Active Learning Activities
There are numerous active learning activities that can be effective in courses without any additional cost or changes to the course. While some active learning activities may work better with smaller groups, there are many that can be effective in any class regardless of size.
When deciding on which active learning strategies to implement in your class, remember to approach your planning through the lens of the "backwards design" framework. This means that it is important to first identify and develop your learning objectives, consider how you will measure whether students have reached them or not, and then choose an active learning activity that helps your students reach those learning objectives.
Active Learning Activities for Individual Students
Consider implementing the following approaches in your class sessions when students are working individually:
A case study analysis is an activity that allows groups of students to examine a real life, authentic, or contextualized situation that requires involvement from students to assess, evaluate, and respond to. This activity helps students to apply concepts that they have learned in class as well as push students to conduct further research on course material to better prepare themselves for how to respond.
Minute papers are brief writing assignments where students can reflect on their learning as well as how they feel they are understanding the material being covered. These responses can then be collected and provide valuable feedback on how students are feeling in class and can help with the planning and preparation of future lessons.
Some effective prompts for minute papers include:
- Briefly summarize the main points discussed in class today in a few sentences
- Share one thing that you learned and why you feel that it is significant to you
- Identify a concept that you found challenging or confusing and ask a question about it
- How does the material covered in class today connect to previous lessons or assigned readings?
- Discuss how the topic covered in class today can be applied in a real-world situation
- Share a key takeaway from today's class that you would like to explore further
- Provide feedback on the activity / teaching method that we used in today's class
In this learning activity, students are assigned or pick a topic or issue that has both advantages and disadvantages/pros and cons. In small groups, students will be asked to come up with at least three points for each side. When students have finished both sides, the class with come back together and share their findings as well as discuss the points on both sides.
This activity can be helpful when seeking different perspectives, comparing different viewpoints, identifying misconceptions and/or assumptions, and more.
Active Learning Activities for Small Groups
Consider implementing the following approaches in your class sessions when students are working in small groups:
Buzz groups are small groups of usually 3-4 students that are formed to discuss topics for a short period of time. They can be a great opportunity for students to work collaboratively as well as enable students to engage in group problem solving where they can receive feedback from their peers. It can also be a great way for students to feel more comfortable sharing with peers in contrast to a larger group discussion.
In this learning activity, groups of students examine a real life, authentic, or contextualized situation that requires involvement from students to assess, evaluate, and respond to. This activity helps students to apply concepts that they have learned in class as well as push students to conduct further research on course material to better prepare themselves for how to respond.
In this learning activity, students are asked to bring a couple of questions to class. They can be regarding content that needs to be clarified, issues that still need to be resolved, and/or ideas that might not have been considered. They follow the following steps in this activity:
- The class arranges themselves in small to medium sized groups and starts with a student reading one of the questions aloud.
- The student to the left of them has one minute of uninterrupted time to provide their thoughts and perspectives and signals that they are done by saying, "Okay, I am done".
- The following person on the left then goes and has one minute of uninterrupted time to provide their thoughts and signals that they are done by saying, "Okay, I am done".
- Finally, the third person to the left goes and has one minute of uninterrupted time to provide their thoughts and signals that they are done by saying "Okay, I am done".
- Once everyone has had the opportunity to speak, the conversation is opened up to the whole group for two minutes of discussion.
- The next student in line then has the opportunity to ask the question and then the process continues.
In this learning activity, students engage in a formal discussion regarding a topic of relevance where they voice opposing arguments and discuss supporting evidence for those arguments.
- Split the class up in half depending on where they stand regarding the particular topic of debate or by where they are seated in the classroom.
- Assign and ensure that each half of the class has a different position on the topic or issue. Students are allowed 15 minutes to prepare for their argument and then will share their position on the argument.
- After both "Opening Arguments" are shared, students will respond to the opposing argument. This requires students to listen carefully, collaborate as a group, and analyze the argument of the opposition.
