This activity is particularly conducive for use with topics that can be divided up into subtopics or a series of questions about the topic. It can be used for summarizing, reviewing and reinforcing material already studied.

Sheets of chart paper with a different subtopic or question printed on them are posted around the room. In small groups, students rotate from one chart to the next, pausing for several minutes at each chart to brainstorm and record what they know about each subtopic. Where there is little wall space, rotate the charts from group to group. Each group has a different color marker. Groups end up back at the chart where they started and are able to see what others have added.

Following is a list of steps students can take to implement the activity.

1. Write a question or subtopic on each chart.
2. Divide students into small groups.
3. Send each group to a chart.
4. Choose recorders and distribute a different color marker to each group.
5. Directions to students:

• Brainstorm responses to the posed question/topic. You will have ___ minutes.

• Stop when you hear this signal.

6. After specified time, give the signal. Tell recorders to hand the marker to another person in the group. Each group rotates one chart to the right.
7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 (above).
8. Continue until each group has brainstormed responses to all of the topics or questions.
9. Optional last step: Each group ends up at the chart where they began, with a few minutes to study it and see what developed after they left and group the ideas into categories.

Notes or Cue Cards give students practice in determining what information is important to study and remember for tests. Each student creates a full page of notes about things he or she believes will be on the test and will have a hard time remembering. Students are allowed to use these notes while taking a test. For the second test, notes have to shrink to a 4x6 index card. The next time it’s a 3x5 card. Eventually, students have to take tests with no notes.

Notes are turned in with the exam. The teacher studies what the students have included in their notes and uses this data as the basis for working with students throughout the semester to improve their note taking and study skills.

Dear :

As you know, we are having a test on , which will cover everything we have done from . To study for this test, review all of the readings and all of your notes from class. As you study, I invite you to use this page as a place to create a set of notes that you anticipate will be useful to you during the test. You may write as many notes as you can fit on this page. When you turn in your exam, please staple this sheet to the exam so that I can see what kinds of things you found important to know but difficult to remember.

Sincerely yours,

Corners is a cooperative learning structure designed to spark student interest around a topic and become invested in learning more about it. The structure gives the teacher an opportunity to gather information about students’ prior knowledge, dispositions and ways of thinking about the topic.

To begin, the teacher announces the choices. These choices are usually posted on signs, one in each corner of the room. Students commit to one of the choices in writing and then move to that corner of the room to join others who have made the same choice. In the corners, the students pair-up and then exchange reasons for making their choice. Eventually, they hear reasons from the other corners in the room where students have chosen different options. At several stages in a corner's activity, students practice paraphrasing what their peers have shared.

Teacher: Announce the corner choices.

Students:

1. Take think time to decide which corner to choose.
2. Write the letter or number of the corner on a slip of paper or Post-It note.
3. Go to corners.
4. Pair up with someone in same corner and share reasons for their choices.
5. Form pairs of pairs in same corners and paraphrase original partner’s reasons.
6. A spokesperson from each corner shares reasons with the class.
7. Pair students again in their corners to paraphrase reasons they heard from the other corners.*
8. Review reasons supporting each choice back at desks.  (After this step, students could be given the option to switch corners.)

This is a cooperative learning structure which lends itself to reviewing factual material and recall or comprehension questions. Students are required to have at least one prepared question and answer about the material that has been presented or studied.

Steps:

1. The questions students have prepared are written on index cards with answers on the reverse side.
2. Students form inner and outer circles, facing each other in pairs.
3. Pairs take turns asking their questions of one another and helping each other answer the questions if necessary.
4. Students exchange question cards.
5. The inner or outer circle moves three people to the right, students face off and begin a new round.
6. Activity continues until time runs out.

Being prepared:

1. Have students write several questions initially in case they face a partner who has written the same question.
2. Model questions so that students understand what kinds of questions work best.
3. To ensure that questions are answered correctly before beginning the circle, collect question/answer cards one day, review them and begin the next day ready to return the cards and begin the circle.

Detailed steps for this activity are attached.

1. On an index card, write a question.
2. Turn the card over and write the answer to the question.
3. Stand and form a circle around the room.
4. Divide into two circles (inside and outside):

• Letter off A-B-A-B.

• A’s take two steps forward, turn and face a B.

5. Quiz each other:

• A ask your question of B.

