The Competitive Edge

 

What is Active Learning?

According to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Educational Innovation,
Active Learning “refers to a broad range of teaching strategies which engage students as active participants in their learning during class time with their instructor” (Active learning). I believe that
Students learn best when they are engaging with the material that they are learning. Working with other students, explaining concepts to each other, and taking ownership of their own learning are all aspects of Active Learning, just to name a few.  I think not only does Active Learning make learning more enjoyable, but also more meaningful. When students are motivated to learn they, in my opinion, are also much more likely to retain the information. 

Image Source: GIPHY

Active Review Sessions (Games)

One of my all time favorite things to do is watch game shows! I love them! Due to this love for game shows, and competition, I have always enjoyed incorporating games into my classroom. I think it is a great way to motivate the students to practice the problems that we have been learning on a particular day, week, or in a unit.

When I was a student teacher I was in a double period Algebra I class for students who struggled with math. The first half of the class was guided notes and a few practice problems, but then after the break the students were given the opportunity to do practice problems in a game-like situation. Many of the games were structured in the same way. The teacher created a slide deck with practice problems, the students complete the problems individually or in small groups, and then they are awarded points for correct answers. Once they are done, they have the opportunity to earn bonus points (even if they did not get the question correct). Some of the games included throwing paper balls into the garbage can, putting a golf ball into a hole, Bozo Buckets, etc. We also did things like a relay race, where one student did one step of a problem, passed it back to another student who did the next step, and so on until the problem was solved.

Even though the students did not love math they really enjoyed playing these games! They were motivated to participate, because they wanted to win! Many times winning also included candy or extra credit as rewards. Today, I play many of these games in my own classes. The students are actively engaged in the problems because they enjoy playing the games.   

Another one of my favorite games that we play in class frequently is a scavenger hunt. This game really lends itself to math very nicely! The students are asked to solve a problem, and then look around the room for the answer. Once they find the answer, they flip the paper and solve the next problem. Each paper has a letter on it, and once they solve all the problems a hidden message is uncovered. Some of these ideas may seem trivial, however the students seem to enjoy it much more than worksheets or taking notes. 

Here are some examples of games that I have played in my classroom:

Jeopardy (foolishly I made my own game even though they have some templates available online) 

Scavenger Hunt

Shooting Hoops

References:

Active learning. Active Learning | Center for Educational Innovation. (n.d.).
https://cei.umn.edu/teaching-resources/active-learning