one person at a time. With each new pairing, you provide a discussion
topic/question that will help the students get to know one another. Make sure both partners
have time to share. Some example topics include: What do you consider to be one of your
greatest accomplishments in life? What person has most affected your life in a positive way?
What are the best aspects of your personality and why?

SCAVENGER HUNT
Ask students to circulate around the room and locate classmates who fit in certain categories
(i.e., only child, lived abroad, bi- or multi-lingual, same major, etc. You can also include
statements that revolve around class content.
 COURSE EXPECTATION EXERCISE
Write the name of your course on the blackboard. Ask students to individually write down three
expectations they have for you or for the course. Then put students into small groups and tell
them they must reach consensus regarding their group’s top 3-5 expectations. Then allow
groups to report back to the whole class.
BUILDING TRUST ICE BREAKERS

Contributed by Carol Appleby

ROSE AND THORN

The facilitator and participants take turns sharing one rose (something positive) and one thorn
(something sore/negative) each.
A low-stakes thorn might be ‘I feel tired.’ Participants can choose to share whatever they would
like, often leading to more personal disclosure.
Time Needed: 5 – 15 minutes.

CIRCLE OF COMFORT
A simple icebreaker where everyone can see where we are alike and different
The way it works:
Participants line up in a circle that has been taped to the floor. The facilitator makes
statements, and the participants take steps toward the center depending on how comfortable
they are with the statement. The statements start low risk and build to potential challenges of
the day. Example statements might include: I like to swim in the ocean; I like to drive on the
highway; I like to teach online; I am comfortable managing conflict in my classroom.
Materials: Tape and space
Time needed: 15 mins.

GIVES AND GETS

The way it works:
Each participant is asked to share 1 or 2 things they will give to the group and gives and 1 or 2
things they hope to get from the group. After explaining the activity, allow a couple of minutes
for participants to consider their response. All contributions are welcome.
Note: This activity adapts very well to the online environment where participants can post their
gives and gets to a discussion or whiteboard.

TEACHING IS LIKE….
This activity uses analogy. The idea is to have everyone share their thoughts in a creative and
fun way.
The way it works:
Ask everyone to take a moment to complete the statement. (The stem statement can be
changed to suit your purpose or the group). Share all ideas, first in small groups and then in a
larger group. Seeing commonalities can help to set the stage for a safe and fun learning
environment.
Materials: None. This activity can be used as part of a name card if using them.
ICEBREAKERS THAT CAN BE ADAPTED FOR ONLINE
Contributed by Carol Appleby
Many of the icebreakers can be adapted for online learning.

PICTURE WALK
Each member of the group uploads a picture or shares their screen with a picture of
something that means something to them. Each participant then gets two minutes (or more,
depending on how much time you have) to share the story behind that picture. This can work
for synchronous and a-synchronous learning.

NAME GAME
See Names above. An adaptation is to use adjectives. Every member of the group chooses an
adjective that starts with the same letter as the first letter of their first name. They put that
adjective in front of their first name, and they have their new name. So, for example:
Courageous Carol. For an added challenge, you can see if people can remember everyone’s
names throughout the conversation.

SYNCHRONOUS STORYTELLING ICEBREAKER:

Building a story is one of the oldest team building activities. It sets a fun tone, gets the creative
juices flowing and can reveal underlying feelings or challenges. This icebreaker also calls upon
remote learners to really listen in order to be ready to take their part.
The way it works:
The group forms a virtual circle, by deciding the order of who is going to speak/add to the
story. The first person begins the story with one opening sentence and another incomplete
one. For example: “On Mark’s first day at teaching, his car broke down. At first, he stressed,
but then he…” The next individual completes the previous line and adds another incomplete
sentence. This way, each participant contributes until everyone has had a turn. Aim to develop
a comprehensive story structure by the end of the activity!
These collaborative and listening skills are the building blocks for clear and effective
communication during remote learning.
 FURTHER ACTIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES FOR ALL SITUATIONS
These techniques have multiple benefits: the instructor can easily and quickly assess if students
have really mastered the material (and plan to dedicate more time to it, if necessary), and the
process of measuring student understanding in many cases is also practice for the material—
often students do not actually learn the material until asked to make use of it in assessments
such as these. Finally, the very nature of these assessments drives interactivity and brings
several benefits. Students are revived from their passivity of merely listening to a lecture and
instead become attentive and engaged, two prerequisites for effective learning. These
techniques are often perceived as “fun”, yet they are frequently more effective than lectures at
enabling student learning.
Not all techniques listed here will have universal appeal, with factors such as your teaching style
and personality influencing which choices may be right for you.

INSTRUCTOR ACTION: LECTURE

PICTURE PROMPT
Show students an image with no explanation, and ask them to identify/explain it, and justify
their answers. Or ask students to write about it using terms from lecture, or to name the
processes and concepts shown. Also works well as group activity. Do not give the “answer” until
they have explored all options first.

THINK BREAK
Ask a rhetorical question, and then allow 20 seconds for students to think about the problem
before you go on to explain. This technique encourages students to take part in the problem-
solving process even when discussion isn't feasible. Having students write something down
(while you write an answer also) helps assure that they will in fact work on the problem.

UPDATING NOTES
Take a break for 2-3 minutes to allow students to compare their class notes so far with other
students, fill in gaps, and develop joint questions.

CHORAL RESPONSE
Ask a one-word answer to the class at large; volume of answer will suggest degree of
comprehension. Very useful to “drill” new vocabulary words into students.

WORD CLOUD GUESSING

Before you introduce a new concept to students, show them a word cloud on that topic, using
an online generator to paste a paragraph or longer of related text, and challenge students to
guess what the topic was.
https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2021/11/Wordle-art-Makers-teachers.html
 INSTRUCTOR STORYTELLING
Instructor illustrates a concept, idea, or principle with a real- life application, model, or case-
study.

GRAB A VOLUNTEER
After a minute paper (or better: think pair share) pick one student to stand up, cross the room,
and read any other student's answer.

