Tamara Griffith
Activity-Based Learning
"If we believe in active student learning, we must consider the variety
of ways in which students are encouraged to participate."
~Barrie Bennett & Peter Smilanich
Another type of instructional strategy that is employed in my classroom is activity-based learning. There is much variety in activity-based learning as there are many different types of activities in which my students engage. Including a variety of different types of activities in my classroom is beneficial for numerous reasons. It increases student investment by decreasing monotony; while we have predictable routines and expectations, students have to apply those predictable routines and expectations across a variety of contexts and new scenarios, thereby fostering their ability to independently transfer their skills and content knowledge to new contexts. Providing my students with different types of activities engages them in multiple types of learning styles, such as tactile, creative, kinesthetic, and collaborative, which allows them to apply their content knowledge and skills in different settings, thereby ensuring deeper mastery and promoting academic achievement. This also allows me to better assess students' knowledge and skills so that I can adapt instruction to better meet their needs. For many of my students, the hands-on approach of many of these activities allows them to more concretely tackle the content directly, thereby building the deep connections necessary to demonstrate growth and achievement.
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Often, employing activity-based learning requires additional planning and preparation on my part to ensure that the instructional strategy can be employed smoothly during the lesson. The additional time spent planning and acquiring resources pays off in terms of student engagement and achievement as these activities allow students to directly interact with the content in ways that require them to think critically and creatively -- all while having fun. When students have fun and enjoy learning, they develop the intrinsic motivation and desire to succeed that helps foster a productive learning environment culminating in academic growth and student achievement.
Tactile Activities
Tactile activities allow students to grapple with concepts and content knowledge hands-on. Through their sense of touch, students are able to make connections by physically manipulating information. This instructional strategy has been an effective way for my students to understand many of our grammar, vocabulary, and writing concepts and skills because it helps students retain their content knowledge and skills since they are required to apply these skills in new, non-routine ways.
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Navigate the slideshow below to explore samples of tactile learning in my classroom.
Many of my students have difficulty reading. To assist their literacy development, we spend much time focusing on vocabulary. One of the vocabulary strategies that we work on is how to break words down into their affixes to better decode their meaning and better comprehend the text. This sample depicts a tactile matching activity that my students completed to match the definition with its affix to improve their retention of common affixes.
When working with connotation and denotation, some of my students were struggling with the idea that some words can mean nearly the same thing as other words, but could have different shades of meaning. So, in groups, students sorted words with the same denotation into three categories: positive, negative, and neutral. This allowed them to better understand, through physical representation, the subtle nuances between words. As a result, students better understood the impact of word choice.
In this sample, students work together with task cards to read passages and answer questions relating to central idea. As they complete a task card, they are able to separate it from the remaining cards, thus allowing students to engage more interactively with my content.
Many of my students have difficulty reading. To assist their literacy development, we spend much time focusing on vocabulary. One of the vocabulary strategies that we work on is how to break words down into their affixes to better decode their meaning and better comprehend the text. This sample depicts a tactile matching activity that my students completed to match the definition with its affix to improve their retention of common affixes.
In addition, many of my students have ADHD or like to fidget. Incorporating tactile activities, such as the ones showcased above, help channel my students' energies and potential negative behaviors into engagement with the content. By helping keep all of my learners focused, students are able to work consistently to build their content knowledge and skills, thus leading them to greater levels of academic growth.
Creative Activities
In order to improve student retention, I also have my students engage in creative activities. Engaging in creative activities allows students to think critically and creatively about the content and skills; critical and creative thinking skills are crucial to students' post-secondary success. So, by incorporating assignments that encourage creativity, students are not only engaging with the content in new, innovative ways, but they are also fostering the development of their skills for autonomous transfer and post-secondary success.
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Below, some samples of students' creative learning are showcased.
For this figurative language mini-project, students had to develop a story that utilized six figurative language elements or present six elements of figurative language around a topic of their choice. This student chose to create a story. Under each flap this student explains why that is an example of the figurative element.
This student presented her figurative language project differently. All of her figurative language elements and explanations were centered around running. Because students were given options for how they could present their understanding of this concept, they were able to think about this concept and skill creatively in a way that showcased their interests, talents, and mastery of the material.
This student chose a different presentation for her art book. This image depicts two pages from her Greek/ Latin Roots art book.
