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Interactive Classroom Activities: Self-distancing physical lessons Edition. Oliver FurnivalContentsIntroduction. Page 2Post it notes. Page 3Silent debate. Page 4Yes / No stations. Page 5Card sort. Page 6Question Time. Page 7Class debate. Page 8Brainstorm. Page 9Quiz. Page 10Think-pair-share. Page 11Active Listening. page 12Envoy. Page 13Jigsaw Activity. Page 14Find someone who. Page 15Peer assessment. Page 16Self assessment. Page 17Speed Questioning. Page 18Problems and solutions. Page 19Role play. Page 20Interactive homework. Page 21Introduction.This booklet gives step by step advice on how to set up 19 different classroom activities. It also describes the learning outcomes for the students. The activities within this booklet have been adapted to meet the following self-distancing physical lesson rules:Students must be two metres apart.Students must sit in the same seat for the lesson. Movement in the classroom must be kept at a minimum.The following devices will come in useful for trying out interactive activities in a self-distancing physical classroom.Flipped learning.Google Docs.Google Forms.Zoom breakout rooms.Student’s personal headphones.Using the projector screen to share student ideas.Paper signs.Kahoot. Each activity is designed to be interactive and to promote inquiry-based learning within the classroom.I have used the activities for years 7-13 in secondary school education, both in the UK National Curriculum and the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme.Many of the pictures and examples used to explain the activities are from Humanities lessons, but the activities are cross-curricular and are designed to be used for all subjects. I have created ten-minute YouTube videos for the activities. The link for the video is under the title of the activity, where applicable.1. Post-it notes. Description.Write a discussion topic on the board, such as ‘What are the pros and cons of tourism?’Students write their idea on a post it note and put it on the relevant part of the board. –they can be put into a ‘pro’ or ‘con’ team.Filled in notes can be ranked, voted off, linked to other notes, used as prompts for discussion, written work or a speech.Pupils can be invited to justify their note or respond to a note written by the other team.This can also be done in smaller groups to aid the brainstorming process.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: The teacher can put the post-it notes on each student’s desk before the class. Students can write their answers on the notes and put on the board one by one. The teacher can then take the activity forward. For example, the teacher could read the answers and get students to orally decide which order to put them in / which ones to get rid of (based on the activity). The teacher can set up a Google Doc for each group before the lesson. The post-it notes could be replaced by a box on a Google Doc, which the students could then fill in the duplicate note and move them around, delete, respond to each idea with a curser. Each group’s ideas could then be shown on projector screen and the students could explain their ideas.Learning Outcomes.Students:Have their say.Are exposed to a wide range of ideasLearn ideas from peers.Can respond to and evaluate the views of others.Empathise with the ideas of others.Move around the room.Interact with others.2. Silent Debate Description.Teacher or students create questions / statements for debate. Each team gets a statement and has 3 minutes to respond to it—in silence with all getting the chance to participate and respond to others.Pupils write their responses, preferably in colourful pens. Groups then pass their sheet on to another group—or move to other tables. Pupils then read the previous team(s) ideas and either respond directly to what they have read or start a new strand of discussion.Pupils repeat this activity until they have seen all the statements. Pupils get their original sheet back, which is full of ideas. They now have 15 minutes to prepare a 1 minute speech on their statement, using the ideas of others to strengthen the arguments. Each team presents in front of the class. The audience give praise and targets on each presentation.The class votes on each question / statement. Self-distancing physical lessons advice: The questions could be typed onto a Google Doc by the teacher before the lesson. One Google Doc could be created per question, or one question per page on the same Google Doc.The same rules are followed as above but students type their answers onto the Doc, instead of writing on a piece of paper.If there is more than one Google Doc, each group of students can be told which one to open and respond to, and when to move onto the next one, leaving the previous tables open for feedback (replicating point 4 above). Feedback can be shown through sharing and analysing the Google Docs on the projector screen.Learning Outcomes.Students:Work in a group to collate opinions of others and put them into a presentationCan have a say.Respond to, and build on, the views of othersImprove their confidence.Can work in a group to collate opinions of others and put them into a presentation. Give feedback to peers on their presentationGive a presentation to the class.Use the examples of others to strengthen arguments. 