MUDDIEST POINT
Ask each student to write down a topic or concept from the lesson that they didn't fully grasp or
understand. Collect the papers and spend time going through and clarifying.

SOCRATIC QUESTIONING
The instructor replaces lecture by peppering students with questions, always asking the next
question in a way that guides the conversation toward a learning outcome (or major Driving
Question) that was desired from the beginning.

REVERSE SOCRATIC QUESTIONING

The instructor requires students to ask him/her questions, and the instructor answers in such a
way as to goad another question immediately but also drive the next student question in a
certain direction.

PASS THE POINTER

Place a complex, intricate, or detailed image on the screen and ask for volunteers to
temporarily borrow the laser pointer to identify key features or ask questions about items they
don’t understand.

TURN MY BACK
Face away from the class, ask for a show of hands for how many people did the reading. After
they put their hands down, turn around again and ask to hear a report of the percentage. This
provides an indication of student preparation for today’s material.

EMPTY OUTLINES
Distribute a partially completed outline of today’s lecture and ask students to fill it in. Useful at
start or at end of class.
 CLASSROOM OPINION POLLS
Informal hand-raising suffices to test the waters before a controversial subject.

DISCUSSION ROW
Students take turns sitting in a front row that can earn extra credit as individuals when they
volunteer to answer questions posed in class; this provides a group that will ALWAYS be
prepared and interact with teacher questions.

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

Students either stand or sit to indicate their binary answers, such as True/False, to the
instructor’s questions.

STUDENT POLLING
Select some students to travel the room, polling the others on a topic relevant to the course,
then report back the results for everyone.

SELF ASSESSMENT
Prepare a questionnaire for students that probe what kind of learning style they use, so the
course can match visual/aural/tactile learning styles.

QUOTE MINUS ONE

Provide a quote relevant to your topic but leave out a crucial word and ask students to guess
what it might be: “I cannot forecast to you the action of; it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery,
inside an enigma.” This engages them quickly in a topic and makes them feel invested.

EVERYDAY ETHICAL DILEMMA

Present an abbreviated case study with an ethical dilemma related to the discipline being
studied.

POLAR OPPOSITES
Ask the class to examine two written-out versions of a theory (or corollary, law of nature, etc.),
where one is incorrect, such as the opposite or a negation of the other. In deciding which is
correct, students will have to examine the problem from all angles.
 POP CULTURE
Infuse your lectures, case studies, sample word problems for use during class with current
events from the pop culture world. Rather than citing statistics for housing construction, for
instance, illustrate the same statistical concept you are teaching by inventing statistics about
something students gossip about, like how often a certain pop star appears in public without
make-up.

MAKE THEM GUESS

Introduce a new subject by asking an intriguing question, something that few will know the
answer to (but should interest all of them). Accept blind guessing for a while before giving the
answer to build curiosity.

MAKE IT PERSONAL
Design class activities (or even essays) to address the real lives of the individual students.
Instead of asking for reflections on Down’s Syndrome, ask for personal stories of neurological
problems by a family member or anyone they have ever met.

READ ALOUD
Choose a small text (500 words or less) to read aloud and ask students to pay attention during
this phase of lecture. A small text read orally in a larger lecture can focus attention.

PUNCTUATED LECTURES
Ask students to perform five steps: listen, stop, reflect, write, give feedback. Students become
self-monitoring listeners.

WORD OF THE DAY

Select an important term and highlight it throughout the class session, working it into as many
concepts as possible. Challenge students to do the same in their interactive activities.

RECALL, SUMMARIZE, QUESTIONS, CONNECT AND COMMENT

This method of starting each session (or each week) has five steps to reinforce the previous
session’s material: recall it, summarize it, phrase a remaining question, connect it to the class
and comment on that class session.

FOCUSED LISTENING
List several ideas related to the focus point. Helpful for starting new topics.
 BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE PROBE
Use a questionnaire (multi-choice or short answer) when introducing a new topic.

GOAL RANKING
Students rank their goals for the class, then instructor combines those with her own list.

INTEREST/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS CHECKLIST
Assesses interest and preparation for the course and can help adjust teaching agenda.

DOCUMENTED PROBLEM SOLUTIONS

Keep track of the steps needed to solve specific types of problems. Model a list for students first
and then ask them to perform similar steps.

PROVOCATIVE PICTURE
Begin the lecture with a picture meant to provoke discussion or emotion (another option: a
cartoon).
INSTRUCTOR ACTION: LECTURE (SMALL CLASS SIZE)

PASS THE CHALK

Provide chalk, a dry erase marker or a soft toy; whoever has it must answer your next question,
and they pass it on to the student of their choice.

WHITEBOARD RECORD
Using a smartphone, take photographs of the whiteboard at the end of the day and post them
(labeled by date) to the university’s learning management system (LMS) for easy student
reference.

PASS THE DART

Like Pass the Chalk, use a real (but safe?) dartboard to decide which student must answer the
next question (student names are arranged on the dartboard already).

BEACH BALL BINGO

Write questions or prompts onto all surfaces of a beach ball (or tape them on). When the next
student catches the ball, they answer one of the questions where their fingers are touching the
ball.

BINGO BALLS OF DOOM

Every student is assigned a number; when the faculty member pulls that number from the
bingo cage, that student should answer the next question.

TOWN HALL MEETING

Abdicate the front of the room for a student willing to speak out on a controversial subject, and
when they are done with their comment, they select the next speaker from the hands raised.

THE HALF CLASS LECTURE

Divide the class in half and provide reading material to one half. Lecture on that same material
to the other half of the class. Then, switch the groups and repeat, ending with a recap by pairing
up members of opposite groups.

TOURNAMENT
Divide the class into at least two groups and announce a competition for most points on a
practice test. Let them study a topic together and then give that quiz, tallying points. After each
round, let them study the next topic before quizzing again. The points should be carried over
from round to round. The student impulse for competition will focus their engagement on the
material itself.

