Add in some hand-eye coordination and physical strength, and water play is a firm favourite. He would then randomly call out a student and asks to say a number. This focus would be most appropriate for students who are in their first year of study at university, and especially for those in their first semester. Useful learning activities are ones where the student is able to take what they have learnt from engaging with the activity and use it in another context, or for another purpose. Have students swap papers with one to two other students (depending on time available). This could be done by breaking students into small chat rooms, or pairing students up to message with each other, then having their group post their points to a larger discussion board. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. The pairs of students then join with another pair, and try to come up with three things they agree on. This is a great activity to use after brainstorming to assess the interests of the class and focus on one of the issues students highlighted in greater depth later on during the class. infographic feedback about the aspects which students have not understood as well as needed. If a student does not wish to comment, they may “pass.”. perspectives from a variety of stakeholders, fo example. Every learning activity in your unit should be intentional, meaningful and useful. This activity encourages students to think about answers on their own first before talking with other students. It might be generalized to “what was the most important thing you learned today”. Each student then reads another student’s paper and provides them with some form of written feedback on their current drafts (see pointers for more detail). Using effective questioning and discussion facilitation skills will enhance this sort of learning activity. The teacher may then pose questions for the groups to answer, ask groups to complete a task that demonstrates their understanding, provide their own summary, or take questions from the groups to help solidify understandings. This discussion model is very informal and participants should take turns shouting out questions as they think of them. Alternatively,  if the questions are recorded on the board, the class can vote on the question that they would like to explore further using dotmocracy (voting with dots). CRICOS Provider Code 00586B, We acknowledge the palawa and pakana people upon whose lands the University of Tasmania stands, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student, Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching, Overview of Problem-based Learning: Definitions and Distinctions, Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies (IMAS). 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. Then, new groups are formed, each being made up of a single student from each of the original groups. situations they might encounter in the real world and other project-based assignments. Students (as individuals, pairs, or in groups) are provided with a scenario or case study which they must analyse. students to return to their survey answers (with a link) and update them with the new knowledge they have. It is an offshoot of the communicative approach, wherein activities focus on having students use authentic target language in order to complete meaningful tasks, i.e. In a typical class, students are attentive just 40% of the time; Students retain about 70% of what they hear in the first 10 minutes of class and just 20% during the last 10 minutes; After each side provides their “Opening Argument,” each side must then prepare to respond to the opposition’s argument (give students approximately 10 minutes). The scale and extent of the problem, and the amount of scaffolding provided by you, the teacher, will need careful consideration and reference to the learning outcomes of the unit, module and/or session. The next student gets to ask a question, and this cycle continues. To extend this to a critical thinking activity, once the initial During a lecture, or within a module on MyLO, ask students to stop and spend one minute (and no longer) responding to a key question about the topic being covered. Students are provided with a question or prompt for which they need to generate ideas, solutions, etc. Teach students how to give constructive, supportive feedback before this activity. Once time is up, have each small group share one idea, answer, or argument with the class. Absolutely! Above is just an outline for one way to run a debate. K. (2003). In small groups, have students annotate the text. To take this activity a step further, ask students to write down their questions and hand them in. Select a text for the groups to annotate. The production of the infographic can be worked on by students outside of scheduled sessions, and should be shared with the whole class through MyLO. aimed at furthering the thinking and analysis generated from the discussion. or teacher(s). Break students up into small groups. that level of quality, and whether they could do something differently in the future to achieve a different/higher level of quality. Students work in pairs (student A gets text 1, and student B gets text 2). All of these examples could be used in either online or on campus environments. Repeat for as many iterations as desired. Often critical thinking activities can follow on from Summarize the main point of today’s lecture in one sentence. Quescussions are a great way to generate lists of questions people might ask, or questions they want to address in a paper. of information. After 10 to 30 minutes, the groups switch (Group A observes while Group B performs the activity). In small groups of 10-20, the teacher facilitates student sharing of responses to the questions, and building upon those responses. Training methods are either on-the-job, implemented outside the organization or a combination of both.The following is a brief overview of rather typical methods of development (in alphabetical order): Apprenticeships. Ask students to reflect on what they currently think about this topic, how they feel about it, and why this might be the case. The oral explanation is then shared with the other members of the class, either as a recording shared online, or through a live presentation during a scheduled session. You may find John Savery's (2006) article Overview of Problem-based Learning: Definitions and Distinctions a valuable and useful read. Play is learning. It’s also a great way to generate a take-away (the list of questions, ideas, or concerns posted by the students). After students have received feedback on an early assessment task or learning activity, ask them to use the DIEP model (Boud, 1985) to write a reflection about their experience of completing the task or participating in the activity. After a student has responded to the question, call on another student to summarise the first student's response. The chart below should give you 24 great teaching activity ideas for teaching kids with kinesthetic learning styles. Have the class move their desks into a circle so that everyone can see each other. In an international relations class, ask students “What are the key traits of a good mediator?” Most groups will identify neutrality as one of the key trait in Western cultures, providing a bridge to a discussion of differences in the role of mediators in the Middle East, where mediators’ role is to take sides and support the weaker party in a dispute. Assign students to work in small groups of 3-4 and provide each other with feedback. Give each group of students a different section of the text/passage. 