3. Yes / No stations. Description.The room is set up with 3 stations: ‘Yes’, ‘No’, Not sure’ (Agree/Disagree can also be used). The stations should be far enough apart so the students can walk from one to the other if they change their mind.The teacher or pupil (the construction of a statement can be a lesson activity) writes a statement on the board such as ‘Should we raise tax for the use of fossil fuels?’Pupils go to the station which represents their opinion.A variety of activities can unfold: An informal debate where pupils challenge each other’s ideas. Pupils are encouraged to change stations if their view changes.A teacher/ student chair who directs the debate and add secondary clauses to the statement. A count of yes/unsure/no can be taken and referred back to later in the lesson / unit of work.Groups can be formed for activities such as making a speech based on opinions—either groups of same of differing opinions.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: The teacher can put a piece of paper with ‘Yes’, ‘No’, and ‘Not sure’ on the students’ desks before the lesson starts. Students lift the piece of paper with their answer on while sitting in their seats. The teacher can then open the debate up / keep a record of the answers on the board. Learning Outcomes.Students:Can respond to a statement.Can change their minds by responding to the views of others.Are engaged in a debate, either formal or informal.Respond to the views of others.Hear a variety of views enabling them to get a rounded picture.4. Card Sort. Description.Give pupils a variety of different answers to a question, such as ‘Why did America experience a boom in the 1920’s?’Each answer is on a separate card.Pupils, alone, in pairs or groups must rank the answers based on a chosen criteria—most money, most important to society, needs money the most.Follow up activities can include: Pupils writing reasons for their views and feeding back as a class.Creating an essay or speech based on the ideas.Visiting other pupils work and trying to persuade them to change their order, which can lead to discussion.Joining another group and agreeing on a top 3.Swapping groups and justifying their ideas in front of the class.Ranking the ideas from the viewpoint of someone else in society such as a businessman, a parent, a tourist, someone unemployed.A class debate based on the ideas.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: Card sorts can be printed and put on each student’s desk before the lesson starts. Students must complete the card sort activity on their own and can then discuss their results with the person sitting next to them (keeping in their seats). The card sorts can be written on a Google Doc. One Google Doc is shared per group. Students can rank the card sorts on the Google Doc having communicated with each other in the ‘comments’ section. The results of each group can be shared with the class via the projector screen for analysis. Learning Outcomes.Students can:Rank and respond to the views of othersJustify ideasInfluence othersExposed to a variety of different answers which they can use in future activities/assessments.Choose best answer—looking at how different perspectives may see it.5. Question Time.Description.Give students a situation and a set of roles they can take on to respond to.Example situation: An emergency helicopter was used to save drunk schoolchildren at the expense of….. Roles include school child, parent, head teacher, police, politician, doctor, sick patient who couldn’t get the helicopter.Students research responses to the situation from one or more roles and perspectives.Students prepare questions they would like to ask each character.Set the room up with a top table where the ‘panel’ will sit. Create a name card for each person.Get, or pick, volunteers to act in the role of each character.The audience ask their prepared (or new questions based on answers given) to the panel members.Students can change roles throughout the activity from audience member to panel member as the debate unfolds.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: The roles / reading necessary for the roles / time for creating questions can be given as a homework prior to the lesson so that students can prepare beforehand and go straight into the debate during the lesson. If the role play requires students to speak in with each other before the lesson, they can do so via one of the on-line live lesson via breakout rooms on Zoom. The teacher can create character cards and put on the students’ desk before the lesson. Each character could be put on every student’s desk, so they can find the one to represent their role, or the students could go to a table at the back of the room one by one to get their correct card.The role play will be done as a whole class activity. The ‘audience’ can prepare their questions before the lesson (which can also be shown to the people with a character to represent) and are chosen to speak by the teacher. Students in the panel will have to stay in their own seats during the activity. Learning Outcomes.StudentsAnswer questions from a range of perspectives.Create questions from the experience of themselves and others.Consider a situation from the viewpoint of others.Show empathy for the thoughts and actions of different people in society.Explore the origins of a range of opinionsClass debate Description.Read the statement to be debated as a class.Explain to pupils that they will either agree or disagree with the statement. Forming the groups can either be teacher or student led. Students could purposely be made to justify the idea they disagree with to build up with skills of arguing from a different viewpoint.Split the class into ‘agree’ and ‘disagree’ teams.Within these teams put pupils into pairs. Each pair forms their strongest argument. A handout with prompts can be given to help them.Put the pairs into fours. Each four must discuss their own strongest arguments and get rid of one, leaving them with one main argument.The fours then join as a whole team. Each team agrees on their two strongest arguments with reasons and picks two speakers to read them as opening statements.Set the room up so the two teams are facing each other.The team agreeing with the statement gives their two strongest arguments (without response).The team disagreeing with the statement gives their two strongest arguments (without response).Open the debate up. Pupils can respond to the views of others or create their own line of the debate. Have a vote on the statement. Allow pupils to vote as they really think.