THREE PART INTERVIEW

Pose the following question to the entire class: “What do you think are the three biggest issues
related to.” Choose the student with the birthday closest to today’s date and have them stand
and share their 3 responses to the question for one minute. Move clockwise around the room
until all have shared.
STUDENT ACTION: INDIVIDUAL
Many of these can be used as partner work or groupwork instead; or may escalate to that after
some individual effort

ONE-MINUTE PAPERS
Students write for one minute on a specific question (which might be generalized to “what was
the most important thing you learned today”). Best used at the end of the class session.

MUDDIEST POINT
Like the Minute Paper but asks for the “most confusing” point instead. Best used at the end of
the class session. Collect the papers and spend time going through and clarifying.

MISCONCEPTION CHECK
Discover class’s preconceptions. Useful for starting new chapters.

DRAWING FOR UNDERSTANDING

Students illustrate an abstract concept or idea. Comparing drawings around the room can clear
up misconceptions.

TURN TAKING READING

Instead of the instructor reading a paragraph on screen (or leaving silence for students to do it),
instruct them we will sit in silence until someone is moved to read ONE sentence, then someone
else – anyone – will start the next sentence. Adds “good” tension and raises energy.

HAIKU
Students write a haiku (a three-line poem: 5-syllables, then 7, then 5) on a given topic or
concept, and then share it with others.

MEDIA BREAK
Designate a two-minute break in the middle of class for students to check their electronic
devices, with the understanding they won’t use them otherwise in the entire class period.

PHOTO HOMEWORK
Students are assigned to use a smartphone to snap a picture of something at home (or out in
the city) that captures a specific concept from the class, as assigned by the teacher.
 BOARD OF ARTWORK
Post publicly the collected drawings / abstract concepts that students turned in for a previous
activity and create an opportunity for discussion and debrief.

VIDEO SELFIE
Ask students to make a video of themselves performing the homework (or lab), as they will take
it more seriously and be more likely to avoid mistakes.

GALLERY WALK
Provide colored dot stickers to students and ask them to “vote” on statements they agree with
the most, by using up their limited dot supply on the pre- written topics displayed around the
room on poster boards.

CIRCLE THE QUESTIONS

Pre-make a handout that has a few dozen likely student questions (make them specific) on your
topic for that day and ask students to circle the ones they don’t know the answers to, then turn
in the paper.

ASK THE WINNER

Ask students to silently solve a problem on the board. After revealing the answer, instruct those
who got it right to raise their hands (and keep them raised); then, all other students are to talk
to someone with a raised hand to better understand the question and how to solve it next time.

WHAT’S THE PRINCIPLE?

After recognizing the problem, students assess what principle to apply to solve it. Helps focus on
problem TYPES rather than individual specific problems. Principle(s) should be listed out.

INFOGRAPHIC
Students use online services (visual.ly, infogr.am) to create an infographic that combines
flowchart logic and visual presentation

BOOKMARK NOTES
Distribute full-length paper to be used as a bookmark for the current chapter. On it, record
prompts and other “reading questions”, and require students to record their notes,
observations, and objections while reading onto these bookmarks for collection and discussion
in class.
 TRUE OR FALSE?
Distribute index cards (one to each student) on which is written a statement. Half of the cards
will contain statements that are true, half false. Students decide if theirs is one of the true
statements or not, using whatever means they desire. Variation: designate half the room a
space for those who think their statements are true, and the other half for false.

“REAL-WORLD”
Have students discuss in class how a topic or concept relates to a real- world application or
product. Then have students write about this topic for homework. Variation: ask them to record
their answer on index cards.

CONCEPT MAPPING
Students write keywords onto sticky notes and then organize them into a flowchart. Could be
less structured: students simply draw the connections they make between concepts.

ADVICE LETTER
Students write a letter of advice to future students on how to be successful students in that
course.

TABLOID TITLES
Ask students to write a tabloid-style headline that would illustrate the concept currently being
discussed. Share and choose the best.

BUMPER STICKERS
Ask students to write a slogan-like bumper sticker to illustrate a concept from lecture. Variation:
can be used to ask them to sum up the entire course in one sentence.

ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY
Summarize the topic into one sentence that incorporates all who/what/when/where/why/how
creatively.

DIRECTED PARAPHRASING
Students asked to paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience (and a specific purpose).

WORD JOURNAL
First, summarize the entire topic on paper with a single word. Then use a paragraph to explain
your word choice.
 TRUTH STATEMENTS
Either to introduce a topic or check comprehension, ask individuals to list out “It is true that...”
statements on the topic being discussed. The ensuing discussion might illustrate how ambiguous
knowledge is sometimes.

OBJECTIVE CHECK
Students write a brief essay in which they evaluate to what extent their work fulfills an
assignment’s objectives.

OPPOSITES
Instructor lists out one or more concepts, for which students must come up with an antonym,
and then defend their choice.

STUDENT STORYTELLING
Students are given assignments that make use of a given concept in relation to something that
seems personally relevant (such as requiring the topic to be someone in their family).

APPLICATION TO MAJOR
During the last 15 minutes of class, ask students to write a short article about how the point
applies to their major.

PRO AND CON GRID

Students list the pros and cons of a given subject.

HARVESTING
After an experience/activity in class, ask students to reflect on “what” they learned, “so what”
(why is it important and what are the implications), and “now what” (how to apply it or do
things differently).

CHAIN NOTES
Instructor pre-distributes index cards and passes around an envelope, on which is written a
question relating to the learning environment (i.e., are the group discussions useful?) Students
write a very brief answer, drop in their own card, and pass the envelope to the next student.
 FOCUSED AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
Focuses on a single successful learning experience, one relevant to the current course.

COURSE-RELATED SELF-CONFIDENCE SURVEYS

Simple questions that measure how self-confident students are when it comes to a specific skill.
Once they become aware they can do it, they focus on it more.

PROFILES OF ADMIRABLE INDIVIDUALS

Students write a brief profile of an individual in a field related to the course. Students assess
their own values and learn best practices for this field.

MEMORY MATRIX
Identify a key taxonomy and then design a grid that represents those interrelationships. Keep it
simple at first. Avoid trivial or ambiguous relationships, which tend to backfire by focusing
students on superficial kinds of learning. Although probably most useful in introductory courses,
this technique can also be used to help develop basic study skills for students who plan to
continue in the field.

