Get in the Game! Occasionally, ask students to raise both hands or stand up if they agree with a statement rather than just raising a hand.

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1 Get in the Game! Follow strategies and find tips to get your students off the bench and into the game nobody should be a benchwarmer! Most students attention and concentration wanes after about 15 minutes, so think of how you could structure your classes in chunks of 15 minutes or less using various learning strategies. If you utilize PowerPoint presentations, avoid Death by PowerPoint! Inject questions into your slides that promote small-group conversations or problem solving. Use graphics for visual stimulation. Employ microtheme writing assignments to encourage critical thinking. Ask students to write for 3 to 5 minutes, and use a creative hook if you can. For example, ask them to answer a letter to Dear Abby Dear Abby, my wife and I have been having our troubles, and she just delivered a baby boy. His blood type is O+, my blood type is A-, and my wife s blood type is B+. I was never a good science student, but could I be the father? Signed, Suspicious Ask students to write a response to a question on a post-it note and place it on the wall. Then have the students categorize responses if it is appropriate to the question and discuss. Watch a short YouTube or NBC Learn video. Follow up with either a 5-minute writing assignment or paired/group discussion on whether or not students agree/disagree and why, describing the video s relationship to a course concept, comparing the topic to another course topic, etc. Occasionally, ask students to raise both hands or stand up if they agree with a statement rather than just raising a hand. Use Mark-Ups to get students actively involved with content. Create a worksheet or provide an article. Give a series of instructions and provide post-its, markers, dots, etc. Give a list of instructions such as: 1) Highlight the main idea on the worksheet/article. 2) Circle the three most important facts. 3) Place a dot on one idea that you ll think about when you go home. 4) Write a one-sentence summary on a post-it note and stick it to the page. 5) Underline the idea that summarizes our class discussion. Give students a yellow caution flag (3 x 5 note card) at the beginning of the semester. They can hold it up any time they are not keeping up, are confused, or have a question. Agree/Disagree Ask all students to stand in a line through the center of the room. Make a statement that students can agree or disagree with; for example, the federal government should provide universal healthcare, or not all children are capable of learning. Students move to the left if they agree or to right if they disagree. How far they go indicates the extent to which they agree/disagree. Then discuss the issue. Popcorn Ask questions that could evoke several different answers. Students randomly stand up and give a response. An alternative would be to put students in groups; do the same thing but award points to the groups for correct answers. Beat the Clock Give students 60 seconds to shout out 15 facts they have learned during that class period. 1

2 Ideas from workshop participants: I use a disarticulated skeleton and have student reconstruct the intact skeleton (one bone at a time) and name the bone. (I always throw in the pile one animal bone for the fun of it.) I put questions in my lectures and let students answer them in a trivia game format. I ve had them work in small groups before an exam to develop study tools for an assigned topic (memory devices or relating the concept to something more familiar) and then they share them. Write a paragraph in 5 minutes describing their favorite vacation spot without using the letter t (illustrates struggles with limited vocabulary). Use Photostory to present the main ideas of a story they have read. Play dough creations. Student teach segments. Games. Poster and marker micro-projects. Barnyard body parts. Ask questions rather than lecture. Open discussions. Put in groups to work assignments. I give quizzes in pairs. They can discuss the questions and answers. They can answer their own way or use their partner s answer. We go over quiz at end of class after I take up their answer sheet. I ask one student to state the thesis of his essay (at the rough draft stage). I ask another and another (now 3 ideas are in the air, and all the students cannot wait until their turn comes). Hint: The first 3 you ask should be among the most extroverted. Accounting play monopoly and journalize transactions. Headband game-wear headband with label and everyone treats you according to what your headband says. Must guess what your headband says. Split class in two and compete to get most answers correct. Students are supposed to come with a research topic in mind. They actively search for information as we go through library resources. 2