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. Students may be asked to make a record of this reflection. Two students then come together with their lists and try to come up with three things they agree on. Interesting learning activities can revitalize both the mind and body of students. After preparing written comments, students then chat briefly (~5 minutes) with their partner(s) about their paper in order to provide verbal feedback as well. When submitting the final version of their paper. We, as teachers, can do more to get our students engaged in learning to read. 3. The student to their left then has. Provide students with one question for brief reflection. Select a ‘”difficult” text or passage. For example, ask the students a question that requires them to apply, summarise, explain or identify etc. These digital stories are shared on MyLO, and used in subsequent sessions for class analysis, for peer-feedback or assessment, for oral advocacy where the author(s) of the digital story respond to questions about the content, defending and explaining their reasoning, or for formal assessment Adaptable for Online Learning? Students are organised into smaller groups of three or four for the entire semester, a week, a fortnight... Each group has an assigned task, and each member an assigned role. Stephen Brookfield has a number of useful publications about the use of reflection and reflective writing for learning and teaching which you may find useful, including: Developing Critical Thinkers: Challenging Adults to Explore Alternative Ways of Thinking and Acting (1987) ISBN 978-1-55542-055-0, and Teaching for Critical Thinking: Helping Students Question Their Assumptions (2011) ISBN 978-0-470-88934-3. Participants may only respond or add to the discussion in the form of more questions. If we want them to perform like this, thenthey need to learn these skills: _____ . For example, a written article separated by its paragraphs, a report separated by each section, a video separated into shorter clips. A cohesive set of information is separated into 4 or 5 smaller parts. Adaptable for Online Learning? Give students approximately 15 minutes to prepare an argument for their position. Sign up today! It is equally important that each activity is meaningful, and ensures student development and advancement through the unit. MIT Press, 1993. Using “Think Alouds” to Evaluate Deep Understanding, How to Study Thinking in Everyday Life: Contrasting Think-Aloud Protocols with Descriptions and Explanations of Thinking, Using Think Alouds to Assess Comprehension, Think Alouds Shed Light on How Students Grapple with Content. Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences. Examining social presence in online courses in relation to students' perceived learning and satisfaction. 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. With appropriate clues, improvising becomes second nature. Avoid asking simple/recall type questions: this activity works best when students are challenged to think through a more complex or complicated idea. After each side provides their criticisms of the opposition’s position, each group then has the opportunity to respond to the criticisms (give students approximately 10 minutes for students to prepare their responses to this as well). In this activity, it is important to structure how the students are to respond. >> Grab the FREE Printable Distance Learning Activities List and Lesson Plan HERE << Let’s get to it! These activities help your students acquire and practice the most common language of day-to-day situations. For example, students are able to directly apply the skills or knowledge they acquired to an assessment task, or to the next activity in your unit. Have the entire class arrange themselves in a circle. Line-ups allow for interactions and the opportunity to have one-on-one discussions (to figure out your place in line) and to get an idea of the wide range of opinions that may exist about a certain issue. As needed, follow up on comments. These can either be questions to clarify, issues they think were left unresolved, or ideas or positions not yet considered. This is followed by analysis of why the student thinks about the topic in the way they do, and what assumptions, attitudes and beliefs they have about, and bring to learning about the topic. The teacher's fundamental task is to get students to engage in learning activities that are likely to result in achieving [the intended learning] outcomes. After three people have had a chance to speak, the conversation is opened up to the whole group for two minutes of discussion. Self-directed learning. Adaptable for Online Learning? Adaptable for Online Learning? One way of accessing individual opinions on each of these alternatives in a non-threatening fashion is to write all of the options on large sheets of paper, and put these sheets of paper on the wall. Additionally, let students know whether they should be putting their lists together in point form or full sentences. Students work together to understand the information they are provided with. Play Dough. Finally, it also requires students to weigh the points of competing positions and claims. Therefore, it is likely that familiarising yourself with literature about this will enhance the learning of your students. Typically, students are more likely to retain information presented in these ways Provide students with a prompt. To help, we’ve rounded up some fun, non-screen activities that can be done at home and support independent learning. Try this one from BookWidgets and l… Then, you can decide if you are going to open up a conversation about it in your next class. Have each student, in addition to their final draft, also submit the feedback they gave/received as well as reflections on the revisions they made in light of their peer’s comments. Alternatively, students can use markers to add a checkmark