CATEGORIZING GRID
Hand out rectangles divided into cells and a jumbled listing of terms that need to be categorized
by row and column.

DEFINING FEATURES MATRIX

Hand out a simple table where students decide if a defining feature is PRESENT or ABSENT. For
instance, they might have to read through several descriptions of theories and decide if each
refers to behaviorist or constructivist models of learning.

WHAT/HOW/WHY OUTLINES
Write brief notes answering what / how / why questions when analyzing a message or text.

APPROXIMATE ANALOGIES
Students provide the second half of an analogy (A is to B as X is to Y).

PROBLEM RECOGNITION TASKS

Offer case studies with different types of problems and ask students to identify the TYPE of
problem (which is different from solving it)
 SWITCH IT UP!
Ask students to work on one problem for a few minutes and intentionally move to a second
problem without debriefing the first one, then solve the second one and only then return to the
first one for more work. A carefully chosen second problem can shed light on the first problem,
but this also works well if the problems are not directly related to each other.

READING RATING SHEETS

Students fill out a ratings sheet on the course readings, on how clear, useful, and interesting it
was.

ASSIGNMENT ASSESSMENTS
Students give feedback on their homework assignments and evaluate them as learning tools.

EXAM EVALUATIONS
Students explain what they are learning from exams, and evaluate the fairness, usefulness, and
quality of tests.

GROUP-WORK EVALUATIONS
Questionnaires asking how effective groupwork has been in the class.

TEACHER-DESIGNED FEEDBACK FORMS

Rather than use standardized evaluation forms, teachers create ones tailored for their needs
and their classes. Especially useful midway through the term.

WRITING FABLES
Students write an animal fable (or at least sketch its outline) that will lead to a one-sentence
moral matching the current concept discussed in class. May be done verbally instead.
STUDENT ACTION: PAIRS

THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Students share and compare possible answers to a question with a partner before addressing
the larger class.

PAIR-SHARE-REPEAT
After a pair-share experience, ask students to find a new partner and debrief the wisdom of the
old partnership with this new partner.

WISDOM OF ANOTHER
After any individual brainstorm or creative activity, partner students up to share their results.
Then, call for volunteers of students who found their partner’s work to be interesting or
exemplary. Students are sometimes more willing to share in plenary the work of fellow students
than their own work.

DO-SI-DO
Students do partner work first, then sound off by twos. All of the 2’s stand up and find a new
partner (the 1’s are seated and raise their hands until a new partner comes), then debrief what
was said with the first partner. Variation: Later, all the 1’s come together in a large circle for a
group debrief, while the 2’s have their own circle.

FORCED DEBATE
Students debate in pairs but must defend the opposite side of their own opinion. Variation: half
the class takes one position, half the other. They line up and face each other. Each student may
only speak once, so that all students on both sides can engage in the issue.

OPTIMIST/PESSIMIST
In pairs, students take opposite emotional sides of a conversation. This technique can be
applied to case studies and problem solving as well.

TEACHER AND STUDENT

Individually brainstorm the main points of the last homework, then assign roles of teacher and
student to pairs. The teacher’s job is to sketch the main points, while the student’s job is to
cross off points on his list as they are mentioned but come up with 2-3 ones missed by the
teacher.
 PEER REVIEW WRITING TASK
To assist students with writing assignments, encourage them to exchange drafts with a partner.
The partner reads the essay and writes a three- paragraph response: the first paragraph outlines
the strengths of the essay, the second paragraph discusses the essay’s problems, and the third
paragraph is a description of what the partner would focus on in revision, if it were her essay.

INVENTED DIALOGUES
Students weave together real quotes from primary sources or invent ones to fit the speaker and
context.

MY GIFT
Students mentally select one of their recent gifts as related to or emblematic of a concept given
in class and must tell their partners how this gift relates to the concept. The one with a closer
connection wins.

PSYCHOANALYSIS
Students get into pairs and interview one another about a recent learning unit. The focus,
however, is upon analysis of the material rather than rote memorization. Sample Interview
Questions: Can you describe to me the topic that you would like to analyze today? What were
your attitudes/beliefs before this topic? How did your attitudes/beliefs change after learning
about this topic? How will/have your actions/decisions altered based on your learning of this
topic? How have your perceptions of others/events changed?

GET ONE, GIVE ONE

Students fold a piece of paper in half and write “Give One” on one side and “Get One” on the
other side. On the “Give One” side, as them to write four insights from today’s material. Have
them stand up and find a partner. Each student shares one idea from their “Give One” side of
the paper and writes down one idea on the “Get One” side of the paper. Find a new partner
until your “Get One” side of paper is full of new ideas!
STUDENT ACTION: GROUPS

JIGSAW (GROUP EXPERTS)

Give each group a different topic. Re-mix groups with one planted “expert” on each topic, who
now should teach his new group. Also, it is useful to have them teach each other sections of the
syllabus on the first day.

WORLD CAFÉ
Small groups tackle the same driving question; plenary debrief, then everyone except table
hosts find a new table (new groups) for a second discussion question. The host leads discussions
and draws ideas between rounds, taking notes for sticky wall posters.

WITH A CREATIVE TWIST

When assigning group presentations of different topics, each group also gets a 'twist' at random
(such as must deliver some lines as limericks, must present part as karaoke song, etc.)

GAP EXERCISE
Students free write for five minutes on "what is" versus "what should be" (or some other gap in
your field) then debrief in threes. When it's a student's turn, they first summarize their free
writing and then are silent and listen as the other two ask questions only (give no advice, do not
swap stories), then work around the group every couple of minutes.

BRAIN DRAIN
Divide students into groups of 5 or 6. Hand out an empty grid of six rows and three columns to
every student. Provide a prompt or task at the top to brainstorm. Each person brainstorms
possible answers in row one. After three minutes, rotate papers clockwise and work on row 2
(but do not repeat any answers from row 1). Continue until the sheet is filled in, then debrief to
find the best answers.

