I have not had the chance to use these techniques as yet, though I have seen them in use by other instructors. They do seem to be greatly appreciated by the students. I hope to be able to incorporate these ideas into my routine.
Variety of methods is the key to retention, especially when lecture is long and technical. keep up the good work you have shared with me, I appreciate it.
I have used guess who I am in the past. My students were really engage and excited. IT help with retaining information. It also broke the monotony of lecture:
Team activities benefit everyone..The shy students are given a voice, and much needed classmate interaction; and the more chatty or forthcoming students get a chance to talk in a productive manner..We all win!
In the morning these activites really help to get the student up and going. I believe also that it really helps student retain information in the review process. They have a fun way to think back to the answers whil taking there test.
Enjoy the new formats, too.
The students enjoy playing jeopardy. I am excited to utilize new games from this module like baseball, relay races, and football.
If your students like the games you are doing already, adding some new ones will be well recieved by them. Enjoy!
Creativity is a gift that students appreciate. Keep up the great work!
Students love games. Participation has been very high in playing games. They love the challenge between the teams and the relationship that is gained by playing as team mates is important, and they gain a better understanding why team work is important in the working environment. My students have played "Who wants to be a Millionare", Hangman, Jeopardy, etc. I definitely will try the games that were presented in the module.
I like to keep things fresh and interesting. Also, I like to ask my students for ideas. I love all of the group activities you have mentioned, especially the secret identity. I would like to implement some other games like "Operation", I think we could have fun with that. Also, possibly watching re-runs of sitcoms like ER and then commenting on all of the medical terms and what they mean. I enjoy being creative with my students.
Heather, your first attempt at hangman sounds good, but next time don't tell them the chapter number...lol.
I have done hangman before with different words from chapters we have covered. They seemed to like it but the only problem was that I told them what chapter I was getting the words from and they were counting the letters and guessing the words pretty easily..LOL!
You can't please all the people all the time, but people do get accustomed in learning in active ways if we offer them the opportunity to learn this way.
It's good to use a variety of activities for 2 reasons: others will not know what to expect and it will keep it interesting for you.
They not only enjoy learning activities, but they retain them more than any other method. I use them often and switch them up so future students are not expecting the same thing.
I might get a few people grumbling but overall peoplelike the activites. they like the change pace.
Waking people up engages them so they ate more likely to remember the content. Allowing them to teach each other also cements content in long term memory.
When I use activity it wakes people up. I have allowed students to facilitate in some of our activities.
Variety is the key to keeping the interest and attention of students when content is hard, dry or technical in nature. Keep doing what you are doing.
