Seeing students getting sleepy? Try the “human histogram” classroom activity. Create a continuum along one wall. For example, one side of the wall may represent “strongly agree” and the opposite side represents “strongly disagree.” Pose a statement and have students arrange themselves along the continuum based on their opinions. Once students are settled, debrief as… Read more »
Tag: active learning
Announcement! We want to give YOU money!
Did that title grab your attention? Good! Because it’s the truth! The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) sponsors several grants, many of which have application deadlines in late February. While we’ll be thrilled if you apply for any of our grants, today I want to tell you about the Active Learning Grant. Some… Read more »
Prove Me Wrong: How One IU Professor Works Smarter with Active Learning by Enlisting Students’ Help
Put down the pool floats, fruit smoothies, and sunblock: the fall semester is beginning! As you begin to prepare your courses, you may find yourself overwhelmed with choices about course design, assignment sheets, and student engagement. Sometimes, the easiest way to incorporate innovative teaching in these busy semester moments is through simple interventions with large… Read more »
Active Learning is a Game Changer: Try the Crowd-Crumple Activity
As we’re entering the flow of the fall semester, you might find yourself wondering how to keep your students awake, engaged, and – oh yeah – actually learning! Lectures can be helpful for us to convey information, but if you really want to see students reach those learning goals, it’s time to try something besides… Read more »
QuickTip: Find short activities that boost student learning in class and online
All IU campuses now have access to the 3rd edition ebook of Classroom Assessment Techniques: Formative Feedback Tools for College and University Teachers. This book describes over 50 techniques to help instructors quickly gauge student learning, indexed by teaching goal, cognitive goal, or discipline. One popular technique is the Background Knowledge Probe (p. 125-129), used… Read more »
Memory Matrices: A Game-Changing Tool for Enhancing Retention
Introduction As the spring semester draws to a close, congratulations are in order! Hooray – you made it! You’ve reached the finish line, and it’s time to celebrate your accomplishments. Take a well-deserved break, catch up on some rest, and indulge in some leisure reading. But even as you recharge, it’s never too early to… Read more »