INTERACTIVE LIT REVIEW

Give a different snippet of reading to each group in the room and a specific task (such as “map
ideas onto this larger set of principles you see on the screen”); capture bullets onto the board,
then follow with a Gallery Walk (voting dots) to lead to more debrief.

BALLOON POP
Give each group an inflated balloon with the task/problem trapped inside on a piece of paper.
At the signal, all groups pop their balloons. Injects fun, noise, and energy to a group
assignment.
 THINGS YOU KNOW
Give an envelope to every student. Inside are cut-up strips of paper with the topics/principles
they should know about already. They divide into two piles: things they know well, and things
they need help with. Then they debrief with nearby students on things any of them need help
with.

BOARD ROTATION
Assign groups of students to each of the boards you have set up in the room (four or more
works best) and assign one topic/question per board. After each group writes an answer, they
rotate to the next board and write their answer below the first, and so on around the room.
Variation: pass around flipchart paper with the same task.

MAKE IT A STORY
Encourage students to submit their group projects as a comic or story created online (e.g.,
bubblr, StripCreator, StoryJumper, or Storify).

CREATING CATEGORIES
In groups, students free write a position statement about your topic. Then they sort
quotes/claims on strips of paper that you handed out, by creating categories as they go. Finally,
they add their position statements on (or between) categories. The exercise should point out
"families" of assumptions about a topic.

PASS THE PROBLEM

Divide students into groups. Give the first group a case or a problem and ask them to identify
(and write down) the first step in solving the problem or analyzing the case (3 minutes). Pass
the problem on to the next group and have them identify the next step. Continue until all
groups have contributed.

PICK THE WINNER

Divide the class into groups and have all groups work on the same problem and record an
answer/strategy on paper. Then, ask groups to switch with a nearby group, and evaluate their
answer. After a few minutes, allow each set of groups to merge and ask them to select the
better answer from the two choices which will be presented to the class.

LAYERED CAKE DISCUSSION

Every table/group works on the same task for a few minutes, then there’s a plenary debrief for
the whole class, and finally repeat with a new topic to be discussed in the groups.
 STUDENT LEARNING COMMUNITIES
Like faculty learning communities, these communities of practice are meant to invest the
participants with ownership and a focus on sharing and joint discovery. Can be structured or
unstructured.

LECTURE REACTION
Divide the class into four groups after a lecture: questioners (must ask two questions related to
the material), example givers (provide applications), divergent thinkers (must disagree with
some points of the lecture), and agreers (explain which points they agreed with or found
helpful). After discussion, brief the whole class.

MOVIE APPLICATION
In groups, students discuss examples of movies that made use of a concept or event discussed
in class, trying to identify at least one way the movie-makers got it right, and one way they got
it wrong.

STUDENT PICTURES
Ask students to bring their own pictures from home to illustrate a specific concept to their
working groups.

DEFINITIONS AND APPLICATIONS

In groups, students provide definitions, associations, and applications of concepts discussed in
lecture.

TV COMMERCIAL
In groups, students create a 30-second TV commercial for the subject currently being discussed
in class. Variation: ask them to act out their commercials.

BLENDER
Students silently write a definition or brainstorm an idea for several minutes on paper. Then
they form into groups, and two of them read their ideas and integrate elements from each. A
third student reads his, and again integration occurs with the previous two, until finally
everyone in the group has been integrated (or has attempted integration).
 HUMAN TABLEAU OR CLASS MODELING
Groups create living scenes (also of inanimate objects) which relate to the classroom concepts
or discussions.

BUILD FROM RESTRICTED COMPONENTS

Provide limited resources (or a discrete list of ideas that must be used) and either literally or
figuratively dump them on the table, asking students in groups to construct a solution using only
these things (note: may be familiar from the Apollo 13 movie). If possible, provide red herrings,
and ask students to construct a solution using the minimum number of items possible.

RANKING ALTERNATIVES
Teacher gives a situation; everyone thinks up as many alternative courses of action (or
explanations of the situation) as possible. Compile list. In groups, now rank them by preference.

SIMULATION
Place the class into a long-term simulation (like as a business) to enable Problem-Based Learning
(PBL).

GROUP INSTRUCTIONAL FEEDBACK TECHNIQUE

Someone other than the teacher polls groups on what works, what doesn’t, and how to fix it,
then reports them to the teacher.

CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT QUALITY CIRCLES

A small group of students forms a “committee” on the quality of teaching and learning, which
meets regularly and includes the instructor.

AUDIO AND VIDEOTAPED PROTOCOLS

Taping students while they are solving problems assesses the learner’s awareness of his own
thinking.

IMAGINARY SHOW AND TELL

Students pretend they have brought an object relevant to current discussion, and “display” it to
the class while talking about its properties.
 SIX DEGREES OF “RNA TRANSCRIPTION ERRORS”
Like the parlor game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” (in which actors are linked by joint projects),
you provide groups with a conceptual start point and challenge them to leap to a given concept
in six moves or fewer. One student judge in each group determines if each leap is fair and
records the nature of the leaps for reporting back to the class.

STICKY NOTE DISCUSSIONS

Divide students into cooperative groups and have them read individually. Ask them to use sticky
notes to mark places that they want to talk about in the text. Then direct them to reread as a
group and discuss the parts they have marked.
SECOND CHANCE TESTING
(Note: term grading schemes should be adjusted to avoid undue grade inflation)

DÉJÀ VU
Let students know the next class period they will be given the IDENTICAL test they just took
and create time for them to discuss in groups what they answered and why. The second test
will also be taken by individuals.

80/20 RULE
Students know to expect a second test right after the first one, with 80% of the questions
identical, but 20% of the questions different from the first test.

UP TO HALF
Students have an option to re-take the test but can only earn extra points that equal 50% of the
points missed on the first test (i.e., students accrue half-credit on each question answered
correctly, if that question was previously missed).

GROUP TEST / GROUP GRADE

Allow students to take an exam as a team, speaking out loud to each other during the exam (but
not so loud that other groups can hear them), and they all share the same grade.