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: The design of this class debate works well on Zoom, with students preparing each part of the debate in their groups via breakout sessions. This activity can be held as a social distancing in class activity following on from a Zoom preparation session. The teacher can act as chair and can write / type the main points that have been raised during the lesson onto the board, for students to respond to. Learning Outcomes.Students can:Prepare for a debate using reasons and examples to justify ideas.Justify opinions that are not their own. Appreciate there are a variety of views in society.Listen to others and respond directly to what they have heard.Contribute (they are given the chance to work in pairs if they are uncomfortable speaking in front of the class) to a debate.Question their own views as a result of informed debate.7. BrainstormDescription.Introduce a premise that entails pupils to consider a variety of different answers.In the example below pupils are asked to look at the different things a working adult must spend his/her money on.The brainstorm could be held in a variety of ways where pupils:Are given pens and write ideas on the boardAre designated the role of typing the different ideas from the class.Can be given the ideas for a card sort activity.Can be given thinking time then invited to call their ideas out.Can work in pairs and report their ideas back to the class which are then put on a final document.Are put into groups and given time to brainstorm and report back to the class.Are given post it notes and put their ideas on the board.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: This can be held in a variety of ways in a social distancing class. Students can be given time to think of their answers and the teacher can record them on the board. Depending on the question, the students can write their answers on paper and hold them up together. The teacher can write a summary of the answers on the board. A whole class board can be opened on a Google Doc for students to brainstorm their answers. A Google Form can be created before the lesson and students could respond to it in the lesson. The teacher could put the summary of results on to the projector screen for analysis. Learning Outcomes.Students: Are exposed to a variety of views and perspectives, far more than if they were working aloneCan use the ideas of their peers to find new ideas/solutions and use them in future activities.Respond to a variety of ideas, deciding the most appropriate ones to take forward.8. QuizDescription.Quizzes can be given to test knowledge taught in class, to gage pupils’ previous knowledge brought to the classroom, to focus on terminology needed for an exam or to give answers for pupils to work from.Quizzes can be created by pupils with realistic multiple choice answers, allowing to students focus on areas they feel they need to improve on. Example quiz below on UK and Japan legal rights:This quiz requires no previous classroom knowledge but is testing pupils on their knowledge of the society they live in. Pupils are put into teams and create team name. An answer sheet and instructions are given out to pupils.Questions can be put on a PowerPoint, aiding SEN students and ensuring all have heard / remember the question correctly.Allow pupils to discuss possible answers.Pupils can swap answers papers or call out answers.Write the answers on the board. A prize can be given to the winning team.The follow up activity is for pupils to say whether they would change the age people can get the rights in either Japan or the UK, giving reasons for their ideas.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: Quizzes can be done in a similar way to normal lessons, (harder for teams). The teacher can create Kahoot quizzes, Google Forms (where a summary of the information can be shown), or the old-fashioned way where the teacher (or student) read the questions and the others answer on paper. Students will need to be trusted to answer their own questions rather than swap answers. Give students a few minutes to write an answer, all of which is then collected by the teacher and read out.Students could write questions for their peers, which are sent to the teacher before the lesson and distributed to the students in the class (either on handouts, electronically, or read out). Create a Google Doc where students can write their ideas on. Show answers on the projector screen and go through the results. Learning OutcomesStudents can be tested formatively and summatively.Teachers can gage students’ present and previous knowledge and adapt future lessons accordingly.Students recap previous learning or learn new information.Students know the progress they have made on the topic being studied.9.Think—Pair--ShareDescription.Give students an opportunity to think about a question without interruption. This can be either a closed or open question, a question based on previous learning or one that requires a response based on opinion, or an educated guess.Students join into pairs to discuss their thoughts. Students share their joint ideas in class feedback.