2. Choral Response–Ask a one-word answer to the class. The whole class can create a word cloud response to the question.
3. Instructor Storytelling–Instructor illustrates a concept, idea, or principle with a real-life application, model, or case-study.
4. Ask questions –Place a complex, intricate, or detailed image on the screen and ask students to generate questions about items they don’t understand in the forum.
5. 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.
6. Everyday Ethical Dilemmas–Present an abbreviated case study with an ethical dilemma related to the discipline being studied.
7. 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.
8. Pop Culture–Infuse your lectures, case studies, sample word problems for use during class with current events from the pop culture (doesn't have to be the pop culture, but something that is relevant to the student population) 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.
9. 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. Reveal answers at the end of the week.
10. 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.
11. Word of the Day–Select an important term and highlight it in the course content, working it into as many concepts as possible. Challenge students to use the term as much as they can in discussions and assignments.
12. Goal Ranking and Matching–Students rank their goals for the class, then instructor combines those with her own list. We can work this into a self introduction activity in week 1.
13. Provocative Picture–Begin the lecture with a picture meant to provoke discussion or emotion (another option: a cartoon)
14. 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.
15. Photo Homework – Students are assigned to use a smartphone to snap a picture of
something at home (or out in the city) that captures a specific concept from the class, as
assigned by the teacher.
16. Time Traveler – Students video themselves at the start of the semester answering
questions similar to the eventual final exam, then critique it near the end of the term.
17. Infographic – Students use online services (visual.ly, infogr.am) to create an
infographic that combines flowchart logic and visual presentation
18. 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.
19. “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
20. Advice Letter – Students write a letter of advice to future students on how to be
successful students in that course.
21. 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.
22. One-Sentence Summary – Summarize the topic into one sentence that incorporates all of who/what/when/where/why/how creatively.
23. Directed Paraphrasing – Students asked to paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience (and a specific purpose).
24.Word Journal – First, summarize the entire topic on paper with a single word. Then
use a paragraph to explain your word choice.
25. Objective Check – Students write a brief essay in which they evaluate to what extent their work fulfills an assignment’s objectives.
26. 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).
27. Pro and Con Grid – Students list out the pros and cons for a given subject.
28. 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).
29. Focused Autobiographical Sketches – Focuses on a single successful learning
experience, one relevant to the current course.
30. 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
31. Reading Rating Sheets – Students fill out a ratings sheet on the course readings, on how clear, useful, and interesting it was
32. 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
33. 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 three paragraph 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.
34. Invented Dialogues – Students weave together real quotes from primary sources, or invent ones to fit the speaker and context.
35. Make it a Story - Encourage students to submit their group projects as a comic or story created online (bubblr, StripCreator, StoryJumper, or Storify)
36. Pass the Problem – Divide students into groups. Give the first group a case or a
problem and ask them to identify (and write down) the first step in solving the problem
or analyzing the case (3 minutes). Pass the problem on to the next group and have them
identify the next step. Continue until all groups have contributed.
37. 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.
38. Interactive Video Quizzes - Using annotations (text boxes) and making them
hyperlinks to other uploaded videos, instructors can construct an on-screen “multiple
choice” test leading to differentiated video reactions, depending on how the student
answers. Requires filming multiple videos and some editing work
39. Follow an Expert – Luminaries in many disciplines, as well as companies and
governmental agencies, often publish a Twitter feed. Reading such updates provides a
way to stay current.
40. Historical Tweets – Students roleplay as historical figures (Lincoln, Napoleon) or
fictional characters (Hamlet, Three Little Pigs) and tweet as if in specific contexts
41. Community-Building - A Twitter group for your specific class creates inclusiveness
and belonging.
42. Twitter Projects - Tweetworks and other apps can enable student groups to
communicate with each other more easily.
43. Brainstorm - Small Twitter assignments can yield unexpected brainstorming by
students, since it’s happening “away” from the LMS.
44. Twitter Poll - PollDaddy and other apps enable Twitter to gather interest, information, attitudes, and guesses.
45. Compose a Musical Theme – Using free apps (like Synth), students create their
version of a “theme song” for an academic concept (recidivism, electron shells, etc) and
also justify WHY the composition includes the emotion or action it does.
46. Assertion Agreement – Pose an assertion at the start of class that students vote on
agreement; then revisit the same question after the class lecture/discussion has explored the concept more deeply.
