Description: In a Case Study student teams “review a written study of a real-life scenario containing a field-related problem situation. These cases usually include a brief history of how the situation develop and present a dilemma that a key character within the scenario is facing (Barkley, et al, 2014, p. 238). Students then draw on […]
Word Webs
April 19, 2019 by ·
Description: Word Webs are a collaborative approach to concept mapping. A central idea is added to a shared writing space. In small groups, students then generate a list of related ideas and organize them around the central idea in which they can visually represent how the ideas connect. This technique helps students to analyze challenging […]
Sequence Chains
April 19, 2019 by ·
Description: In this activity groups of students “analyze and depict graphically a sequence of events, actions, roles, or decisions. Sequence chains require students to create a visual map of the logic within a series” (Barkley, et al, 2014, p. 278). Students have to work together to identify the key events or points in the series […]
Dialogue Journals
April 19, 2019 by ·
Description: In this activity, students keep a journal to capture their thinking about course readings, assignments, lectures, and class activities. They then exchange their journal with a peer to create an ongoing dialogue of questions, answers, insights and ideas. The students can develop their journal in a digital or analog format. The instructor can prompt […]
Note-Taking Pairs
April 19, 2019 by ·
Description: In this activity student partners work together to improve their note-taking skills. Over time, each student improves her individual note-taking skills. By working in pairs, students can compare notes on a class lecture, reading or other activity. They help each other to fill in the gaps in their notes, correct inaccuracies, and add detail […]
Learning Teams
April 12, 2019 by ·
Description: For this type of group, students are divided into groups at the beginning of the term. When you want to incorporate small group discussion or teamwork into your class, you direct the students to get into these term-long learning groups. Groups of four work well, because each foursome can be subdivided into pairs, depending […]
Jigsaw
April 12, 2019 by ·
Description: This strategy involves students becoming “experts” on one aspect of a topic, then sharing their expertise with others. Divide a topic into a few constitutive parts (“puzzle pieces”). Form subgroups of 3-5 and assign each subgroup a different “piece” of the topic (or, if the class is large, assign two or more subgroups to […]