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: This can be done in the same way as normal lessons, but with students staying in their seats and sharing ideas with the student next to them (this will require an even number of rows). Learning Outcomes.Students:Are encouraged to explore questions in more depth.Share their ideas with a partner, giving them the opportunity to teach their opinion and learn something new from a peer.Build up their confidence in speaking to peers and in front of the class.By answering as a pair, feel less pressure in giving an answer that could be challenged by others.10. Active listening.DescriptionElicit and agree the traits of a good listener as a class. Possible examples: eye contact, pays close attention to the speaker, doesn’t interrupt, positive body language, sensitive to speaker, asks appropriate questions at the end.Put students in pairs or small groups to review an activity or give their opinion on an issue.When one pupil is speaking the others must listen carefully giving their full attention.Students should not interrupt the listener, but can nod or smile to show agreement or understanding.When the speaker has finished the listeners can ask questions to either check their understanding or to respond in agreement or disagreement to what they have heard.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: This can be done as above, but not in small groups. Students will have to read in class while their peers listen. This will make the body language aspect harder. Learning OutcomesStudents:Improve their listening skills, helping them to react in an appropriate way.Gain more knowledge, allowing them to respond in an informed way.Build up their confidence speaking in front of others.Can transfer their listening skills to situations outside of the classroom.11. Envoy Description.Students are put into groups. The groups can be chosen by either the teacher or the students and in a variety of ways—based on ability, friendship, different skills or randomly.Each group is responsible for a researching a different piece of research. Example activity:Each group could be given one aspect of trench life to research and are given a handout with the information they need to find.When the groups have found their information they can create a piece of work to present it to the other students. (All groups will be presenting at the same time)Each group sends an envoy (s) whose job it is to go on a fact finding mission to the other groups, with a handout to help them find the relevant information.The students who are not the envoy must teach their information to other groups’ envoys.When the envoys have found the other groups’ information they return to their original group and report their findings.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: This cannot be done within social distancing lessons, however some of the learning outcomes can be met via the jigsaw activity in part 12. Learning Outcomes.Students:Work together to find the agreed information.Teach their information to other students, consolidating their knowledge.Take into account the learning needs of others.The envoy acts as a student and then a teacher, with the responsibility of asking relevant questions in order to gain and then pass on knowledge.12. Jigsaw Activity. Description.Separate the information needed for a learning activity, such as a piece of reading, (In this example, into four parts). Each part can be given a letter A-D.Put students into groups of four and tell them the letter they need to investigate, so each student is finding a different piece of the information.Students find the relevant information for their piece of the jigsaw.The students go back to their original groups and collate their information.Example activity:Students are given a handout with four different types of tax on it. (handouts can be given to students or put in different parts of the classroom so all A’s etc can work together).The handout is separated into four parts A) Income Tax, B) Council Tax, C) Value Added Tax, D) Corporation tax.Students are put into groups of four and each is given a letter A-D.Pupils write a summary of the tax they have been allocated.The Students return to the original group teaching their others about the tax they have studied and making notes on the information given to them by the others in their group.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: Students can be given their piece of reading before or during the lesson. If reading is given beforehand, it can be sent to the students via their Google Classroom. All students with the same piece of reading to do, can be put in the same breakout room to support each other.In the lesson, each group can be given a Google Doc in the lesson with clearly labelled space for each student to write their answers—resulting in all having the full set of information on the same document. Learning Outcomes.Students:Take the roles of investigator and teacher.Improve their speaking and listening skills.Take an active role in group work and learn from their peers.Are given responsibility for the learning of others.Consolidate their new learning by repeating it to others.Find someone who…. Description.Give pupils a hand-out with information they need to find from their peers.Pupils should be encouraged to ask as many different students as they can in the time allotted for the activity.Pupils go around the classroom with their hand-out asking and answering questions with a student then moving to a different student as soon as they have finished, repeating this until the teacher ends the activity.The questions asked could be:Based on finding a variety of experiences in class or to find out a range of information within the classroom.Created by students as questions as part of research for a topic they are investigating.Designed to gage ideas on an issue being studied.Different students could be asking different questions at the same time.