- After each side provides their criticisms of the other's positions, the groups will each have an opportunity to respond to the criticisms.
In this learning activity, a more challenging text is selected and broken up into different sections around a paragraph in length.
- Students are then broken into small groups (around 2-4 students) and are given time (around 15-20 minutes depending on the text) to read and discuss their section of the text.
- When the class comes back together for a whole class discussion, each group (starting with the beginning of the text) shares their thoughts and findings from their section of the text.
- As students are sharing, the instructor can support them by writing and/or drawing on the board, providing examples, and if necessary correcting and/or adding to student responses.
Some effective guiding questions for this activity include:
- What is the main idea of the text?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the argument or narrative or viewpoint?
- Do you agree or disagree with the author's viewpoint?
- What insights or new perspectives have you gained from the text?
- How does the text connect to your own experiences or current events in the world?
- Are there any questions or points that were unclear regarding the text?
- What would you like to know more about regarding this topic?
Minute papers are brief writing assignments where students can reflect on their learning as well as how they feel they are understanding the material being covered. These responses can then be collected and provide valuable feedback on how students are feeling in class and can help with the planning and preparation of future lessons.
Some effective prompts for minute papers include:
- Briefly summarize the main points discussed in class today in a few sentences
- Share one thing that you learned and why you feel that it is significant to you
- Identify a concept that you found challenging or confusing and ask a question about it
- How does the material covered in class today connect to previous lessons or assigned readings?
- Discuss how the topic covered in class today can be applied in a real-world situation
- Share a key takeaway from today's class that you would like to explore further
- Provide feedback on the activity / teaching method that we used in today's class
Peer review can be a great way for students to provide and receive feedback on their work from their peers. Students must bring a printed or electronic draft of their work and exchange with another student or group of students where they will read each other work and provide written feedback on their peer's work. Students should also discuss the feedback and any questions that they had while reviewing the work as well to provide verbal feedback as well as written feedback.
Some effective guiding questions for students engaging in peer review include:
- Is the main idea or argument clear and easy to understand?
- Can you identify a clear thesis or main idea in the written work?
- How effectively does the writer support their thesis or main idea?
- How would you rate the overall organization of the content?
- How well does information flow from one point to the next?
- What types of evidence or examples does the writer use to support their point?
- Are there any gaps or missing information that need to be addressed?
- Are there issues with grammar, punctuation, and/or spelling that need attention?
In this activity, students use Post-Its to generate ideas and/or responses to a question or prompt and then display them on a space in the classroom which can lead to further discussion on the topic.
- Students are given a question or prompt for which they need to generate ideas, solutions, etc.
- Give each student a few Post-Its, and have them write out one idea per Post-It.
- Students can then post the Post-Its on the chalkboard or designated area in the classroom. Depending on the question or prompt, it may be useful to have students place Post-Its in areas around the room to group them by topic, question, chronologically, etc.
In this learning activity, students are assigned or pick a topic or issue that has both advantages and disadvantages/pros and cons. In small groups, students will be asked to come up with at least three points for each side. When students have finished both sides, the class with come back together and share their findings as well as discuss the points on both sides.
This activity can be helpful when seeking different perspectives, comparing different viewpoints, identifying misconceptions and/or assumptions, and more.
A "Quescussion" is a type of class discussion held through questions only.
- The facilitator starts by asking a question related to the main topic of the discussion and writing it on the board.
- Students and/or other participants can only respond or add to the discussion with another question. Each question is written on the board as the discussion progresses. Participants should take turns shouting out questions as they come to mind.
- The three rules are (1) Only questions are allowed (2) If someone makes a statement, everyone yells "Statement!" and (3) Two other people must speak before a participant can contribute again
- At the end of the discussion, students can vote on questions that have been recorded that they would like to explore further.
In this learning activity, students are broken up into small groups and are provided with a prompt can can either be a specific question, a text passage, or a point of argument.
- Each of the students in the group will respond to the prompt on their own in writing and will share their responses with the group.
