Engaging students in individual or small group activities is a great way to get students actively involved in the class. Many students feel more comfortable in small groups (four or less) rather than in large ones. Below you will find several activities that can be used in any classroom to engage students. Many of the activities below can also serve as formative assessments, a way to monitor student learning / understanding.
In 3-2-1, the instructor asks students to jot down and share with a partner or small group:
Prior to the start of class, the instructor places a question in each corner of the room as well as a place for students to write (flipchart, whiteboard, construction paper, etc.). During the activity, groups of 3-6 people move from corner to corner and answer to each question. The groups develop a consensus and write their answer directly on each flipchart / whiteboard / paper. When the flipchart has an answer already written by a previous group, the next group revises/expands/ illustrates that response with additional information. Different colored markers can be used for each group to see what each group wrote for each question.
Students move to different corners of the room, depending on their point of view. This activity helps students see that not everyone shares the same point of view, and it may stretch their own way of thinking.
In this activity, student teammates work together to ensure all members understand some course concept; one student is randomly selected to be held accountable.
Each student lists 3-5 ideas about the assigned topic. For example, an instructor in an education course might post the question, “How can we prevent cheating in classes?” One student begins the “idea wave” by sharing his / her idea. The student to the right of the student shares one idea; the next student to the right shares one idea. The instructor directs the idea wave until several different ideas have been shared. At the end of the formal idea wave, a few volunteers who were not included may contribute.
A jigsaw is an active learning exercise in which a topic is related to smaller pieces (think: puzzle pieces). Each member of a team is asked to learn about, and become an expert on, their piece. This is important because after students master their piece, they are expected to teach other members on their team about it. After everyone is done teaching their piece, the puzzle has been reassembled.
This activity is a variation on the minute paper. After explaining a concept, or at the end of class, ask students, "What was the "muddiest point" in today's lecture? What are you unclear about?"
In this activity, instructors ask students pair with a partner/small group to briefly (2-5 minutes) share notes. This is a chance for students to get clarification on a course concept.
In this activity, ask students to write for 2-3 minutes on a topic or in response to a question that you've developed. This gives students a chance to explore their own ideas before discussion or to bring closure to a class or topic. The University of Minnesota Center for Teaching and Learning has some great advice. They recommend asking students to do a minute paper "if a discussion takes a turn you didn't expect – when a particularly good question comes from the group, when discussion keeps circulating around a basic idea rather than inching its way into potential applications or deepening of ideas."
The instructor asks students a specific question about the lesson. Students then respond on the ticket and gives to the instructor, either on their way out or on their way in the next day. This is a great formative assessment; an instructor can then evaluate the need to re-teach or questions that need to be answered.
This is great activity that works well in larger classrooms. The objective of this activity is to engage participants with the material on an individual level, then in pairs, and finally as a large group,
Developed by College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, North Dakota State University. Reprinted with permission.