Active learning techniques can be used to engage students during the lessons.
The shared histories lesson plans include activities using the techniques explained here.
Group reflection or group work:
Students work together to analyze some sources, answer some questions and share their findings with the class. To fully benefit from the cooperative efforts, it may be useful to assign roles including a facilitator to keep the discussion moving, a recorder to write down the group’s answers, a reporter to share answers with the class, and a timekeeper to make sure the task is completed.
Fishbowl discussion
A small group of students participate in the discussion while the others listen. In some cases, members of the audience can participate in the discussion or replace a person in the discussing group.
Gallery Walk
Several questions are posted in various areas of the classroom. Each small group of students is assigned to one station. They write their thoughts about the question . The groups move to another question and add their answer, complementing or criticizing the finding of the previous group(s). Once the students are back to their initial station, they synthesize the comments and present them to the class for discussion. In its simpler version, students move around the classroom to collect information from various stations. They present their findings and discuss as a group.
Jigsaw
The jigsaw technique is a method of organizing classroom activity that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks assignments into pieces. Each small group undertake part of the assignment. Then each small group brings their input that the whole group assembles to complete the (jigsaw) puzzle.
Think-Pair-Share
The teacher raises a reflection question. Students spend about 1 minute writing down their ideas, 2 minutes talking in pairs, and 3 minutes sharing their ideas with the whole class.
Longer-term team projects can include:
- Curating an exhibition
- Developing a class blog or newspaper
- Creating a website presenting historical topics/themes
Reflection tools: K-W-L (Know – Want to know – Learned)
This tool works best as a support for text analysis. It uses a chart with 3 columns: K, W and L.
Students brainstorm everything they Know about a topic. They record this information in the K column.
Students generate a list of questions about what they Want to Know about the topic. They record this information in the K column.
During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. They record this new information that they have Learned in the L column.
Exit slip
Students write down:
- 3 pieces of new information I learned today
- 2 things I found interesting
- 1 big question I still have in my head