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Sunday, 28 December 2014
Friday, 20 June 2014
101 INTERACTIVE TEACHING TECHNIQUES PART 2
101 INTERACTIVE TEACHING TECHNIQUES PART 2
51. Application
to Major – During last 15 minutes of class, ask students to write a short
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| Teaching method |
article
about how the point applies to their major.
52. Pro
and Con Grid – Students list out the pros and cons for a given subject.
53. 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).
54. 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.
55. Focused
Autobiographical Sketches – Focuses on a single successful learning
experience,
one relevant to the current course.
56. 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.
57. 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.
58. 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
59. Categorizing
Grid – Hand out rectangles divided into cells and a jumbled listing of
terms that
need to be categorized by row and column.
60. 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.
61. What/How/Why
Outlines – Write brief notes answering the what / how / why
questions
when analyzing a message or text.
62. Approximate
Analogies – Students provide the second half of an analogy (A is to B as
X is to Y).
101 interactive teaching techniques
63. 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)
Kevin Yee |
University of Central Florida | kevinyee@mail.ucf.edu
64. 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.
65. Reading
Rating Sheets – Students fill out a ratings sheet on the course readings,
on
how clear,
useful, and interesting it was.
66. Assignment
Assessments – Students give feedback on their homework assignments,
and evaluate
them as learning tools.
67. Exam
Evaluations – Students explain what they are learning from exams, and
evaluate
the
fairness, usefulness, and quality of tests.
68. Group-Work
Evaluations – Questionnaires asking how effective groupwork has been
in the
class.
69. 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.
70. 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
71. Think-Pair-Share
– Students share and compare possible answers to a question with a
partner
before addressing the larger class.
72. Pair-Share-Repeat
– After a pair-share experience, ask students to find a new partner
and debrief
the wisdom of the old partnership to this new partner.
73. 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.
74. 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.
75. Forced
Debate – Students debate in pairs, but must defend the opposite side of
their
personal
opinion. Variation: half the class take 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
the issue.
76. 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.
77. Peer
Review Writing Task – To assist students with a writing assignments,
encourage
them to
exchange drafts with a partner. The partner reads the essay and writes a
threeparagraph
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.
78. Invented
Dialogues – Students weave together real quotes from primary sources, or
invent ones
to fit the speaker and context.
79. My
Christmas 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.
80. 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?
Kevin Yee |
University of Central Florida | kevinyee@mail.ucf.edu
Student Action: Groups
81. Jigsaw
(Group Experts) – Give each group a different topic. Re-mix groups with one
planted “expert”
on each topic, who now has to teach his new group.
82. 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 as a whole.
83. 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.
84. 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.
85. Student
Pictures – Ask students to bring their own pictures from home to illustrate
a
specific
concept to their working groups.
86. Definitions
and Applications – In groups, students provide definitions, associations,
and
applications of concepts discussed in lecture.
87. 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.
88. 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).
89. Human
Tableau or Class Modeling – Groups create living scenes (also of inanimate
objects)
which relate to the classroom concepts or discussions.
90. 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 amount of items possible.
91. 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.
92. Simulation
– Place the class into a long-term simulation (like as a business) to
enable
Problem-Based
Learning (PBL).
93. 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.
94. 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.
95. Audio
and Videotaped Protocols – Taping students while they are solving problems
assesses the
learner’s awareness of his own thinking.
96. 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.
97. 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.
101 interactive teaching techniques
98. Replace
Discussion Boards - Create a Facebook “group” (private/invite only) and use
the Wall as
the class discussion board. Students are notified by home page notification
when someone
replies to their thread.
99. Notify
Students Quickly - Message all members of your Facebook group with one
click; this
will reach your students much faster than an email, because most of them
check
Facebook regularly.
100. Fan
Page - An alternative to a group is a “fan” page, which has the advantage
that your
“status
updates” will show up for students on their Live Feed. Disadvantage: some
students
turn off Live Feed and only see status updates of their friends.
101. Direct
Facebook Friendship - Allowing your students to “friend” you will give you
unfettered
access to them (unless they’ve set up a special role for you), but more
importantly,
your status updates will be visible to them on the home page (unless they
block you
manually). Disadvantage: too much information will be revealed on both sides,
unless both you and the
students set up “lists” with limited access allowed.
Thursday, 19 June 2014
101 INTERACTIVE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
101 INTERACTIVE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Instructor
Storytelling – Instructor illustrates a concept, idea, or principle with a
reallife
application,
model, or case-study.
5. 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.