- Each student will then react to their other group member's responses
- The initial student can then reply to the reactions with their own response.
In this learning activity, students engage in an organized moderated conversation focusing on a specific topic of interest.
- Ask students to move their desks or table into a circle so that everyone can see each other.
- The instructor or discussion facilitator poses a question. Each participant, following the circle, will provide a comment. If a participant does not want to comment at that moment, they can say "pass."
- If there are multiple questions, repeat the process for each question
In this learning activity, students are broken up into groups and are given a text to annotate digitally (through Google Drive, etc.) If students have their own devices, they can annotate the text in small groups and reply to each other's posts and insights in a manner similar to a social media thread.
In this learning activity, students are grouped into pairs and are given a text or text passage to read.
- While Student A reads the text aloud, they will stop frequently to "think" aloud and verbalize their thinking. Pairs should stop every few sentences or after each paragraph to reflect on what they have read.
- After Student A has finished their text, Student B will begin their think aloud and follow the same process as Student A. This should take around 15-20 minutes between both students.
- As a class, go over each of the texts and perform a think aloud as a class where students contribute what they were thinking during each section of the text.
In this learning activity, students are able to think independently and then pair up with a peer to discuss their thinking before joining the whole-class discussion:
- Students think about a particular question, scenario, or problem on their own.
- Have students pair up to discuss their ideas or answers.
- Bring students together as a large class for discussion.
Active Learning Activities for Large Groups
Consider implementing the following approaches in your class sessions when students are working in large groups:
Buzz groups are small groups of usually 3-4 students that are formed to discuss topics for a short period of time. They can be a great opportunity for students to work collaboratively as well as enable students to engage in group problem solving where they can receive feedback from their peers. It can also be a great way for students to feel more comfortable sharing with peers in contrast to a larger group discussion.
In this learning activity, students engage in a formal discussion regarding a topic of relevance where they voice opposing arguments and discusss supporting evidence for those arguments.
- Split the class up in half depending on where they stand regarding the particular topic of debate or by where they are seated in the classroom.
- Assign and ensure that each half of the class has a different position on the topic or issue. Students are allowed 15 minutes to prepare for their argument and then will share their position on the argument.
- After both "Opening Arguments" are shared, students will respond to the opposing argument. This requires students to listen carefully, collaborate as a group, and analyize the argument of the opposition.
- After each side provides their criticisms of the other's positions, the groups will each have an opportunity to respond to the criticisms.
This learning activity is a great way for students to vote and recognize levels of agreement among a group of people.
- Students are given a certain number of sticky dot stickers and are asked to walk around the room where different options are displayed. They can put one or more dot on the approach or statement that they most strongly agree with.
- At the end of the session, all of the participants can visually assess the opinion of the group as a whole based on the number of sticky dot stickers on each approach or statement.
- If you do not have sticky dot stickers, you can have students use markers to add checkmarks to each approach or statement as their vote.
In this activity, students discuss a topic in two groups: Group A on the inner ring which is the discussion group, and Group B on the outer ring which is the observation group.
- Determine which of the groups will begin as Group A (who will participate in the activity) and which will begin as Group B (who will observe the activity).
- Most commonly, the inner ring (Group A) is the discussion group while the outer ring (Group B) is the observation group. Like a fishbowl, those on the outside observe what is going on within the inner ring.
- After some time, the groups switch (Group A observes while Group B performs the activity). They can either do the same activity, a modified version, or start a new activity.
In this activity, students write out their questions about the content being covered or any other questions that they may have.
- Hand out index cards to each student. Ask them to write down any questions they may have from a reading reading, or a general question about the course.
- Ask students to exchange cards, making at least 4 passes (but can be more). If they get their own card back, they can either keep it or make an extra pass.
- Ask students to form groups of 3-4. Each student should read their index card, and as a group pick a question from one of the index cards that they want to address. Students should then discuss the question and any possible answers.
- Once students have had some time to discuss amongst themselves, pick some of the questions and open them up to the large class discussion.