• Switch roles; B ask your question of A.

• Switch cards; A take B’s and B take A’s.

6. Outside circle moves:

• Turn to your left 90 degrees.

• Walk in a clockwise direction past two people.

• Stop at the third person and face your new partner.

7. Read your question to your new partner.

• Switch roles.

• Switch cards.

This is an in-depth way for students to discuss issues with some (but usually not all) of their fellow classmates. The exchanges can be easily geared to the subject matter of any class.

1. Compose a variety of questions that help students begin discussion of the course content. Use questions with no right or wrong answers.  For example, and English teacher might ask:

• What do you like about Shakespearean plays? What don’t you like?

• Why is Shakespeare considered one of the greatest playwrights of all time?

• Pick any nineteenth- or twentieth-century playwright or film writer. How would you compare this person to Shakespeare?

2. Divide students into trios. Arrange the trios in the room so that each trio can clearly see a trio to its right and one to its left. The overall configuration of the trios would be a circle or a square.
3. Give each trio an opening question (the same question for each trio) to discuss. Select the least challenging question you have devised to begin the trio exchange. Suggest that each person in the trio take a turn answering the question.
4. After a suitable period of discussion, ask the trios to assign a 0, 1 or 2 to each of its members. Direct the students with the number 1 to rotate one trio clockwise. Ask the students with the number 2 to rotate two trios clockwise. Ask the students with the number 0 to remain seated since they are permanent members of a trio site. Have them raise their hands high so that rotating students can find them. The result will be entirely new trios.
5. Start a new exchange with a new question. Increase the difficulty or "threat level" of the questions as you proceed to new rounds.
6. You can rotate trios as many times as you have questions to pose and discussion time to allot. Each time, use the same rotation procedure. For example, in a trio exchange of three rotations, each student will get to meet, six other students.

Variations

1. After each round of questions, quickly poll the full group about its responses before rotating students to new trios.
2. Use pairs or quartets instead of trios.

The purpose of this activity is to begin to familiarize students with some of the ideas, people, and concepts they will be learning about and to simultaneously gather some informal data about the prior knowledge and experience students bring to bear on the topic.

The teacher creates set of cards prior to learning that contain concepts, terms, pictures, examples and/or ideas that are associated with a topic or part of a unit of study. Students typically follow this procedure:

1. Students work in small groups to sort the cards into groups or categories of related ideas.
2. Students create labels for their groupings and prepare to explain or defend why and how each item in a group belongs in that group.

This activity works well with topics where clear relationships exist between concepts, terms, examples and ideas. These relationships might be part to whole, whole to part, cause and effect, classes or categories of things or any other kind of connection that exists between individual items.

Case study is widely heralded as one of the best learning methods. A typical case discussion focuses on the issues involved in a concrete situation or example, the action that should be taken, the lessons that can be learned and the ways of handling or avoiding such situations in the future. The technique that follows allows students to create their own case studies.

Procedure:

1. Divide the class into pairs or trios. Invite them to develop a case study that the remainder of the class could analyze and discuss.
2. Indicate that the purpose of a case study is to learn about a topic by examining a concrete situation or example that reflects that topic. Following are some examples:

• A haiku poem can be written to show how it’s done.

• An actual resume can be analyzed to study how to write a resume.

• An account of how someone conducted a scientific experiment can be discussed to learn about scientific procedures.

• A dialogue between a manager and an employee can be examined to learn how to provide positive reinforcement.

• The steps taken by a parent in a conflict situation with a child can be studied to learn about behavior management.

3. Provide adequate time for the pairs or trios to develop a short case situation or example that poses an example or issue to be discussed or a problem to be solved that is relevant to the subject matter of the class.

In a class on twentieth-century US history, for example, the teacher might select three different historical events in which the United States intervened overseas and assign one to each pair of students so that each may develop a case study to review American foreign policy. These are:

1. Bay of Pigs invasion
2. Intervention of troops in Vietnam
3. Assignment of troops to Somalia

Each pair then writes a summary case study specifically detailing the events that led to the decision to send U. S. troops overseas. Questions for analysis are:

• What were the primary reasons for US intervention?

• How well informed was the US public about the decision?

• Who made the decision?

• What precedents were set for US foreign policy?

4. When the case studies are complete, have the groups present them to the class. Allow a member of the group to lead the case discussion.