Kevin Yee |
University of Central Florida | kevinyee@mail.ucf.edu
6. Classroom
Opinion Polls – Informal hand-raising suffices to test the waters before a
controversial
subject.
7. Total
Physical Response (TPR) – Students either stand or sit to indicate their
binary
answers,
such as True/False, to the instructor’s questions.
8. Hand
Held Response Cards – Distribute (or ask students to create) standardized
cards that
can be held aloft as visual responses to instructor questions. Example: green
card for
true, red for false. Or hand-write a giant letter on each card to use in
multiple
choice
questions.
9. 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.
10. Self-Assessment
of Ways of Learning – Prepare a questionnaire for students that
probes what
kind of learning style they use, so the course can match visual/aural/tactile
learning
styles.
11. 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.
12. Everyday
Ethical Dilemmas – Present an abbreviated case study with an ethical
dilemma
related to the discipline being studied.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. Read
Aloud – Choose a small text (500 words or less) to read aloud, and ask
students to
pay
particular attention during this phase of lecture. A small text read orally in
a larger
lecture can
focus attention.
18. Punctuated
Lectures – Ask student to perform five steps: listen, stop, reflect, write,
give
feedback. Students become self-monitoring listeners.
19. 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.
20. Recall,
Summarize, Question, 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 as a whole,
and comment
on that class session.
21. Focused
Listing – List several ideas related to the main focus point. Helpful for
starting
new topics.
22. Background
Knowledge Probe – Use questionnaire (multi-choice or short answer)
when
introducing a new topic.
23. Goal
Ranking and Matching – Students rank their goals for the class, then
instructor
combines
those with her own list.
24. Interest/Knowledge/Skills
Checklist – Assesses interest and preparation for the
course, and
can help adjust teaching agenda.
Kevin Yee |
University of Central Florida | kevinyee@mail.ucf.edu
25. 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.
Instructor Action: Lecture (Small Class Size)
26. Pass
the Chalk – Provide chalk or a soft toy; whoever has it must answer your
next
question,
and they pass it on to the student of their choice.
27. Quaker
Meeting – Students highlight key passages of the reading, and there is
silence
(like a
Quaker meeting) until someone wants to read his/her out, and others follow. End
with brief
writing about what they learned from the sentences.
28. Town
Hall Meeting – Abdicate the front of the room for a student willing to
speak out
on a
controversial subject, and when she is done with her comment, she selects the
next
speaker from
the hands raised.
29. 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.
30. 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 onto the material itself.
Student Action: Individual (many of these can be used as partnerwork
or groupwork instead;
or may escalate to that after some individual effort)
31. 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.
32. Muddiest
Point – Like the Minute Paper, but asks for the “most confusing” point
instead.
Best used at the end of the class session.
33. Misconception
Check – Discover class’s preconceptions. Useful for starting new
chapters.
34. Drawing
for Understanding – Students illustrate an abstract concept or idea.
Comparing
drawings around the room can clear up misconceptions.
35. What’s
the Principle – After recognizing the problem, students assess what
principle
to apply in
order to solve it. Helps focus on problem TYPES rather than individual
specific
problems. Principle(s) should be listed out.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. “Real-World”
– Have students discuss in class how a topic or concept relates to a
realworld
application
or product. Then have students write about this topic for homework.
Variation:
ask them to record their answer on index cards.
40. 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.
41. Advice
Letter – Students write a letter of advice to future students on how to be
successful
students in that course.
Kevin Yee |
University of Central Florida | kevinyee@mail.ucf.edu
42. Tabloid
Titles – Ask students to write a tabloid-style headline that would
illustrate the
concept
currently being discussed. Share and choose the best.
43. Bumper
Stickers – Ask students to write a slogan-like bumper sticker to illustrate
a
particular
concept from lecture. Variation: can be used to ask them to sum up the entire
course in
one sentence.
44. One-Sentence
Summary – Summarize the topic into one sentence that incorporates
all of
who/what/when/where/why/how creatively.
45. Directed
Paraphrasing – Students asked to paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific
audience
(and a specific purpose).
46. Word
Journal – First, summarize the entire topic on paper with a single word.
Then
use a
paragraph to explain your word choice.
47. 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.
48. Objective
Check – Students write a brief essay in which they evaluate to what extent
their work
fulfills an assignment’s objectives.
49. Opposites
– Instructor lists out one or more concepts, for which students must come
up
with an
antonym, and then defend their choice.
50. 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).
