Top 5 Places to Find Active Learning Activities

I have just spent the last month preparing for a Fall course in Management.  I plan on doing collaborative learning ( a form of active learning ) which requires me to identify engaging activities for each topic during each class session.  (one of the reasons why I am doing this over the summer).  With collaborative learning I spend about 15 - 20 minutes on a very focused lecture, then the rest of the class time is spent on group collaboration activities. (See More Here) After spending a great deal of time searching this past month, I thought I would share my top 5 places to find active learning activities.

1.  Google Searches -
          This is one of the easiest and best ways to find ideas on your topics.  For example, if you want to find an active learning activity on Game Theory, I recommend using search terms like "game theory classroom activities" or "game theory group activities".

2.  Text Book -
          Often the final few pages of the text book chapter will contain discussion questions or team activities.  I often customize these (or even combine a few of these) to make them more challenging or more focused on a certain objective.

3.  Active Learning Books -
          There is a growing library of active learning related books.  One I picked up from our local library was very helpful - Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject by Silberman.  Another book that I have used often is called Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers by Angelo and Cross.  This was a book required by a class I completed for my PhD on classroom assessment, but it contains 100 ways to assess student learning.  The ideas are generic enough to provide ways to make any topic active.



4.  The test bank included with the text book -
           I go specifically to the essay questions and will adjust or customize them to make them longer and more challenging.  I often like to use open ended questions that don't contain a 'right' answer to increase student engagement during the discussion time.

5.   Websites dedicated to team building activities -
         My favorite is Business Balls for my business courses (Link Here) however many of these activities can overlap to other fields.  Another one is Wilderdom.  It has fewer activities but they can be useful (Link Here)  Another website dedicated to primary education, however some activities can translate to higher education is Share My Lesson (Link Here)

6.  One bonus idea - Merlot.org -
         This has to be one of my favorite websites for classroom activity ideas.  Although I find fewer ideas here than the other places listed, the idea of a knowledge sharing site like Merlot is fantastic.  When I do find a resource here I know that it has been peer reviewed and is high quality.

Want more?  Click Here to see my favorite 11 active learning activities that I have used in my classes.

Teacher of the Year Wisdom

Earlier this week the CBS morning show invited the 2012 Teacher of the Year - Rebecca Mieliwocki - to discuss her five things that make a great teacher.  It was refreshing to hear her discuss these five areas in relation to primary education, however I see similar application to higher education. (Watch Here)

Her first item deals with enthusiasm about children.  Early in my education I realized quickly that teaching younger children was not where my passion exists.  Rather, I was passionate about business and alternative teaching techniques.  As I progressed through my education, I came to realize that the traditional lecture failed to provide me with knowledge I needed to learn the required course objectives.  I had already gained several years of business management experience prior to returning to finish my education and had the practical experience and knowledge, yet lacked theory.  Listening to a hour lecture on theory did not cut it.  I learned most through application and collaboration.  This required enthusiasm about adult learners and their unique way of learning.

Enthusiasm for children can also be realigned in Higher Education as an enthusiasm for the topic.  As a long time business manager it was easy to identify with the lack of formal training that I and my employees had in leadership and management techniques.  This fueled my passion as an educator to improve the knowledge level of the graduates in these areas.  Poor leadership is often cited as the number 1 reason organizations lose good people - their most important asset.  The costs of turnover because of an organizations inability to provide solid leadership is significant, ranging from 50% to 200% of the replaced employees salary.  This is a waste that can be reduced with proper education.

One important point to mention is that it is not enough to just say we are enthusiastic about a particular topic or technique, we need to let that enthusiasm show through in the classroom.  Let your students in on the importance of the information, the reason for your passion.  Get excited and get them excited.  Be memorable.

Ms. Mieliwocki's second item was to personalize the education for the class.  I love this idea, however I have not yet done this on a personal level.  A friend of mine, and fellow educator, did this for a small seminar class she held last semester.  It was a great way to engage the students from the beginning.  She spent the first session asking the students about their interests in that particular topic area and then she structured her future activities and lectures on the list the student's provided.  Each student had at least one topic that they selected.  It was an amazing way to customize the learning.  She has admitted that there were a few topics suggested that she was not strong in, however she had a great time researching and preparing for these areas.  The students were more engaged and enthusiastic about the materials as they drove the course.