Variations

1. Obtain a small number of volunteers who prepare case studies in advance for the rest of the class. (The preparation of a case study is an excellent learning assignment.)
2. Create an even number of groups. Pair up groups and have them exchange case studies.

Small group activities are effective learning methods.  The following activities provide examples for teachers to model in various disciplines.

1. Discuss with a partner

• In your own words, explain to your partner how the pistons in a car engine work. Share with your partner the guidelines to keep in mind when writing an expository paragraph.

• Discuss with your partner the meanings of these ten terms from our anatomy unit.

2. Discussion in small groups

• Keep the group size to four or five so that each student can participate. Appoint a recorder to summarize the findings of the discussion.

3. Write questions

• Write one question about what we have just been studying. Try it out on a person near you. If he/she can't answer the question, pass it to the teacher. At the end of the period, the teacher will respond to all unanswered qyestions.
• Write two questions based on the topic, "Planning Nutritional Meals." We'll use them tomorrow for a review of the unit.

4. Brainstorm

Brainstorming can be done as a group or with a partner. Define the topic or problem. For example, the topic may be questions students think will be covered on an exam.

• On your scratch paper, jot down as many terms as you can think of that are related to the topic that we began studying yesterday. In five minutes we will discuss these terms.

• Repeat the same process as in the previous example, but share the ideas with a partner.

1. Debate

Discussion and examination of both sides of a question involves more students when done in small groups. In teaching debate techniques, first explain the structure. Then, with the help of a student, demonstrate a debate for the group. This gives students the guidelines of debating.

2. Peer group teaching

Using students as tutors is an effective learning device for both the tutor and tutored.

3. Role Playing

Simulating an event brings new perspectives to any lesson. Role playing involves more students when done in small groups, as it reduces the risk factor.

 

Whole group activities can also be effective in stimulating learning.  The following activities provide examples for teachers to model in various disciplines.

Oral reading can be done in two ways.

• One student can read while the rest of the class follows with markers, their eyes, or their fingers.
• The entire class can read aloud together. For special dramatic effects, the boys and girls can alternate reading and so on.

2. Provide wait time for covert rehearsal of responses

Waiting at least three seconds for an answer is a critical element in effective questioning of an entire class. Ask the students who have arrived at an idea to do something overt, such as putting their right hand on the table or folding their arms. Promote even greater participation by telling the class how many have given the signal. For example, say, "Well, already 12 people have signaled that they know the answer." Wait until a sufficient response number is obtained. Then call on one randomly selected student to answer the question.

• Which were the three Axis countries during World War II? (Pause) I can tell you're thinking. I see five hands, six, eight, lots more. Let's see, I think I'll call on Ted.

• I want you to think about whether this blueprint would be practical for a house in an area that has a climate like Southern California's. I'll call upon someone in about one minute.

3. Consecutive response

Each student is responsible for recalling the previous student's response.

4. Polling by raised hands

Casting votes or canvassing for information can be registered on a chart visible to the entire class.

5. Pointing

Using an individual pictorial representation (e.g., map, diagram, picture), students can point to the correct answer.

6. Cross/uncross arms

• I'll read a series of statements about different kinds of angles. If you agree with the statement, cross your arms; if you don't agree, don't cross your arms.
• If you agree with Toby's opinion, cross your arms.

7. Flash answers in groups

Flash cards made by students can be used in a variety of ways: true/false cards (color-coded for ease of reading); numerical multiplication table answers; vocabulary review; and color-coded classifying.

• We've talked about the three branches of our federal government. They're divided into groups and each group has three cards, each one stating a different governmental branch. I'll read a governmental duty (such as making laws). As a group, decide which branch of government would be responsible for that duty, and then hold up the correct card.

• There are three animal classifications listed on the board that are color-coded. Each group has three pieces of paper, each a different color. I'll read the name of an animal and as a group you decide which category that animal belongs to. Then, hold up the appropriate piece of paper.

8. Flashers

A short answer can be written either on a laminated notebook with a water-soluble pen or on an individual chalkboard.

9. Thumb signals (Done at chest level in a personal, low-key manner.)

• I'll read several statements about how to make a collar for a blouse. If the statement is true, put your thumb up. If it is false, put your thumb down. If you're not sure, put your thumb to the side.
• If you agree with Jim's explanation of a zone defense, put your thumb up.

