Before the start of your lesson arrange the tables in your classroom into a circular formation using 5 or 6 groups of tables - each group should accommodate 4 or 5 students. On each group of tables set out a different activity to help students revise the topic they have just completed. For example a crossword, an exam question to answer, matching cards exercise, fill in the gaps sheet and a multiple choice quiz. Number each of the groups of tables and then put corresponding numbers into a hat. Students on entering the classroom should pick out a number to determine which table they sit at. Once all the students are sitting at one of the tables they can have 5 minutes to complete the activity. After 5 minutes instruct students to move clockwise around the carousel to the next group of tables and allow them another 5 minutes to complete the task there. Continue to move students around until they have completed the activities for all of the tables.
Tag: groups
Group presentations with audience participation
Divide your class into groups of 3 or 4 students and allocate a section of a topic or a study to each group. Allow the group plenty of time to plan and prepare a presentation to be done in front of the rest of the class. The audience must take notes from the presentation to check that they are listening.
The presentation must make use of visual aids and every member of the group must contribute. Students must not simply read out a script - this is not allowed. The group may produce a short handout for their audience to accompany their presentation or might produce a written test.
To make the presentation more interactive, the presenting group must find a way of testing their audience and, at the end of the presentation, members of the audience must ask the group questions about the content of their presentation. As an added incentive, the audience could rate the groups on the quality of their teaching with the highest scoring group receiving a prize.
Tags: audience, groups, presentations, questions
Write your own exam paper.
Using past exam papers as a template, divide your class into small groups and ask each group to write 1 or 2 short exam questions using the correct terminology. The group should also produce a brief marking scheme for their questions. The questions may require stimulus material and the group can have fun making this up too. All of the exam questions can then be collated by asking groups to take turns to type both their questions and mark scheme separately creating one complete exam paper. This exam paper may then be used with the class as a test, or could also be given to another class who in turn swap over the paper they have written. This task enhances students’ understanding of how the exam is set out and how it might be marked - all questions and mark schemes must be carefully checked by you before being typed up.
Tags: exam questions, groups, test
Produce a Revision Booklet
Divide up the class into small groups and allocate a topic to each group. Provide the group with plain A4 paper and pens (colours used must be suitable to be photocopied). Allow 2 sides of A4 per group and explain to them their task is to summarise the key points only using headings and notes in a clear and appealing way. Encourage the use of illustrations (drawings, clip art, graphs, tables and diagrams) to make their pages eyecatching. The page must not be overcrowded. Collate each group’s pages and photocopy all of them to form a revision booklet on the topic. Each student receives a copy of the finished booklet.
Speed Teaching
Just like speed dating but with teaching! Set up tables into blocks of 4. Students are divided into groups of 4 and are given a topic that they have to research and teach to other students. Give groups 15 minutes to research their topic and note down the key points to teach to others. You need to check their content is correct before they teach it. 2 members of the group stay put to act as teachers and 2 members of the group act as learners. When the whistle is blown the learners move clockwise to the next table teachers remain static, learners move. Teachers have 5 minutes to impart their knowledge (without simply reading out their notes). The learners take good quality notes on the topic. After 5 minutes learners move round again to the next table, keep rotating until learners return to their original group. Learners must then feedback what they have learned to their original group who also take notes. Each member of the class should end up with a full set of notes on all of the topics. To add an extra twist, learners could rate the teachers on a scale and decide who were the best teachers at the end of the activity.
Tags: groups, note taking, speed teaching