For this figurative language mini-project, students had to develop a story that utilized six figurative language elements or present six elements of figurative language around a topic of their choice. This student chose to create a story. Under each flap this student explains why that is an example of the figurative element.
These are three examples of a one-pager project students complete to synthesize their understanding of The Lightning Thief. For more information regarding this project, check out the projects tab here.
Creative assignments and assessments provide students with the opportunity to enjoy their learning and to pursue alternate routes of understanding the content. Often, students discover new insights about the content and/or their skills and abilities when they're engaged in creative tasks. Additionally, this instructional strategy alleviates some of the pressure and anxiety associated with my content and high-stakes testing. Because students are able to showcase their knowledge and understanding of the material in nonroutine ways, they are able to develop confidence in their abilities and are able to master key content knowledge and skills in an environment that is more conducive to fostering the critical and creative thinking skills necessary to be successful in those high-stakes environments.
Kinesthetic Activities
As indicated previously, many of my students have historically under-performed in my content. To prevent student apathy and to build excitement, another instructional strategy that I employ in my classroom is the inclusion of kinesthetic activities. Kinesthetic activities incorporate movement, resulting in my students moving around the room to complete tasks. This instructional strategy does not allow students to merely "sit and get" information, but instead forces them to actively engage and interact with the content and skills being practiced. Because of the active nature of kinesthetic activities, they are particularly effective methods to improve students' comprehension of content knowledge. Some ways I incorporate kinesthetic activity in my classroom are through gallery walks, stations, and go-go-mo.
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Gallery Walks:
To prepare for gallery walks, I post pictures, task cards, or questions around the room. During the lesson, students have to make inferences based on the pictures or answer the questions on their own recording sheet. I have a class-set of clipboards for students to use as they complete their assignments around the room. As students complete the gallery walk, they often help and/or teach each other the skills when they notice their peers struggling. While students complete their gallery walk, I circulate the room, asking them probing questions to check for understanding, jotting down anecdotal or observational notes, or checking their answers so they may have a second attempt. Below are some samples depicting how gallery walks are utilized in my classroom.
Students identify and analyze sentence structure through a gallery walk.
Students identify and analyze sentence structure through a gallery walk.
Students identify and analyze sentence structure through a gallery walk.
Students identify and analyze sentence structure through a gallery walk.
Stations:
Another kinesthetic activity my students complete are stations. During stations, there are four to six different activities that students complete simultaneously. The tasks that students complete are typically centered around the same standard, but each station offers a different way for students to interact with the content knowledge and/or skills associated with that standard. Students spend an allotted period of time, anywhere from ten to twenty-five minutes, depending upon the number of stations, at one station before rotating to the next station. When students have completed all of their stations, they choose which demonstration of their learning they will submit for a classwork grade. Check out some of the samples below to explore how stations are utilized in my classroom.
These images depict sample student reflections after completing a gallery walk.
This exemplifies how my room is set-up for stations. In all of these stations, students completed tasks that asked them to practice and apply their knowledge of sentence structure. One or two of the stations offer differentiation based upon students' data. Students know which version of work to obtain based upon our data conferences.
Here, students complete four different tasks related to sentence structure simultaneously.
Station 4 required students to collaborate as a team to sort punctuation, clauses, and subordinating conjunctions into appropriately punctuated complex sentences. In this station, students were able to directly interact, problem-solve, and learn from each other as they physically manipulated the different sentence components.
This exemplifies how my room is set-up for stations. In all of these stations, students completed tasks that asked them to practice and apply their knowledge of sentence structure. One or two of the stations offer differentiation based upon students' data. Students know which version of work to obtain based upon our data conferences.
Go-Go-Mo:
Another kinesthetic activity that my students complete is called go-go-mo, which is short for give one, get one, move on. After students have completed an assignment or have answered questions independently, they have the opportunity to share and collaborate with others in the class through this interactive strategy. Students are given a time frame, which is displayed on the board, to get out of their seats and walk around the room with their work, all while sharing their responses and collaborating with others in order to determine the correct responses and clarify misconceptions. To get a better idea of how this instructional strategy manifests in my classroom, navigate the evidence below.
Students get out of their seats and circulate the room to share their work with other students during the go-go-mo instructional strategy.
As students share their work, they discuss their ideas and responses to get a more holistic understanding of the content.
This image depicts a modified go-go-mo. Students were completing a hook activity for our identity unit and were struggling with identifying how they were seen by others. As a result, they completed a go-go-mo to give and receive feedback about how others in the class perceived them.