10. Finger signals (Done at chest level in a personal, low-key manner.)

• The three kinds of rock formations are listed on the board by number. I'll say a characteristic of a certain rock formation; you put up the appropriate number of fingers for the one that is being described.

• The five main characters from the novel are listed on the board by number.
• I'll play several chords on the piano. If it's a major chord, put up one finger; if it's a minor chord, put up two fingers.

11. Flash Cards

• You're made flash cards for your new Spanish vocabulary. Study them alone for five minutes. Then we'll do some "spot checking."
• You've made flash cards for this week's vocabulary words. Practice them with a partner for ten minutes. Then we'll have our quiz.

12. Cross/uncross arms or legs, look up or down, thumbs up or down, pencils up or down

The opposite positions can indicate positive/negative, higher/lower or any two-part test of opposites.

 

 

Synectics, literally translated, means "bringing together diverse elements." Students review the topic they have studied by comparing that topic to some other randomly selected familiar object or situation.

Basic steps:

1. Teacher selects or elicits from students the name of a familiar "everyday" object (e.g., a grapefruit).
2. Teacher poses the question: "What are all the ways a _____________ (the concept or topic studied in class) is like a grapefruit?"
3. Students brainstorm many and different connections.
4. Students write a final summary about the topic using the ideas generated during the brainstorming and adding any additional important ideas about the topic.

Since by design there is no intentional or obvious relationship between the two comparators, students must analyze and scrutinize each from many different perspectives:

• What are the physical characteristics and properties of each?
• What are the functions of each?
• What are common uses of each?
• How does each behave?

The search to find many different kinds of connections requires students to conduct a thorough review of a topic and increases the likelihood that students will develop novel connections and insights about the topic.

Students may need some basic training if they have never done synectics before. With the first few synectic summaries, start with the "everyday" object and have students brainstorm all of the characteristics, properties and functions of that object. Next, ask the students to consider which of these ideas could also be said of the topic they have been studying.

Visual synectics:

1. Prepare a set of picture cards (4x6 index cards) containing cutout pictures of everyday objects familiar to students.
2. Place the cards in the center of each group of students and have them brainstorm how the topic they have studied is like the picture on the card.
3. Encourage students to generate many and varied connections for each card.

One of the most effective and efficient ways to promote active learning is to divide a class into pairs and compose learning partnerships. These partnerships can be short or long term. Learning partners can undertake a wide variety of tasks and assignments, such as the following:

• Read, critique or edit each other’s written work

• Interview each other concerning partner’s reactions to a video

• Read and discuss a short written document together

• Question partner about an assigned reading

• Recap a lecture or demonstration together.

• Develop questions together to ask the instructor

• Analyze a case problem or exercise together

• Test each other

• Respond to a question posed by the instructor

• Compare notes taken in class

Active learning cannot occur without the involvement of participants. There are a variety of ways to structure discussion and obtain responses from participants at any time during a class.

1. Open discussion: Ask a question and open it up to the entire group without any further structuring. Use open discussion when you are certain that several participants want to participate. Its straightforward quality is also appealing. If you are worried that the discussion might be too lengthy, say beforehand, "I’d like to ask four or five participants to share..."
2. Response cards: Pass out index cards and request anonymous answers to your questions. Have the index cards passed around the group or otherwise distributed. Use response cards to save time or to provide anonymity for personally threatening self-disclosures. The need to state your ideas concisely on a card is another advantage of this method.
3. Polling: Design a short survey which is filled out and tallied on the spot, or verbally poll participants. Use polling to obtain data quickly and in a quantifiable form. If you use a written survey, try to feed back the results to participants as quickly as possible. If you use a verbal survey, ask for a show of hands or invite participants to hold up answer cards.
4. Sub-group discussion: Break participants into sub-groups of three or more to share (and record) information. Use sub-group discussion when you have sufficient time to process questions and issues. This is one of the key methods for obtaining everyone’s participation.
5. Learning partners: Have participants work on tasks or discuss key questions with a participant seated next to them. Use learning partners when you want to involve everybody but don’t have enough time for small group discussion. A dyad is a good group configuration for developing a supportive relationship and/or for working on complex activities which would not lend themselves to large group configurations.
6. Whips: Go around the group and obtain short responses to key questions. Use whips when you want to obtain something quickly from each participant. Sentence stems (e.g., one thing that makes a manager effective...") are useful in conducting whips. Invite participants to "pass" when they wish. Avoid repetition, if you want, by asking each participant for a new contribution to the process.