3 In my reading class, I use a game to teach context clues. Students are given cards with either a definition or a phrase. They have to find the person who has a card that matches theirs. I find any games involving movement in the room particularly engaging especially for my tired evening students. The old come up and work it on the board, each student getting a turn. They ve responded well and ask for more of it. I use Quia and other online game sites. I have students interview each other. YouTube. About.com. Success groups. Group projects. Getting to know you. Think-pair-share. Teach for a day. What if? Peer reviews. Breaking News. WOW moments! First part of class is to learn from book, video, PPT, etc. Second part is hands on. All students say they love hands on but often refer back to book or class lecture for help in completing the task. Students realize it takes both to complete task properly. Group quiz. Peer grading of presentations. Students teaching assigned subject matter. Breaking into groups for exam study guides (this is often the only time a student may study). 3

4 When teaching I try to get folks to identify what they have learned to the real world. Make students work as a pair to get a task complete. Give a test and allow students to work as a group away from the classroom. I pair the group as one weak and one strong student. Mock interviews. Group competitions when reviewing new or learned information. Jeopardy game. Ice breakers that are linked to session. Debates. Have students work on an end-of-chapter case together in class in groups. This idea helps them break the ice, get to know each other, and learn and improve, all in one session. I go around the room and ask questions, basic questions about account, but I pass from student to student quickly so no one gets embarrassed or anxious. Social networking. Mandatory group involvement. Multi-media training. Most lab work is done in small groups so students can help each other and learn from someone other than the instructor. I don t teach the same way every day so students are reached by more than one method. Play bingo on a variety of topics. Play the 2 chances game. Have students answer questions and collect the correct answers. Put in hat to draw for a prize. At the end of the semester, students pair up; one is the student, one is the instructor. The instructor teaches the student how to perform the lab; instructor evaluates student and then student evaluates instructor. Then the pair switches roles and another lab exercise is performed. I assigned groups to teach a disease process and told them they needed to be the experts on that subject. They would present in class and answer any questions. 4

5 I present case studies and students would compete to who could come up with the correct diagnosis, diagnostic tests, nursing interventions. Real-life case study scenario given an assignment in the moment, and group has to act it out with 10 minutes to plan it, define roles, etc., and then go! Game show style review with groups all questions rhyme, and they have to think about their answer as a group and ring in with a cow bell. Toward the end of class, I hand out a ½ sheet of paper for students to answer questions from review of a previous day or a practice with today s materials from notes and then my last question deals with an opinion of the student or answer to their own info---age, job, pets. Work in teams with case studies for various companies and follow through a problem that companies experience with communications. This is an activity done in ENG 156 and allows students to see that major companies (from textbook) have had communication problems over the years some with great consequences (L.L. Bean, Harley, Disney, etc.) Questions are asked in which critical thinking must be used. Students present contest from chapters individually. As a group present material all inclusive. Use several different grames to summarize or review content. My students like competition i.e., using PPT Jeopardy and giving prizes or bonus credit to the winners. Having the students try to teach the material as a preview to the lesson. Just talking to the students to see what they want. I also use stickers or stamps for good questions, correct answers to questions, good discussion. Once they ve earned 10 stickers, they can earn a homework pass that they can use or save for extra credit. (My favorite!) I haven t used it yet, but Mouse Mischief looks like fun! I put students in groups and give them 5 extra points on their module grade if the group average increases between modules. (They are given incentive to form a study group.) I have students explain how they solved a problem if it was different than somebody else. Students complete a short questionnaire at the beginning of the first class. Instructor shares some answers with the class. Instructor shares some of his/her background with the class. 5

6 Have students work on problems (questions) and circulate around the room to help. Have a student work a problem for the class. Ask questions and give time for verbal response. Create support groups for discussion/study on D2L. Utilize group quizzes group/or individual completion of quiz. Informal Q&A every 10 minutes or so about topics we ve been discussing to gauge their understanding and retention. Encouraging them to work together and help each other, especially with hands-on activities. Having small groups take one element of the lesson and teach it to the entire group or reinforce major points. 6