Add a Detail

Materials Needed: Index Cards or pieces of scrap paper

• Student A writes down one "take away" from the previous lesson, reading, or any specified topic by the instructor. 

• Student A then passes his/her written "take away" to Student B. Student B adds a detail omitted by Student A.

• Students continue to pass cards until the instructor tells them to stop.

• Complete the activity by having students read the cards aloud.

 

Anonymous Cards

Materials Needed: Index cards (or scrap paper), pencils, blue or black ink pens

• Students use index cards (or scrap paper) to anonymously write down any questions they have about the class material or subject area.

• Collect all of the index cards and shuffle.

• Randomly redistribute the cards to students and allow them time to research and prepare an answer.

• Conclude the activity by having students read the question, then report out their answers.

Hints: Recommend students use blue or black ink to write their questions to limit identifiers.

• Added technology: Have students post their questions to padlet.com as a "parking lot" of questions.

 

Baseline

Materials Needed: In advance of class, construct a list of questions about a specific topic. Begin with simple fact-based concepts, and increase the level of difficulty as the questions progress.

• Ask all students to raise their hand or place a thumbs-up in the air.  

• The instructor reads questions or statements about a given topic area. Students leave their hands/thumbs in the air for as long as they understand the concepts.  

• As the student starts to lose confidence in their knowledge, they put their hand down.

Hints: This can be done "on the fly" if the instructor can spontaneously generate questions about concepts/topics and does not necessarily require preparation. 

 

Diagnostic Learning Log

Materials Needed: Paper for students to complete the log, or if doing multiple entries across time, assign a specific notebook or journal for students.

• Intentionally select a break in lecture, pause. Instruct students to use this time to think about their progress in understanding and mastering the topic at hand. 

• Students begin composing a list or description of the material that they understand fully. Identify in writing questions or concerns that require review or light studying, and where do they experience confusion, frustration, or a general feeling of not knowing related to the content.

• Students then analyze gaps or patterns of misinformation for which they develop solutions to solving how to gain competency with the material.

 

Give One, Get One

Materials Needed: Paper, dry erase board, iPad, any method for students to record information in columns.

•  Have students draw a T-Chart. Label the column on the left "Give One," label the column on the right "Get One." 

• The instructor poses a question about the topic being studied (e.g., recall information, describe, interpret, or defend your position about a passage from the text).

• In the column on the left, students jot down brief answers to the stem question. This fills in the first column, "Give One." 

• Students then walk around the room and partner with another student. Student A reads all items on the "Give One" list. Student B waits until they hear something they do not have written. Now Student B will add that comment from Student A's list to his/her/their "Get One" list along with the name of the contributing student. 

• Students change partners as many times as possible during the exercise.

 

Muddiest Point*

Materials Needed: Index Cards

• Instructor poses this single question for students respond: What was the muddiest point in _________?

Set time for this strategy, it can be completed during the middle of a class period as an assessment of misconceptions or sticking points, which can then be clarified before the end of the session. Alternatively, implement the strategy at the end of the session as a means to reveal where to start next time. Begin the next session addressing these items or provide supplemental information for learning outside of class.

Hints: Recommend students use blue or black ink to write their questions, so it is not distinguishable.

• Added Technology: Use goformative.com or padlet.com to collect student responses. If using Padlet, the responses can be grouped to see what themes arise from submissions.

*well suited for large, lower-division courses but not for those which emphasize integration, synthesis, and evaluation.

 

Personal Bias

• The instructor pauses lecture to give students a moment to intentionally consider the topic at hand.  

• Pose a question that draws focus to the individual's consideration of the topic; the intent is to uncover prior knowledge or beliefs that hinder or block new learning. 

• Use this designed opportunity to uncover incorrect or incomplete knowledge, attitudes, or values.

 

Pro/Con Grid

Materials Needed: Paper or recording area for students to record ideas

• The instructor provides an idea or topic for students to think over. 

• Students complete either a list of pros/cons or a list of advantages/disadvantages between competing issues about the topic. 

• Go the next step to have students share out to create a class pro/con list overall about the topic for consideration.

 

Quick Write

Materials Needed: Index Cards or scrap paper

• Have students write the most important thing they learned today and next write what concept or item that they understood least. Grammar is not considered, focus only on what comes to the students’ minds when writing. 