In this activity, students form a line with represents two sides of an argument or statement where students can stand along the line to represent where their opinion lies between both sides of the argument or statement.
- Ask the large group or class to line up along one of the wall of the class. Present the issue to the group.
- Tell the class that the right end of the line represents the position “Yes, I strongly agree” and the left end of the line represents the position “No, I strongly disagree.” Students should mingle and discuss their opinion on the issue, eventually finding and taking their appropriate position along the continuum.
- Once students are in place, take a few moments to discuss why they have chosen the position they have in the various locations in the line-up.
- Repeat for a variety of questions.
For a variation on this activity, tape a circle in the center of the room. Students who agree should stand close to the circle and those who disagree should stand further away. Ask students who are on the extremes (either close to center or far from center) and in the center to explain why they chose that location.
Minute papers are brief writing assignments where students can reflect on their learning as well as how they feel they are understanding the material being covered. These responses can then be collected and provide valuable feedback on how students are feeling in class and can help with the planning and preparation of future lessons.
Some effective prompts for minute papers include:
- Briefly summarize the main points discussed in class today in a few sentences
- Share one thing that you learned and why you feel that it is significant to you
- Identify a concept that you found challenging or confusing and ask a question about it
- How does the material covered in class today connect to previous lessons or assigned readings?
- Discuss how the topic covered in class today can be applied in a real-world situation
- Share a key takeaway from today's class that you would like to explore further
- Provide feedback on the activity / teaching method that we used in today's class
In this activity, students use Post-Its to generate ideas and/or responses to a question or prompt and then display them on a space in the classroom which can lead to further discussion on the topic.
- Students are given a question or prompt for which they need to generate ideas, solutions, etc.
- Give each student a few Post-Its, and have them write out one idea per Post-It.
- Students can then post the Post-Its on the chalkboard or designated area in the classroom. Depending on the question or prompt, it may be useful to have students place Post-Its in areas around the room to group them by topic, question, chronologically, etc.
A "Quescussion" is a type of class discussion held through questions only.
- The facilitator starts by asking a question related to the main topic of the discussion and writing it on the board.
- Students and/or other participants can only respond or add to the discussion with another question. Each question is written on the board as the discussion progresses. Participants should take turns shouting out questions as they come to mind.
- The three rules are (1) Only questions are allowed (2) If someone makes a statement, everyone yells "Statement!" and (3) Two other people must speak before a participant can contribute again
- At the end of the discussion, students can vote on questions that have been recorded that they would like to explore further.
A Snowball Discussion is a type of discussion where, like a snowball gains momentum and size rolling down a hill, the discussion builds up gradually as more participants become involved over time.
- Present an idea, question, or issue to the class. Each student first has the opportunity to think about the idea/question/issue for one minute, with the goal of generating at least three reactions, comments, answers, etc.
- Two students then come together with their lists and try to come up with three things that they agree on.
- The pairs of students then join with another pair, and try to come up with three things they agree on. Repeat for as many times as necessary.
- Eventually, bring the class together as a group to hear what the students have decided are the three most important issues, questions, ideas relevant to the topic discussed.
In this activity, students will prepare questions for a panel of their peers to answer in an attempt to "stump" them.
- Students will be asked to develop three highly difficult questions based on the content covered in class.
- From these students, a group of panelists is selected and will move to a separate area of the room.
- Students will attempt to "stump" the panelists by asking questions that they do not know the answer to. If a panelist cannot answer the question, it is up to the student asking to answer the question.
- If the student answers the question correctly on the panel, they can decide if they want to remain on the panel, or return to their seat in the large group.
- After some time, it is best to have panelists switch to keep the game fresh and exciting.
In this learning activity, students are able to think independently and then pair up with a peer to discuss their thinking before joining the whole-class discussion:
- Students think about a particular question, scenario, or problem on their own.
- Have students pair up to discuss their ideas or answers.
- Bring students together as a large class for discussion.