or dot as their “Vote”. Therefore, including learning activities that foster open communication and group cohesion (as ways of fostering social presence) as well as providing opportunities for active learning are important in every unit. CPD activities must include a mixture of different types of learning, so you'll need to carry out at least two different types of activity. In fact, online platforms will likely allow you to compile answers efficiently. Great for home revision, classroom literacy groups or withing learning support settings. Opportunities are provided for each group to share their The 'social presence' of a student in a unit has been found to correlate positively with both their achievement of learning outcomes, and their perception of the learning in a unit (Richardson & Swan, 2003). Adaptable for Online Learning? In getting students to ask questions, you’re inviting them to generate a variety of thoughts about the topic without them directly stating their own views. In a study conducted at Harvard University, students learned more from active learning experiences when compared to passively listening to a well-delivered, traditional lecture.However, the students mistakenly believed they learned less from active learning. This part requires members of the groups to carefully listen to and reconstruct the opposition’s argument. (The organisation of groups, and assignment of roles can be managed either by the teacher or the students.) Activities that focus on or include interaction with others can support student development of a range of learning outcomes, inclusive of declarative and functioning knowledge. Writing … The facilitator starts the Quescussion by asking a question related to the discussion topic, and writing it on the board. Often critical thinking activities can follow on from other learning activities, after students have received feedback from the initial activity. Model this activity very briefly for students with a sample text. Break the large text up into 1-2 paragraph sections. Quescussion is discussion through questions only. Variety makes learning fun and interesting for your child(ren). When developing and selecting activities it often helps to use a series of If/Then statements (Wick, Pollock, Jefferson, Flanagan, 2006): 1. Individually, or in small groups, have students analyze the case using guidelines and a framework provided by you (the instructor). An analogy that helps students understand the process is comparing it to math: Much like a mathematician must show their work when solving an equation, so must a student in the Arts & Humanities when explaining their thinking and reasoning process. They can either perform the same activity, a modified version, or a new activity. Students are each given a specific aspect of a topic, and asked to create a 4 minute oral explanation of it. You encounter a sticky/high-anxiety discussion topic. 8. Ask students to write down a comment about the quality of their work (process or product). if they are asked to interact with the material in some way, which is why it is useful to ask or invite questions, or include another activity type after every 5 or 15 minute 'chunk' of information. For centuries, apprenticeships were the major approach to learning a craft. Students individually think about a particular question, scenario, or problem. Each question is written down on the board. Alternatively, if the first response was not completely accurate, invite the second student to respond to the first student's answer (e.g., "[name] what do you think about that - The reader stops after every few sentences, and reflects on what they have read. Using blended learning in the classroom can help students learn more easily by helping them become interested in the both activities and knowledge. Each student should read their index card, and as a group pick one index card question they want to address. In This discussion model can be time-consuming. The Pro and Con Grid involves students developing a list … and context). Play dough has immense potential for learning. VARIATION - Vary class activities to give students the ability to try out different learning styles, and to give each student their moment to shine. The most common configuration is an "inner ring" (Group A), which is the discussion group, surrounded by an "outer ring" (Group B), which is the observation group. © University of Tasmania, Australia. After students have had time to discuss, pick a few questions to discuss as a group. Be sure clear expectations and structure are provided to the students (e.g. For a unit with an ILO for students to 'evaluate', however, the questions might ask student to list advantages and disadvantages, Adaptable for Online Learning? Annotation increases memory and learning, and improves reading comprehension. What was the most useful or meaningful thing you learned from this assignment? Teacher will have a list of sports activities with him/her numbered from 1 to 10 or so. Students who agree should stand close to the circle and those who disagree should stand further away. If possible, give students guiding questions such as: What is happening in this section? (It may be useful to provide a visual clue for students identifying that after posing the question you would like to them to consider The group observing will either observe the process, the content, or both depending on the desired outcome. and reflect on the topic and what happened in discussion. In this section you will learn about 20 active learning activities. This post offers lots of examples, free templates to download, and tutorials to watch! Schuell, T.J. (1986). Minute papers can also be used in the middle of lecture components if class concentration begins to wane. Emphasize that responses should be concise. Following Quescussion, the class can then focus on one or two of the key questions raised in greater depth. Use a MyLO Content File (HTML) to pose one to four questions, in text. Some more complex forms of active learning include service learning, problem-based learning, collaborative learning (team based) and simulations. In an online setting, this could become an individual activity as well. Partner Pretest 3. discussion on the content of the text is completed, students are then asked to critique the text based on a provided set of criteria. 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. these new groups, each 'expert' student shares their knowledge with the rest of the group who may ask questions to clarify meaning. Additionally, water play is great for learning consequences of actions. In this twist on think-pair-share, pose an open-ended question to your class and ask students to come up with their best answer. After each student has had a chance to write their response, have them read and share their response with the group. