Three Engaging Instructional Activities to Stimulate Active Learning
In a recent LEC Newsletter Article, Leveraging Canvas and NSU Software in the Online Classroom, you were introduced to some of the tools you have available to stimulate active and learner-aligned strategies to students such as videos and zoom breakout rooms. This article presents three easy-to-setup activities that you can use immediately in your course to generate interest and increase student engagement. Think-Breakout-Share, Short Video Burst and Fishbowl Discussions are all presented.
Think-Breakout-Share
This activity works well if you are teaching part of your course using Zoom. Before the class session, post a pre-reading assignment in Canvas. Instruct each student to read the content and then write a short reflective statement on a topic that they found interesting in the pre-reading.
When the class starts and after you introduce the topic in Zoom, divide students into groups of 4 and send them to breakout rooms to discuss their reflective statements in small groups. After the breakout session is done, have the group present what they talked about to the whole class.
What you may discover are many different perspectives presented on your content and the students will have the opportunity to reflect on the learning experience with peers.
Short Video Burst
At the end of a learning module, have the student create a short 1–3-minute video answering the following questions.
- What was the most important concept you learned in this module?
- What did you find confusing or not clear in the module?
- What do you have questions about?
This can be done online in the Canvas Discussion by having the student inserting and recording in the Canvas forum or you could use other tools such as Flipgrid or insert Kaltura video etc.
Having the students record their reflection, encourages a more engaging session as you and the rest of the class will be able to see the student, and in addition you can hear questions they might have while gaining insights into the concepts they found important within the module. You could further encourage the discussion by having the students reply to at least one other of the student’s video presentation.
Fishbowl Discussions
The Fishbowl is a teaching strategy that encourages full student engagement. Students will take turns being in the spotlight or out of the spotlight, In the bowl or out of the bowl. Students in the bowl will participate in a discussion often with opposing views or controversial topics. Students outside the bowl listen and reflect on the viewpoints. Then they switch.
You can set this up by creating breakout groups in Zoom or you can do this with Zoom chat or Canvas Chat or a Canvas discussion forum. Whatever method you choose you should give each group time to discuss the points and prepare thoughts. Provide rules and expectations.
In Zoom, after the preparation period is over, have the students go to the main room and give each group time in the fishbowl while those outside that group are observers. You then switch it up or debrief the class after discussions are over.
The same method can be applied using chat in canvas or chat in zoom or the discussion forum in canvas. Allow the preparation period, then have the fishbowl discussion and then reflect and discuss.
Summary
These three activities will allow you to present your content in a different way while stimulating active learning. You can use each of these in either the face-to-face classroom or online in Canvas and Zoom.