Thursday, 6 March 2014
COMMON ERRORS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (2)
COMMON ERRORS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE  FREE SEMINAR FOR YOUR SCHOOL. Click the Register tab nowCOMMON ERRORS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ASCARED/SCARED
|
The misspelling "ascared" is probably influenced by the spelling of the
|
synonym "afraid, " but the standard English word is "scared."
|
ASCRIBE/SUBSCRIBE
|
If you agree with a theory or belief, you subscribe to it, just as you
|
subscribe to a magazine.
|
Ascribe is a very different word. If you ascribe a belief to someone,
|
you are attributing the belief to that person, perhaps wrongly.
|
ASOCIAL/ANTISOCIAL
|
Someone who doesn©t enjoy socializing at parties might be described as
|
either "asocial" or "antisocial"; but "asocial" is too mild a term to
|
describe someone who commits an antisocial act like planting a bomb.
|
"Asocial" suggests indifference to or separation from society, whereas
|
"antisocial" more often suggests active hostility toward society.
|
ASPECT/RESPECT
|
When used to refer to different elements of or perspectives on a thing
|
or idea, these words are closely related, but not interchangeable. It©s
|
"in all respects," not "in all aspects." Similarly, one can say "in some
|
respects" but not "in some aspects." One says "in this respect," not "in
|
this aspect. " One looks at all "aspects" of an issue, not at all
|
"respects."
|
ASSURE/ENSURE/INSURE
|
To "assure" a person of something is to make him or her confident of it.
|
According to Associated Press style, to "ensure" that something happens
|
is to make certain that it does, and to "insure" is to issue an
|
insurance policy. Other authorities, however, consider "ensure" and
|
"insure" interchangeable. To please conservatives, make the distinction.
|
However, it is worth noting that in older usage these spellings were not
|
clearly distinguished.
|
European "life assurance" companies take the position that all
|
policyholders are mortal and someone will definitely collect, thus
|
assuring heirs of some income. American companies tend to go with
|
"insurance" for coverage of life as well as of fire, theft, etc.
|
ASTERICK/ASTERISK
|
Some people not only spell this word without the second S, they say it
|
that way too. It comes from Greek asteriskos: "little star." Tisk, tisk,
|
remember the "isk"; "asterick" is icky.
|
In countries where the Asterix comics are popular, that spelling gets
|
wrongly used for "asterisk" as well.
|
ASTROLOGY/ASTRONOMY
|
Modern astronomers consider astrology an outdated superstition. You©ll
|
embarrass yourself if you use the term "astrology" to label the
|
scientific study of the cosmos. In writing about history, however, you
|
may have occasion to note that ancient astrologers, whose main goal was
|
to peer into the future, incidentally did some sound astronomy as they
|
studied the positions and movements of celestial objects.
|
ASWELL/AS WELL
|
No matter how you use it, the expression "as well" is always two words,
|
despite the fact that many people seem to think it should be spelled
|
"aswell." Examples: "I don©t like plastic trees as well as real ones for
|
Christmas." "Now that we©ve opened our stockings, let©s open our other
|
presents as well."
|
AT ALL
|
Some of us are irritated when a grocery checker asks "Do you want any
|
help out with that at all?" "At all" is traditionally used in negative
|
contexts: "Can©t you give me any help at all?" The current pattern of
|
using the phrase in positive offers of help unintentionally suggests aid
|
reluctantly given or minimal in extent. As a way of making yourself
|
sound less polite than you intend, it ranks right up there with "no
|
problem" instead of "you©re welcome."
|
ATM machine/ATM
|
"ATM" means "Automated Teller Machine," so if you say "ATM machine" you
|
are really saying "Automated Teller Machine machine."
|
ATHIEST/ATHEIST
|
An atheist is the opposite of a theist. "Theos" is Greek for "god." Make
|
sure the "TH" is followed immediately by an "E."
|
ATHLETE
|
Tired of people stereotyping you as a dummy just because you©re a jock?
|
One way to impress them is to pronounce "athlete" properly, with just
|
two syllables, as "ATHleet" instead of using the common
|
mispronunciation "ATHuhleet."
|
ATTAIN/OBTAIN
|
"Attain" means "reach" and "obtain" means "get." You attain a
|
mountaintop, but obtain a rare baseball card. "Attain" usually implies a
|
required amount of labor or difficulty; nothing is necessarily implied
|
about the difficulty of obtaining that card. Maybe you just found it in
|
your brother©s dresser drawer.
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Some things you obtain can also be attained. If you want to emphasize
|
how hard you worked in college, you might say you attained your degree;
|
but if you want emphasize that you have a valid degree that qualifies
|
you for a certain job, you might say you obtained it. If you just bought
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