Please commit to trying one within the next 2 weeks. Pick one that fits your personality and style.
I have not tried any of these yet, but am interested in them.
The more technical junking students seem to like crosswords and word searches. The social students tend to like activities that involve talking more about personal topics. Either can be tied to content.
My students do not enjoy doing crossword puzzles as much group activities/games. I have not tried word searches yet.
Thanks for sharing the adaptations you will make. I appreciate your thoughts, Debbie.
I am anxious to implement some of these games in my class. I love the idea of bingo and also the word searches and mystery weekly terms. I think it would be a fun idea to play hangman with medical terminology by giving a definition and a clue, dividing the class into teams. We would also see who the creative students are with their drawings of the human body in stick form. Also, I believe that proper spelling and pronunciation is necessary in the "job world", and could be utilized in an activity combining roots and prefixes of medcal words maybe in some sort of relay game.
It does help because it is a fun and low stress way to learn.
I have used crossword puzzles as pop quizzes before, to help students that need hands on help with particular areas of studies and it seems to help.
As you begin to have students create review tools such as crosswords abs wordsearches to challenge their peers, you will see them learning the content and defending the answers
they have created. This requires a higher level of thinking then memorization.
Getting students to actively participate keeps the momentum alive. They interact, interact, and interact. I'm going to try some of the games from the examples in this module. I am definately going to allow students to make crossword puzzles and word searches for competing teams.
Thank you Michele. I am struggling with "am I being too tough" vs "I would have just done it when I was at a state university". So remembering the long term goal of the profession will help me stay firm!
Many students have never attended the type of school a career school is. They expect to be spoon fed and to forget everything after they take a test. Learning a career involves learning consequence of action and learning to think. That is a new concept for many of them, so keep giving them responsibility for knowing the chapter material, in the long run they will be grateful.
I like the idea of using what was covered in a specific game as the content for the next class quiz. I give a short quiz almost every class at the very beginning of class. If you are not in your seat at the time the class is posted to begin, you do not get to take that day's quiz. That alone is a motivator to get students to class.
I too often hear, "you can't expect us to know everything in the chapter", yes it is overwhelming and I have tired to narrow it down but then feel like I am "dummy-ing it down" or spoon-feeding.
I will try this new approach.
I agree they are great reinforcement and review of areas of need for students and a fun way to do it.
Tina, having the students make their own bingo card is a great way to make all the cards different, and confirming each on the white board a good system of evaluation by the learners.
I feel all the activities like puzzles and woedsearches are great tools for getting students to learn medical terminology .
Here is how I have played Bingo with my students. From the chapter or using their index (flash cards) I have the students fill in their own Bingo card and I or student would call out the terms or definitions and the student must mark what is called. As each is being called the caller has to write on white board to confirm the Bingo called in the end.
Once you have created great tools, it is easy to use them in all your classes.
Is is indeed amazing...and a wonderful strategy to drive their studying for quizzes. It is also a bonus that you found free word search software. Keep striving to make your classes interactive and you will see great results in your endeavors. Good luck in all you do!
I have created bingo games too. I teach Medical Coding. So I have one for almost every class. The students love it and it is a great way to review before an exam.
