Classroom Activities for Students in School
We all remember that one teacher from our school days that made the class fun and educational at the same time. We always looked forward to that one particular class all week. This is what happens when the class is structured so that the students can participate and contribute to their own learning experiences. One way to structure interactive lessons is via classroom activities. Let us look at some classroom activities that make both teaching and learning more fun!
Teaching Activities
When teaching classroom teachers will often look to make the class more interactive. One-way lecturing without any participation from the students often leads to an inefficient and boring lesson. But in a dynamic classroom, where students are vocal and participative they will learn more effectively.
There are many such classroom activities teachers can use to ensure the students learn efficiently. They are also a good barometer to gauge how much the students have understood and retained. All these activities will require the students to practically apply their concepts and articulate their knowledge.
Following is the list of Classroom activities that can make learning fun –
- Think, Pair and Share
- Exit Slips
- Debate
- Free Writing
- Case Studies
1] Think, Pair & Share
This is a good activity to encourage thinking and problem sharing. Here the teacher will pose a question or a problem at the end of the class. First, the students are encouraged to brainstorm on their own. Then pair up the students, so they can discuss their ideas and provide contrasting views. And finally, all pairs can share their observations with the entire class. This will ensure that students engage with their peers and communicate their learnings.
2] Exit Slips
Exit slips are a great way to collect feedback from all students. Here the teacher will pose a general question at the end of the class. All students are required to write down their answers. The question can be somewhat specific or generalized like “what is the most important thing you learned today?” or “what still confuses you in this topic?”. Such prompts will help student process the information they gathered during class and integrate the data.
3] Debate
Staging a debate is a great way to enhance the conceptual clarity in students and sharpen their reasoning skills and abilities. The debate can be pairs or can be in teams. Asking students to take an opposing view to their beliefs also forces them to look at he lessons from another perspective. This is beneficial for students in the long run as well, being out of their comfort zones.
4] Free Writing
Here the students are given one to two minutes to pen down their thoughts on one particular point or prompt given by their teacher. This can be done anytime during the lesson as per the teachers wishes. It will help the students articulate their thoughts and force them to do some critical thinking. It also helps the teacher understand the students perspective and the depth of their understanding.
5] Case Studies
Case studies allow the students to apply their new found knowledge to a real-life situation or scenario. It sharpens their problem solving skills. They must analyze the situation and start working towards the presented problems using their skills and knowledge. And they must also establish their criteria or motivation or thinking behind their answers/solutions. It helps develop their critical thinking, decision making and other valuable skills.
There are many other interactive classroom activities the teacher can employ in the classroom. Demonstrations, plays, watching documentaries, role play, games such as scrabble, puzzles, etc. The teacher must pick the best activity as per the lesson and the characteristics of the students. As long as they engage the students and develop their soft skills while sharpening their knowledge, the job is done.
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