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 7(1), 68-88. all the participating students are then asked to write a short summary of each of the aspects explained. (Revised edition). product with the rest of the class, through, for example, an in-class presentation (using web conferencing for online presentation), or a peer-assessment activity (facilitated online or in-class) where each group assesses one another's work using a rubric. The questions posed, and how students are asked to respond to them will be dependent upon what the ILOs require students to do. Ericsson, K. and Simon, H. Protocol Analysis; Verbal Reports as Data. Size: Entire class, divided into 2 groups (if class is small enough), Time: 30-40 minutes, or longer depending on discussion. Whether your classes are in person, online or somewhere in between, here are 15 active learning activities to try with your students this semester. The activity types provided below are by no means an exhaustive list, but will help you in thinking through how best to design and deliver high impact learning experiences for your students in your unit. Additionally, with each question students will likely think of answers to the proposed question. 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 also allows the students to work through some of their issues, questions or concerns with the text together. Think-pair-repair. Each student then records and submits their answers. This is a great activity for online classrooms. Activities that provide students with opportunities to think about or use knowledge and information in new and different ways will support their development of critical thinking skills - one of the main selling points of a university education. The questions posed will be dependent upon the unit and module/session learning outcomes. The intent of the activity is then clear to both you and your students. Step away from the printable. Fishbowls are used for dynamic group involvement. Presenting students with a problem, scenario, case, challenge or design issue, which they are then asked to resolve, address, meet, or deal with provides students with a visible and clear reason for learning. Group A is given an assignment, such as a discussion or exercise to perform, while Group B observes. Tell the class that the right end of the line represents the position “yes, I agree completely” and the left end of the line represents the position “no, I completely disagree.” Students should mingle and discuss their opinion on the issue, eventually finding and taking their appropriate position within the continuum. These fun activities encourage learning in an interactive way. The rest of the class are “outside” of the “fishbowl” and observe the activity take place. Time: One class (8 questions can be addressed in a 50-minute class). It also will help them to choose their approach to assigned projects. For example, ILOs that require students to 'identify' might have questions that highlight the relevant aspects, or which require students to identify the key ideas in the video. In addition to literacy strategies, approaches to assessment, and grouping strategies (among many others), knowing the right teaching strategy for the right academic situation may not be a matter of expertise or training, but memory: out of sight, out of mind, yes? Then bring students together as a large class for discussion. Below the questions and the survey link, embed a short video (from YouTube, MyMedia, Vimeo etc) that contains information answering the posed questions. Review of Educational Research, 56, 411-436. Different Activities for Learning. This activity ensures that all students have an opportunity to speak if they wish. (This process is awkward, and weird for most. would you agree?"). Give each student a few post-its, and have them write out 1 idea per post-it. If you feel that the learners are not ready for public feedback, ask them to provide feedback to each other in pairs or in writing. These are best used at the end of the class session. This then enables you to plan for additional learning activities that focus on the less well understood concepts. They can choose the ideal eLearning activities for their needs, set their own goals, and go at their own pace. Learning activities should always be play-based and hands-on. We’ll discuss 8 strategies to employ with blended learning. This can be useful to go back to towards the end of the module or topic, to ask students to reflect on if and how their feelings and understandings have changed. The discussion facilitator poses a question. other learning activities, after students have received feedback from the initial activity. What questions remained unanswered in your mind today? Prodigy. For this activity, you will need a small group of volunteers to be “in” the “fishbowl” to participate in the activity. Informal learning comes in many forms, including viewing videos, self-study, reading articles, participating in forums and chat rooms, performance support, coaching sessions, and games… Informal learning is a style of learning in which the learner sets their own goals and objectives. 2. A disadvantage of this activity is that students must make a public stand about their opinion. There are three rules: (1) Only questions are allowed. 7 Experiential Learning Activities to Engage Students 1. Dotmocracy is a technique for voting and recognizing levels of agreement among a group of people. For example, a unit with an ILO that requires students to 'identify' might have questions that highlight the relevant aspects, or which require students to identify the key ideas in a reading. and feedback from the teacher, among other uses. It can be run during a tutorial, in a class during lecture, or outside of class time as preparation. They prepare a 5 minute digital story that explains what the relevant issues are, including the stakeholders, the options, the impacts and consequences etc (as relevant to your discipline And practice the activity take place student reads a passage of text aloud and. Call on another student to respond asking the question posed can not be a way thinking. Clarify, issues they think of them creativity and critical thinking activities can be targeted. May be difficult to reach consensus on the extremes ( close or far away ) and in the of... Students learn more about it in your next class, five potential strategies for dealing a. Small group discussion allows students to think through a more complex forms active. Class today stand close to the discussion topic, and water play is a among... After asking the question, call on another student to respond summaries are then asked make! 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