Students get out of their seats and circulate the room to share their work with other students during the go-go-mo instructional strategy.
Kinesthetic activities, whether they be gallery walks, stations, or go-go-mo, help students learn by getting them out of their seats and physically moving and interacting with the content. Not only does this strategy help benefit some of my more fidgety students, but it also helps engage students in a variety of learning styles that can help them more deeply learn and master the content.
Collaborative Activities
A final way that activity-based learning is employed in my classroom is through collaborative activities. There are a significant number of benefits of student collaboration. When students collaborate, they foster the oral and social communication skills they will need to be successful post-graduation. Having students collaborate allows for students to express their different perspectives and the rationales behind their perspectives, which helps create a culturally responsive and inclusive classroom environment. Academically, collaborative learning helps foster problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills, and helps students clarify their understandings through discussion and debate. The main ways that I implement collaborative activities in my classroom is through partner work, group work, and Socratic seminars.
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Partner Work:
When students complete partner work, they are given an assignment to complete together as equals. They are able to work together to work through the questions and problem-solve any misconceptions. How students are paired varies depending upon the task that they are given. Sometimes, students are grouped heterogeneously, with the ultimate goal of one student teaching another student struggling with the concept how to complete the activity. Other times, students are grouped homogeneously. When students are grouped homogeneously, they are given tasks to complete that are slightly above their level so that students will have to think critically and problem solve together to improve their skill level. Still other times, students are allowed to choose their own partners.
Here, two students work together to complete a summarization graphic organizer for a chapter of Freak the Mighty.
In this image, two students work together to analyze the characterization of Max in Freak the Mighty.
Several pairs of students are working together to create posters summarizing chapters from the novel. Students' posters utilized the SWBST (somebody wanted but so then) strategy and then synthesized that information together into a succinct summary. Inclusion of both the strategy and the summary allowed me to better determine where the errors in students understanding were.
Here, two students work together to complete a summarization graphic organizer for a chapter of Freak the Mighty.
Group Work:
Other times, students collaborate as a group of three or more students. Participating in activities such as these teach students how to work in a group setting, which is likely to be required of them in their post-secondary lives, and thus results in students being able to develop their interpersonal and leadership skills in conjunction with improving their content knowledge. In addition, allowing students to work collaboratively with a variety of groups not only exposes students to new ideas and new ways of thinking, but also solidifies a sense of community within my classroom.
Often, students collaborate through discussion with their table groups. After discussing, one group member synthesizes the group's discussion and shares out, which allows me to assess students' progress with a skill or concept.
Students worked as a group to solve a problematic scenario utilizing the Habits of Mind and then presented their solutions to the rest of the class.
This student trio works together to analyze characterization in the novel and clarify understandings of unfamiliar words by utilizing the dictionary.
Often, students collaborate through discussion with their table groups. After discussing, one group member synthesizes the group's discussion and shares out, which allows me to assess students' progress with a skill or concept.
Socratic Seminars:
Another way that students collaborate in my classroom is through Socratic seminars. Prior to the discussion, I generate a focus question around which students' discussion will center. Using Webb's depth of knowledge chart, I plan for this question to be a DOK 3 or 4 question to ensure rigor and to ensure that students are thinking critically with each other to formulate a thoughtful, evidence-based response. Before the discussion, students are provided with this question and a passage set, which they must annotate in preparation for the discussion. This ensures that all students come to the discussion prepared and ready to support their contributions with evidence-based claims. During the seminar itself, my students split into two groups: the inner circle and the outer circle. Each student in the inner circle is paired with a student in the outer circle who evaluates his/her performance during the inner circle. At half time, the student in the outer circle shares his/her feedback with his/her partner from the inner circle. Then, students switch roles and the discussion resumes. Seminar guidelines and norms have been explicitly taught and reinforced throughout the year to ensure that all students feel comfortable sharing their ideas and insights, even when they disagree with something another student has said. After each Socratic Seminar, students reflect on the discussion in general and self-assess.
Often, Socratic seminars are utilized as a summative assessment. To explore how Socratic seminars are utilized as a summative assessment, click on the Socratic seminar tab here.