GROUP TEST / INDIVIDUAL GRADE

Allow students to view and discuss the test as a team, but each student fills out an individual
test sheet and thus results are not necessarily the same across the entire group

GROUP SECOND-TEST
Students take the test individually first. Then, they take the same test a second time, this time
in a group, defending their answers. The individual results should count for more points than
the group effort.

DRAW YOUR PARTNER

All students draw a number, then find a partner with the same number, and pair up to exchange
information in the final few minutes of a test.
PEER FEEDBACK STRATEGIES

THREE STARS AND A WISH

Three Stars and a Wish is a peer feedback strategy that is used to encourage a structured
approach to provide constructive feedback to the learners. Learners can provide feedback to
their peers on the aspects of work that are successful and what needs to be improved. The ratio
of three to one is based onresearch which shows we are more likely to take advice if there is at
least three times as much encouragement as criticism. In this strategy, the peer identifies three
specific aspects of the mini lessons which are effective (the stars) and mentions an element
about what the peer might do next time in order to improve (the wish). Participants can write
their feedback on a post-it, separate sheet of paper or can just discuss the feedback during the
group feedback circle. After all the feedback has been given, the instructor can participate in
the discussion, identifying what revisions he or she plans to make based on the feedback
received. When implementing this strategy for the first time, model the strategy with learners
to help them get an idea of the strategy.

AUDIENCE RESPONSE TOOLS

TOP HAT
An interactive, cloud-based teaching and learning platform offers several benefits for Iowa
State University instructors and students. For instructors, Top Hat opens new technology-based
pedagogical methods for classroom use. For students, it eliminates the need for clickers – the
remote control-style response devices – and offers the flexibility of participation through
computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. As of fall 2016, Top Hat is the only classroom
response technology supported by ISU IT and CELT. For additional information about how-to use
Top Hat, visit CELT’s Top Hat: Learning and Teaching with Audience Response Technology
website (http://bit.ly/29oUfGj).

HAND HELD RESPONSE CARDS

Distribute (or ask students to create) standardized cards that can be held aloft as visual
responses to instructor questions. Example: hand- write a giant letter on each card to use in
multiple choice questions.

PLICKERS
Free handheld response cards for download that get scanned by teacher’s smartphone, even at
a distance, to “collect” results. To download, visit the Plickers website (https://www.plickers.com/)

COLOR BOARDS
Students are issued (or create their own) a set of four paper-sized cards. These can be used to
vote on questions raised in class by lifting the appropriate board into the air. Optionally, the
back of each card should be white, so students do not see what others have answered.
 FINGERS ON CHEST
Students vote on multiple choice questions by showing a finger count (1 through 4). Rather than
raise them into the air, they hold their fingers across their chests so other students don’t see
what the majority is voting for.

ASSERTION AGREEMENT
Pose an assertion at the start of class that students vote on agreement; then revisit the same
question after the class lecture/discussion has explored the concept more deeply.
CREATING GROUPS

QUICK DIVISION
Divide your class into two roughly equal segments for simultaneous, parallel tasks by invoking
their date of birth: “if your birthday falls on an odd-numbered day, do task X…if your birthday is
even, do task Y.” Other variations include months of birth, odd or even inches in their height
(5’10” vs 5’11”).

QUESTION AND ANSWER CARDS

Make index cards for every student in the class; half with questions about class content; half
with the right answers. Shuffle the cards and have students find their appropriate partner by
comparing questions and answers on their own cards.

TELESCOPING IMAGES
When you need the class to form new groups, craft sets of index cards that will be grouped
together by theme, and randomly pass them out for students to seek the other members of
their new groups. Example: one set of four index cards has pictures of Europe on a map, then
France, then the Eiffel Tower, then a person wearing a beret (thematically, the images
“telescope” from far away to close-up, and the students must find others in their set of
telescoping images).

SPEED SHARING
Students write definitions, concepts, quiz questions, etc. on index cards and form two
concentric circles, facing each other. For thirty seconds (or 60), they share their knowledge with
the person opposite them. Then, the outer circle “rotates” so that everyone has a new partner,
and the sharing is repeated. This can be done until each student has completed the circuit.

TRIO ROTATION
Group students into threes and arrange the groups into a large circle. Each team of three works
on a problem. Then, each team assigns a 1, 2, and 3 number to each person. The 1’s stay put,
but the 2’s rotate clockwise and the 3’s rotate counterclockwise. Newly formed teams then
work on a new problem.

GO TO YOUR POST
Tape a sign onto opposite sides of the walls with different preferences (different authors, skills,
a specific kind of problem to solve, different values) and let students self-select their working
group
 FOUR CORNERS
Put up a different topic in each corner of the room and ask students to pick one, write their
ideas about it down, then head to “their” corner and discuss opinions with others who also
chose this topic.

DECK OF CARDS
Use playing cards to form groups by suit (clubs, hearts, etc.), by card (kinds, jacks), or by
number. You can pre-assign roles by card.
GAMES (USEFUL FOR REVIEW)

CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Create a crossword puzzle as a handout for students to review terms, definitions, or concepts
before a test. Some online websites will automate the puzzle creation.

JEOPARDY
Play jeopardy like the TV show with your students. Requires a fair amount of preparation (see
Quizboxes.com for a simpler way). Can be used also for icebreakers (such as finding out what
participants already know about your subject, your university, etc.).

BINGO
Fill out various answers onto bingo cards (each with different words and ordering), then have
students cross off each as the definition is read verbally. The first with a whole row or column
wins.

PICTIONARY
For important concepts and especially terms, have students play Pictionary: one draws images
only, the rest must guess the term.

SUPER-PASSWORD
Also, for concepts and terms; one student tries to get his partner to say the key term by
circumlocution and cannot say any of the “forbidden words” on a card prepared ahead of time.

GUESS THE PASSWORD

The instructor reveals a list of words (esp. nouns) one at a time and at each point, ask students
to guess what key term they are related to. The hints become increasingly specific to make the
answer clearer.

