Q: What can I do when a short period of time is left in class, and the class discussion has come to a good ending point?

A: The following is a beginning list of some ideas. Do you have any additional ideas and urls that may be interesting and useful? I'd love to get them!

I. Promoting Active Learning

The "Active Learning" page lists some specific activities. Doing things in partnerships of two rather than a larger group allows for a shorter activity (for example, ask a question that the students discuss).

The source is an article by Joyce Povlacs Lunde, Teaching and Learning Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This is part of "Teaching Tips II: 101 Things You Can Do in the First Four Weeks of Class".

FYI: The page on Active Learning links to the following topics:

Helping Student Know They are Back in School

Directing Students' Attention'

Challenging Students

Providing Support

Building Community

II. Attention Getters:

Stephanie Semier, former SBCC Philosophy teacher, offered the following in her 2000 Student Success entry on "Attention". (To get to the original site, go to lss.sbcc.net> choose "Student Success"> "2000"> "S. Semier").

A. HOT POTATO: Start by asking a student a question. Answering a question correctly gives the student the chance to ask one of his or her classmates a question. Questions circulate around the room until everyone has answered a question. This works particularly well if there is prepared material for the students to work from, but advanced classes can do this as a challenge without such materials.

B. AGAINST THE CLOCK: Give students a question which they must answer in writing in a short amount of time (usually 5-10 min). This activity reminds students why they should pay attention, especially if they know that questions like the one you've given are very likely to appear on an exam. This may be used also as a verbal activity, if students are asked to read their papers out loud or one of their classmate's papers (this helps to get some of the more shy students to speak).

(n.b., Remember some students with visual-motor processing deficits may have a hard time writing quickly, even though they have good ideas. gl)

C. LEARNING ON OUR FEET: Anytime there is a student in front of the class, the rest of them will pay more attention. Get students to go through excercies at the board or on video. Movement will attract attention as well.

III. Other Ideas:

A. Read aloud to the students (i.e., story from a different culture, beginning of their homework reading, a continuing story of relevance to your content, etc.)

B. Write a statement on the board and ask them, "Do you agree? Why or why not? Discuss with your partner." Time permitting, in last minute or two, field a few responses from class as a whole group.

C. Prepare index cards with quiz-type questions to read aloud to students. If you like, you can add some trivia questions, logic puzzlers, riddles, jokes, or bizarre questions coming out of your field. "How did they do that" type questions, using content related to your field, or solving paradoxes stimulate creative thinking.

D. Do a CATS - Classroom Assessment Techniques inquiry.

E. Online Puzzlemaker - prepare a puzzle ahead of time and copy it for those moments.

F. Blue Ribbon Learning Sites on the Web

If you go to "Grade Level" & then "College", you can search. You might pick something out of a developed lesson, such as the first url, which is a great example of how to integrate many excellent teaching techniques.

 

Please send your questions and/or answers for either teachers or students to Gerry Lewin for possible posting.