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Socratic seminars are a useful way to encourage students to discuss their ideas meaningfully, to listen with understanding and empathy, to think critically and creatively about the focus question, to support their ideas with text evidence, to collaborate, and to build student investment. Through Socratic seminars, students are able to connect their own experiences, interdisciplinary content knowledge, current events, and other texts to their discussion, which allows students to strengthen their content knowledge and skills in ways that promote academic achievement. Because of the emphasis on structured discussion, even my most taciturn students learn how powerful their voices are -- especially when the insights they share with those voices make a profound impact on the discussion and upon the other members of the class. To see how Socratic seminars are implemented in my classroom, navigate the evidence below.
Prior to the discussion, students are given time to text mark and annotate the passages they will be discussing as well as the focus questions for the seminar. This ensures that students can come to the discussion prepared to openly discuss their ideas. At the beginning of the year, while students are still learning how to annotate, I provide them with specific boxes to include their comments, questions, ideas, etc. By the end of the year, students no longer need that level of support.
This is the slide that was projected while students participated in their identity Socratic discussion. General guidelines, SLANT, and the guiding focus questions were all contained on the projected slide to reinforce expectations and to keep the discussion focused.
At the end of the seminar, students also have to reflect on their own performance and create a goal for the next seminar. In looking at students' self-reflections, I am able to better assess what skills to work on with groups of students and which skills to reinforce as a whole.
Prior to the discussion, students are given time to text mark and annotate the passages they will be discussing as well as the focus questions for the seminar. This ensures that students can come to the discussion prepared to openly discuss their ideas. At the beginning of the year, while students are still learning how to annotate, I provide them with specific boxes to include their comments, questions, ideas, etc. By the end of the year, students no longer need that level of support.
The document to the left is given to students prior to any Socratic seminar implementation. At the beginning of the year, we watch exemplar Socratic seminars and discuss what made those discussions successful and what made those discussions valuable learning experiences. I also ask for students' input in terms of other norms or expectations of behavior so that our Socratic seminars are implemented in a manner that is inclusive of student's input from the onset. Students keep this document in their language arts binders all year so that it is easily accessible to review prior to a discussion.
Scroll through this PDF to view the overview and guidelines for Socratic seminars that I share with my students.
Scroll through this PDF to view the talk moves shared with my students to help them connect their ideas with each other and to their text sets.
While Socratic seminars help develop students' collaborative and listening skills, these skills need to be explicitly taught and reinforced in order for students to successfully develop them. To help support students in the development of these skills, I provide students with this handout of sentence frames they can use during the discussion. While this handout is useful to all of my learners, it is particularly beneficial for my ELL and special education students. Moreover, as students become more proficient in connecting their ideas to other's ideas and to the texts naturally, they rely less on this handout and more on their abilities to think critically.
Socratic seminars provide students with the opportunity to think critically about a topic in order to generate their own insights and form their own conclusions about that topic. As a result, students become more invested in learning since they can explore the content on their own terms rather than merely being told how and what to think. As a result, students learn not only how to think critically, but they also learn how to think collaboratively, as they work together with their peers during the discussion in order to answer the focus questions. In addition, Socratic seminars allow students to share their unique perspectives, thus exposing students to different and innovative ways of thinking. Through Socratic seminars, students learn that while we might not all agree all of the time, we can try to understand another's perspective respectfully.
Select the play button to view a portion of my students' very first Socratic Seminar.
This video depicts my students' very first Socratic seminar discussion. None of my students had participated in a discussion prior to my class. After this seminar, I worked specifically with this group of students on how to use their prepared notes during the discussion to help convey their ideas. Many of the students in this class were nervous to speak in front of others, so we practiced public speaking skills afterwards to help students become more comfortable contributing to the discussion without being asked.
Over time, students become much more comfortable with expressing themselves and their ideas in the Socratic Seminar format. Once students begin to refine their public speaking skills, they are better able to articulate their ideas in terms of the focus question and in terms of citing text evidence to prove their claims.
Sometimes, my students come up with their own innovative takes on an assignment. One of my students asked if he could perform a rap that he had come up with while creating the poem for his one-pager project. To be supportive of his preferred presentation, I allowed him to perform his poem for the class. Watch his performance in the video to the left.
Select the play button to watch my student's performance.
After completing stations, my students completed a reflection, which gave me an idea as to what students liked and disliked about this instructional strategy. Students were also encouraged to share ways they that I could improve stations in the future. Samples of these reflections are included below.
Select the play button to listen to an excerpt of a Socratic Seminar on friendship.