TWENTY QUESTIONS
Assign a person, theory, concept, event, etc. to individual students and have the partner ask
yes/no questions to guess what the concept is. Also works on a plenary level, with one student
fielding the questions from the whole class.
 HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
Choose students to sit as “celebrities” at the front of the class. Variation: allow the celebrities to
use books and notes in deciding how to help the contestants.

SCRABBLE
Use the chapter (or course) title as the pool of letters from which to make words (e.g.,
mitochondrion) and allow teams to brainstorm as many words as possible from that list, but all
words must be relevant to this test. Variation: play scrabble on boards afterward.

WHO AM I?
Tape a term or name on the back of each student, out of view. Each student then wanders
about the room, posing yes/no questions to the other students to guess the term on his own
back.

TICKET OUT THE DOOR

At the end of class, ask students to summarize the lecture today, or provide one new personal
significant learning outcome (in 3-5 sentences), and give their response to the professor for
their ticket out of the door.
INTERACTION THROUGH HOMEWORK

FIND THE COMPANY

Students search the Internet for a corporation that makes use of concepts/ideas from class and
must defend their choice in the next class session.

DIAGNOSTIC LEARNING LOGS

Students track main points in lecture and a second list of unclear points. They then reflect on
and analyze the information and diagnose their weaknesses.

PROCESS ANALYSIS
Students track the steps they take to finish an assignment and comment on their approaches to
the work

PRODUCTIVE STUDY-TIME LOGS

Short records students keep on how long they study for a class; comparison allows those with
lesser commitment to see the disparity.

DOUBLE-ENTRY JOURNALS
Students note first the important ideas from reading, and then respond personally.

PAPER OR PROJECT PROSPECTUS

Write a structured plan for a term paper or large project.

ANNOTATED PORTFOLIOS
Student turns in creative work, with student’s explanation of the work in relation to the course
content and goals.
STUDENT QUESTIONS

STUDENT QUESTIONS (INDEX CARDS)

At the start of the semester, pass out index cards and ask each student to write a question
about the class and your expectations. The cards rotate through the room, with each student
adding a checkmark if they agree this question is important for them. The teacher learns what
the class is most anxious about.

STUDENT QUESTIONS (GROUP-DECIDED)

Stop class, group students into fours, ask them to take five minutes to decide on the one
question they think is crucial for you to answer right now.

QUESTIONS AS HOMEWORK
Students write questions before class on 3x5 cards: “What I really wanted to know about
mitochondrial DNA but was afraid to ask...”

STUDENT-GENERATED TEST QUESTIONS

Students create likely exam questions and model the answers. Variation: same activity, but with
students in teams, taking each other’s quizzes.

MINUTE PAPER SHUFFLE

Ask students to write a relevant question about the material, using no more than a minute, and
collect them all. Shuffle and re-distribute, asking each student to answer his new question. Can
be continued a second or third round with the same questions.

ROLE-PLAY

ROLE-PLAYING
Assign roles for a concept, students research their parts at home, and they act it out in class.
Observers critique and ask questions.

ROLE REVERSAL
Teacher role-plays as the student, asking questions about the content. The students are
collectively the teacher and must answer the questions. Works well as test review/prep.
 JURY TRIAL
Divide the class into various roles (including witnesses, jury, judge, lawyers, defendant,
prosecution, audience) to deliberate on a controversial subject.

PRESS CONFERENCE
Ask students to role-play as investigative reporters asking questions of you, the expert on the
topic. They should seek a point of contradiction or inadequate evidence, hounding you in the
process with follow- up questions to all your replies. Variation: can be done as a group activity,
with students first brainstorming questions to ask.

PRESS CONFERENCE (GUEST SPEAKER)

Invite a guest speaker and run the class like a press conference, with a few prepared remarks
and then fielding questions from the audience.

ANALYTIC MEMO
Write a one-page analysis of an issue, roleplaying as an employer or client.

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

FISHBOWL
A student unpacks their ideas and thoughts on a topic in front of others, who take notes and
then write a response. Avoid asking questions.

IMPROMPTU SPEECHES
Students generate keywords, drop them into a hat, and self-choose presenters to speak for 30
seconds on each topic.

ANONYMOUS PEER FEEDBACK

For student presentations or group projects, encourage frank feedback from the observing
students by asking them to rip up a page into quarters and dedicating comments to each
presenter. Multiple variations are possible in “forcing” different types of comments (i.e., require
two compliments and two instances of constructive feedback). Then, ask students to create a
pile of comments for Student X, another pile for Student Y, and so on.
 POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
For those teaching in computer-mediated environments, put students into groups of three or
four students. Students focus their attention on a chapter or article and present this material to
the class using PowerPoint. Have groups conference with you beforehand to outline their
presentation strategy and ensure coverage of the material.

SHOWER BOARDS
Purchase a slab of shower board from a home improvement store for under $20 and have them
cut it into four parts. Use these four boards as whiteboards in student groups; they bring the
boards to the front to offer their presentations.

BRAINSTORMING

GROUP CONCEPT MAPPING

Start with large poster boards on tables around the room, each with only a central node on it.
Participants move around the room, adding sub- nodes to each poster until they are full.

ROUND ROBIN
Have groups silently list top 3 answers to a problem/question. Allow all groups to present one
idea in a round robin format until all groups have exhausted their lists. Scribe all answers and
then discuss how to reduce/re-categorize answers. Have groups vote on top three, provide
results, discuss, and vote again.

BRAINSTORMING ON THE BOARD

Students call out concepts and terms related to a topic about to be introduced; the instructor
writes them on the board. If possible, group them into categories as you record the responses.
Works to gauge pre-existing knowledge and focus attention on the subject.

BRAINSTORMING TREE
While brainstorming on the board, circle the major concepts and perform sub-brainstorms on
those specific words; the result will look like a tree blooming outward.

