Empowering Students
When my students get tired or lose focus, I give each student a 3 by 5 index card and ask each student what they have learned. With this exercise they really see how much they accomplished in accounting, comptuer classes, business communications, business law, and professional development. Another strategy I use is to ask each student to tell me one new piece of information they have learned at the end of class. The students know at the beginning of class what the lesson objective is and they know my goal is for every student in the class learn at least one new piece of information hopefully more. Now this activity challenges me as an instructor because I have some students who know most of the material or have had some of the material in high school, however, this keeps both the students on their toes as well as me.
Thank you for sharing this tool. I love it. I use a lot of different tools to empower students, but I hadn't thought of this one, and it sounds great when the students are down about a test. I am going to try this in my class.
Pam,
This is a great game for any age. Thanks for sharing this strategy with us. This will work well in evening classes when the hour is late and everyone needs to get the blood flowing to their brain.
Gary
My best friend is a 3rd grade teacher - and she taught me an invaluable tool. It is called the "Snowball Fight". I give a small quiz - 3-5 questions. No Names on the paper. Everybody grumbles ... but then they wad the paper up and toss the papers about the room --- snoball fight.
Everybody wakes up and smiles - good times. Then they read out loud the answers to the questions.
No one knows who answered that question - and I either tell them that is correct or incorrect and we all try to find a correct answer.
Hi Jamie,
Good point about making mistakes under supervision. This is a low risk operation. The more they learn the less mistakes they will make so when they are out in the work world they will have the confidence needed to be successful.
Gary
Thank you for sharing this exercise. I can not wait to try this method in my classroom!
I agree, this is a good exercise. A bad day in the lab can make a student feel like they can't do "it", which usually makes they suddenly think they will not be able to achieve the objects of the course. Reminding them of all the objectives they have already learned is a great way to bring their confidence levels up. Also, I often remind my students that making mistakes in the classroom is the best way to learn because when they revisit the skill in the future they will remember both what to do and what not to do.
Hi Mary Jane,
Thank you for sharing this exercise. It is simple and easy to do yet yields valuable results for both the students and the instructor. I know it will be of help to other instructors looking for ways to adjust their instructional delivery to keep students engaged.
Gary