• Use this tool as a learning log or as a simple check-in for learning. 

• Complete the inventory using an index card, a sheet of paper, a chalkboard/dry erase board, or electronically.

• Added Technology: Use goformative.com to collect student responses and provide feedback quickly. 

 

Snowball

Materials Needed:  Paper, pencil

• Select a specific concept or subject for students to define, describe, and analyze.

• Name the topic that was covered in previous teaching lesson or in readings.

• Ask students to identify the main idea, globally, and then list facts and supporting details - working independently for a short amount of time. 

• Next, students turn to a neighbor and get one idea from the peer. This group of 2 students exchange information with another group of two students to glean another piece of information.  Now students in groups of 4, exchange information with another group of 4.  Continue moving throughout the room until each student has accumulated a list of 6 items.

• Alternatively, students may be asked to work alone, moving around the room talking with one person at a time for each subsequent idea…continue until students have 5 ideas about the topic to create an answer.

 

Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up

Materials Needed: Questions prepared for students. Music, optional.

• The instructor proposes questions to students. Pause to let students think about their answers. 

• All students stand up with one hand in the air, walk around the room to find a partner, high five your partner, and put your hand(s) down. It can be set to music, so when the music turns off students high-five the person closest to them. Students keep hands raised until they are grouped with a partner.

• Students discuss the question and come up with an answer. 

• Optional: Play the music again to get students to partner with another student, or to cue the students to head back to their seats. 

 

Student-Generated Questions

Materials Needed: Index cards or scrap paper.

• Have students reflect upon the session period and develop an idea for a test question.  

• Students generate test questions, answer options, and rationale for the correct answer.  Students can model answers for critical areas of learning.

• The instructor can collect these questions and use them on an upcoming exam. 

 

Suggestion Box

Materials Needed: Index Cards

This can be done as a student reflection or as an instructor evaluation. 

• Students reflect on questions such as: How am I doing? Ask in the moment how the instruction is being received: to quickly, too slowly, too advanced, just right, include more examples, allow time for pauses and questions. What teaching method is working well? What would you like to see more of to help you better understand the material? What behaviors are distracting? 

• If students are doing a quick evaluation of the instructor, remind them to provide constructive feedback with suggestions for improvement.

 

Scaffold

Materials Needed: Paper or scrap paper for students to jot down ideas. 

Help students build their schemas. Ask students questions to help facilitate the connection to other materials/concepts to build their knowledge.  

• Ask students to respond to these questions, on a scrap piece of paper,: 

  • What did you learn that builds upon the last class? 

  • The previous session? 

  • The last unit? 

  • Where have you seen something like this before?

• Students can share with a partner what connections they made and then add to their lists, if necessary. 

• Have students work to make a concept map of the ideas and connections. 

 

Self-Confidence Survey

Materials Needed: Survey for students to complete

Students complete an anonymous survey indicating their level of confidence in mastering the course material.

• Provide copies, or use an online version to have students complete how they are feeling about the material they have learned.  

• Allow students an opportunity to assess their knowledge of the content. 

• Use the student responses to modify upcoming sessions to meet student needs.

Optional Technology: Use goformative.com and upload a survey as an image or PDF for students to check off on in the appropriate box on the question. (Upload up to 20 items for free per month)

 

Survey Response

Materials Needed: Questions to elicit students' response, Alternative sets of red, yellow, green paper, sized 3x3 square, provided to each student

• Students respond to a question or short series of questions about the effectiveness of the lesson, session, topic by using hand signals to respond.  

• Students display the number of fingers (1-5 digits raised) that represents the response. On a scale of 1-5, showing how they feel about the topics, 

Alternate implementation: Use color paper to indicate student confidence in the concept presented. Raising a green square indicates high confidence, yellow indicates uncertainty, and red indicates unknown independently, I need more guidance.

 

What’s the Principle

Materials Needed: Prepared major principles from the session. 

• Students identify the principle or principles to solve problems of various types of questions.

 

What If

• Pose a question to the students that summarize a topic/concept or review a theory from the class that starts with “what if…” to challenge students to use critical thinking skills.

• Have them write their responses to share with classmates and then out to the class.

Added Technology: Use PollEverywhere to collect student responses.  Or, use Answer Garden to collect the answers to make a word cloud.