Eating an Elephant

One Bite at a Time

This week we consider two methods that allow students to work in small groups and then report to the class. This offers the opportunity for instructor input and peer review. The first method has the added benefit of debate or competition. This works very well with incentives such as bonus points or candy bars.

Stand For Something - A fun activity - but don't use it too often. This requires a topic about which the class has differing opinions, preferably opinions that fall along a continuum. First, everyone stands up and forms a line. The instructor gives the students a set amount of time to find their place in the line, depending on the strength of the agreement or disagreement with the topic. To do this successfully, students have to interview each other and come to a conclusion in their own minds about where they stand on that issue. A further variation of this activity is to fold the line in half so that the two students with the most opposite opinions pair up, and so on until each person has a partner with a differing view of the issue. Then each partner is asked to be able to explain to the class their partner's position.

Stand Up and Share - This report-out method should be rapid and energetic. It works best when students have completed an activity, such as Roundtable, that lends itself to single statement summaries. It relies on students having an easily designated identity within each team so that you can call on the "Number Twos" or the "Hearts" to serve as spokespersons. These designated students then rise, prepared to respond on behalf of the group. Each team responds in turn, giving only one response, in rapid round robin fashion. Depending on the number of answers and the number of teams involved, you may want to go through another rotation, calling on another group member to share one group idea (the "Number Fours" or the "Clubs" this time). All students must attend to the sharing because they may serve as the next spokesperson. No ideas should be repeated. If student spokespersons find that all the topics on the team's list have been covered, they merely sit down and the rotation continues. (Johnson and Johnson, 1994)

If you have time and don't want to wait for the next bite, you can find the rest of the toolbox in myOzarka under the "Ozarka Resources" tab.

Or you can follow this link:

http://www.ozarka.edu/files/resources/teachingtoolbox.doc

I will be posting each section in the Student Success Center Blog. So if you are interested in checking out "back bites," you can find them there.

Or you can follow this link:
http://www.ozarka.edu/blogs/success/index.cfm/Weekly-Postings-for-Faculty-

Hope you enjoyed it.