 

 

7. Panels: Invite a small number of participants to present their views in front of the entire class. An "informal panel" can be created by asking for the views of a designated number of participants who remain in their seats. Use panels when time permits to have a focused serious response to your questions. Rotate panelists to increase participation.
8. Fishbowl: Ask a portion of the class to form a discussion circle and have the remaining participants form a listening circle around them. Bring new groups into the inner circle to continue the discussion. Use fishbowls to help bring focus to large group discussions. Although time consuming, this is the best method for combining the virtues of large and small group discussion. As a variation to concentric circles, you can have participants remain seated at a table and invite different tables or parts of a table to be the discussants as the others listen.
9. Games: Use a fun exercise or a quiz game to elicit participants’ ideas, knowledge or skill. Use games to pick up energy and involvement. Games are also helpful to make dramatic points which participants seldom forget.
10. Calling on the next speaker: Ask participants to raise their hands when they want to share their views and request that the present speaker in the class call on the next speaker (rather than the instructor performing this role). Use calling on the next speaker when you are sure there is a lot of interest in the discussion/activity and you wish to promote participant interaction.

Purpose: To help students identify separate causes and effects.

Terms: Fish bone: A graphic organizer used to separate possible causes from each other.

Cause: An event, person or object that makes something happen.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level: Analysis - Identifying the causes

Prior to the start of the activity, assign the students to groups of four. Assign and review the roles of checker, recorder, materials gopher and encourager. Review the DOVE guidelines.

1. Identify the effect (pass a quiz).
2. Identify the category names (student attitudes, materials, study habits, others).
3. Use a round-robin to suggest possible causes.
4. Discuss the suggested causes.
5. Privately rank the causes.
6. Use a round-robin to make an unduplicated list of the causes.
7. Vote for a final rank order.
8. Prepare an explanation of the choices.

The fish bone can be used to analyze effects including literature story lines, sociological problems, historic events, current events, geological catastrophes, business successes and environmental changes.

Here is an activity that is especially effective in situations when introducing content that contains complex passages in text, provocative ideas, important quotes or discrepant information. The passages or ideas are written on individual charts and students "tour" from chart to chart, discussing and interpreting the passages. The intent of this activity is to promote curiosity and interest, to cause speculation and to aid comprehension when students later encounter the same passages in a larger context.

Steps:

1. Choose the passages and write or picture them on large charts, one per chart.
2. Number each chart and post the charts around the room.
3. Establish small groups of students. If students are typically seated in assigned groups, form the "tour" groups by mixing students from around the room. Then, when students return to regular teams they can share a wide range of reactions and responses from the various tour groups they joined.
4. Assign one group to each chart as a starting point. Groups spend two to five minutes at each chart reading, discussing, interpreting and reacting to the idea - orally or in writing - and then move to the next chart.
5. Students move from chart to chart until all groups have visited all charts.
6. When students return to their seats they discuss and summarize reactions to each chart.

Before students begin the "tour," provide them with (or model) some suggested ways to react to the charts. 

• "This means . . ."
• "This sounds like . . ."
• "This looks like . . ."
• "This reminds us of . . ."
• "We are confused by . . ."
• "One way to explain this might be . . ."
• "A question this raises is . . ."
• "Some problems this might cause are . . ."
• "Advantages or disadvantages of this are . . ."
• "Causes/effects of this might be . . ."

To develop a word splash, key terms or concepts are selected from a written passage--a chapter in a textbook, a newspaper or magazine article--that the students are about to read. These are terms that the teacher wants the students to focus on when they actually do the reading later. Initially the students’ assignment is to make predictive statements about how each of the terms relates to the title or main focus of the reading. Terms selected are typically familiar vocabulary to the students. The novelty of the terms is only the way in which the terms are associated with the new topic.

Print selected terms and/or concepts at angles on an overhead transparency or chart. Students then follow this procedure:

1. Students brainstorm and generate complete statements (not just words or phrases) which predict the relationship between each term and the broader topic.
2. Students read assigned passage to check the accuracy of their predictive statements and revise where needed.
3. Students quiz each other on the correct information to ensure that they can now make accurate connections between the topic and each of the terms.