Next the topic of strong communication was listed as an important strength of a good teacher.  I love that in the interview she mentions the use of social media in our public schools.  I am so tired of visiting outdated and hard to read teacher websites in my son's schools.  Give me timely and real time notifications through email, text AND Facebook.  As an educator in Higher Education this applies as well, maybe not directly with parents, but with our students.  I keep a Facebook page for my course and encourage students to make posts and comments.  I keep the page updated with course reminders and even upcoming University events. My students have posted items like interesting articles and questions about upcoming tests.  I have found this an excellent way to stay in touch outside of the classroom.

Flexibility is also important to education.  I spend a great deal of time working out a syllabus and determining how long to spend on each objective in the class.  However, if an assessment given identifies a lack of knowledge in a covered area, I backup and go through it again.  Being willing to have a living, breathing syllabus allows us to focus on the needs of the students, rather than 'getting through the book'.

Her final topic mentions compassion.  This is critical in higher education as well.  We need to put ourselves in the shoes of our students and see the world from their eyes every once in a while.  They face unique challenges - room mates, first time away from home, jobs, families, life challenges, etc. We need to be fair, but also be understanding of their needs and challenges.  It is surprising how far a little compassion will go with these students who are trying to make it on their own for the first time.  They are often in need of an advocate and mentor, and who better than an educator who has experience in not only these areas, but also in advising.

A Justification for Collaborative Learning Environments. Part 2 -Student Engagement and Response

     This is part 2 of a series on my experiences implementing a collaborative learning environment in a theory based course.  Please be sure to refer to Part 1 prior to continuing.

     Collaboration in the classroom has additional benefits beyond an active way of learning course objectives.  Although many students at the beginning of this semester reported disliking teamwork, their feedback at the end of the course  identified a very positive experience.  It is also important for educators to prepare our students for the real world.  Most businesses - as many as 80% - report relying heavily on teams and teamwork when accomplishing organizational goals.  Engaging students in teams in the class will help them develop leadership, conflict management, and teamwork skills needed for the business world.

     Students in my collaborative learning class were provided with a survey at four weeks into the course asking them to evaluate the format of the collaborative learning environment and the teaching style. The survey included specific questions on the use of active learning and understanding course materials, level of comfort with the expectations of the course, qualitative feedback on changes/improvements, qualitative feedback on areas the student liked about the course, and qualitative feedback on the active learning format of the course.  


     The class of 54 students all replied that they were comfortable with the expectations of the course.   There was also very positive qualitative feedback related to the collaboration/active learning portion of the course.  Specific comments included the following:


"This course actually makes me stay awake"
"I love the active learning"
"The team activities are excellent"
"I am learning so much in this class"
"This is the best course I have taken to date!"
"I was worried about the teams at first, however now I know that I have two people to help me through the course activities every time I come to class"
"I don't want to miss a class, the classes are interesting and  fun!"


Ok, so I am not so sure if the first comment is a positive or negative?, but I will take it.  There were two common concerns that the students documented in the survey as well.  One was on the speed of my lectures.  I tend to talk fast when I am passionate about a topic, and partner that with trying to get all major topics into a shortened lecture time... well, I did go to fast.  The second concern was that the students, whose only assignments by week 4 were the in-class activities, were concerned that they were not "getting it".  Several comments were made that they understood the lectures and could complete the in-class activities, but they had anxiety about how that would translate to the first exam.  (more on grades and attendance in an upcoming post).  Because of these documented anxieties I have decided in future classes to provide optional quizzes so the students can assess their knowledge prior to the exams.  (See A Time to Reflect.... With Online Learning)


The feedback provided in these early semester surveys provided me with enough evidence to continue using the method for the remainder of the semester.  However, I had another major milestone to pass that semester before I would be convinced that active learning really benefited the students - their first exam.  I purposely created the exams using the same test bank as another instructor to ensure continuity and  provide me with a performance standard to compare with.  But more on that in an upcoming post...  My next post will include the feedback provided from the formal end-of-course evaluations and will include information on attendance and grading.


Thank you for reading part 2.  I would welcome any comments, questions, feedback you have on active learning or the techniques I have discussed in this article.