BRAINSTORMING IN A CIRCLE
Group students to discuss an issue together, and then spend a few minutes jotting down
individual notes. One person starts a brainstorming list and passes it to the student to the right,
who then adds to the list and passes it along again.
 WHITEBOARD TALK / CHALK TALK
Ask students to go to multiple whiteboards or chalkboards around the room to brainstorm
answers to a prompt/assignment but disallow all talking. Can also be done in groups.
 DIGITAL MEDIA AND ONLINE ACTIVITIES

YOUTUBE

VIDEO DEMONSTRATIONS
Using a webcam, record a demonstration relevant to your topic and post it to YouTube.

STUDENT VIDEOS
Student projects, presentations, or speeches can take the form of video instead of PowerPoint
and uploaded for the class to see.

CLOSED EYES METHOD

To prevent students at home from “reading” presentations (such as poem recitations) that were
supposed to be memorized for YouTube upload, require them to give the performance with
their eyes closed.

INTERACTIVE VIDEO QUIZZES

Using annotations (text boxes) and making them hyperlinks to other uploaded videos,
instructors can construct an on-screen “multiple choice” test leading to differentiated video
reactions, depending on how the student answers. Requires filming multiple videos and some
editing work.

MOVIE CLIPS
Show brief segments of popular movies to illustrate a point, start a conversation, have students
hunt for what the movie gets wrong, etc.

EMBED INTO POWERPOINT

YouTube videos can be embedded into a PowerPoint if there is an active Internet connection.

SHARED ACCOUNT
Instructor creates a generic YouTube username/account and gives the password to everyone in
the class, so student uploads all go to the same place.

MOBILE AND TABLET DEVICES

 COMPOSE A MUSICAL THEME
Using free apps (like Synth), students create their version of a “theme song” for an academic
concept (recidivism, electron shells, etc.) and justify WHY the composition includes the emotion
or action it does.

ONLINE INTERACTION

ONLINE CHAT (ALL-DAY)

For classes meeting at least partially in an online environment, instructors can simulate the
benefits gained by a chat-room discussion (more participation from reserved instructors)
without requiring everyone to meet in a chat room for a specific length of time. The day begins
with a post from the instructor in a discussion board forum. Students respond to the prompt,
and continue to check back all day, reading their peers’ posts and responding multiple times
throughout the day to extend discussion.

ONLINE CHAT (QUICK)

To gauge a quick response to a topic or reading assignment, post a question, and then allow
students to chat in a synchronous environment for the next 10 minutes on the topic. A quick
examination of the chat transcript will reveal a multitude of opinions and directions for further
discussion. In online environments, many students can “talk” at once, with less chaotic and
more productive results than in a face-to-face environment.

ONLINE EVALUATION
For those teaching in online environments, schedule a time which students can log on
anonymously and provide feedback about the course and your teaching. Understand, however,
that anonymity online sometimes breeds a more aggressive response than anonymity in print.

PRE-CLASS WRITING
A few days before your computer-mediated class begins, have students respond in an
asynchronous environment to a prompt about this week’s topic. Each student should post their
response and at least one question for further discussion. During the face-to-face meeting, the
instructor can address some of these questions or areas not addressed in the asynchronous
forum.

E-MAIL FEEDBACK
The instructor poses questions about his teaching via e-mail; students reply anonymously.
 SMALL GROUP CLOSING IDEAS:

● Set a date for lunch a few months away to celebrate huge successes and glorious works-
in-progress
● Give participants a stamped postcard with your address on it and ask them to send it back
to you in “x” months indicating how they’ve applied what they’ve learned, etc. (or other
suitable question)
● Participants write letters to themselves, and facilitators mail them 3 or 6 months later.
Letter is about their learning and what they hope they’ll be doing in that time
● Have participants complete ‘reflection on learning sheet’ from Fenwick and Parsons for
themselves to take away
● Ask each person what he/she got out of it: facilitators participate as well (w/rain stick or
other form of 'talking stick')
● If you choose to put some quotes up (such as the ones Russell Day collects and shares
with facilitators) – at the start, pick one. At end, evaluate same one or different one
(Changed? Key to powerful experience?)
● Write thank you cards to each other
● Ball of string – pass two times to each person to build a web; each time you get it you
share something positive you will take away
● Magazine clipping/photos that best represents you as an instructor, paste on card
● Verbally go around group and ask each person to share something that they will take
away and use
● Have each person start a postcard that is folded, with the start of an image sketched on the
outside. Put your name on the front. Pass it around and each other person can add to the
image (something about them as a teacher, maybe) and write a brief note or wish on the
inside. Card goes back to the owner to take away
● Similar to the above idea, draw a flower or other image that has petals or other 'openings'
to write in, one for each person in the group (facilitator included) and a center part for the
person it is for. Put your name in the centre and pass it around. Every other person writes
a brief note or wish to them or adds one word to describe them as a teacher. Goes back to
the owner to take away.
● Facilitators say what they learned – specifically - from the workshop and the participants
● Graduation – music and certificates: sometimes with a theme
● Get into groups of 3. Reflect on the potpourri of ideas and concepts from today (or the
workshop if multi-day). Describe one that you plan to apply in your upcoming teaching
or facilitating Ask each group to share briefly.
Contributed by Alice Cassidy, In View Educational Development
https://cassidyinview.wordpress.com/
● Plan a 1-2 minute Role Play using material from a box or bag of props - what will you
take away with you today?
Contributed by Alice Cassidy, In View Educational Development
https://cassidyinview.wordpress.com/
BUILDING COMMUNITY ONCE COURSE IS FINISHED (AFTERWARD)
Contributed by Carol Appleby

ONGOING GROUP CONNECTION

Set up a Microsoft Teams group with all participants to stay connected, ask questions, share
resources etc. The wiki and file areas can be utilized for ongoing idea sharing and support.

MINI ONLINE CONFERENCE

Plan to have mini online conferences on a given topic. Incorporate interactive power-points,
videos, networking times, FAQ’s, resource sharing. ‘Conferences’ can take place monthly,
annually, over several days – the group decides. This kind of activity can be useful to keep
engagement across campuses.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS

Ask participants to exchange their social media handles for continuing discussions and
connections online.
Consider setting up a Facebook or WhatsApp group
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