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: The teacher can create a Google Form before the lesson and put the information in the form of a quiz during the lesson (see section 8). The teacher could share the results of the form to the whole class via the projector screen to show the range of opinions. Learning Outcomes.Students:Improve their speaking and listening skills.Find a variety of perspectives and experiences.Can take advantage of the wide range of experiences within the classroom and at municate with a wide range of other pupils in the classroom, some they may not usually communicate with.14. Peer assessment.Description.At the start of work on a presentation, speech or written piece of work, agree with the class a shared criteria for success. These can be directly related to the course levels or grades or a set of learning skills.Guide students to look out for how the criteria can be met. Previous students’ work can be used as examples.At the start of the peer assessment lesson make it clear to pupils that they will be assessing each other’s work and will also give targets for improvement. The targets should be given in a constructive manner. After each presentation the audience gives their response to what they have seen, in terms of good points and targets. If similar targets are arising it can lead to a class discussion on how to meet them.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: Students can be given other students’ work to assess before or during the lesson. After the teacher has presented how the activity will run (see points in the description box), the students can could fill out a peer-assessment form.This form can be given to them via Google Classrooms and filled it out during the lesson, it could also be a paper form, depending on the teacher’s preference. Learning Outcomes.Students:Are aware of (and, at times can help create) the criteria for success.Take on the role of the teacher, knowing, focusing on, and looking for what is needed to make the perfect piece of work.By assessing other students’ work each student pick up the good habits of others.By setting targets for others, students are also taking into how their own work can be improved, and with guidance can put their own advice into action the next time they do a similar piece of work.Hold discussion with each other, praising each other’s work and setting relevant targets.15. Self-Assessment.Description.At the start of the topic share the learning objectives with the pupils. These can be taken from subject levels, course or grade boundaries and skills.If applicable allow students to give input into how they can reach the objectives.Refer to the objectives throughout the topic, ensuring students are aware of what they are and how to achieve them.At the end of the topic put the objectives on the board and ask students to assess themselves against them.Give students the self-assessment handout and ask them to comment on what parts of their performance they are happy with and to set themselves two targets for the future, which must be challenging and achievable. Students use the objectives to help them set targets. The teacher can also advise.Meet each student to discuss their targets.Refer back to targets during future lessons or meetings.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: This can be run in the same way as normal lessons. Learning Outcomes.Students:Know how to meet the learning objectives of the course they are studying.Are aware of what is expected of them.Become reflective learners, aware of their skills and how to improve them.Learning is put into context, with focus on how to meet the given objectives.Teachers can use the student’s comments as a guide to their progress.16. Speed questioning. DescriptionGet a set of questions / points for discussion. These could be based on the lesson’s work, or to gage ideas and prior knowledge on a new topic.Set the tables into rectangles where the students are facing each other (see diagram below).The students all stand around their table, working in pairs with the student opposite them.One half of the table is given the questions to be discussed.Students 1-4 ask questions A-D to the student opposite, initiating discussion.After a teacher determined time, say ‘change’ and the students all move one place clockwise. Student 1, for example is now in student 5’s position.The teacher says ‘change’ at regular intervals, ensuring the students can ask an answer as many different questions with as many different students as possible in the allotted time.The teacher can change the questions / points of discussion as the activity is unfolding.Students can create their own questions and discussion topics.Students could be asked to answer in the role of others.The activity works best with a quick pace.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: Students can be put into breakout rooms via Zoom. The teacher can show the questions to be discussed on the board. Automatic breakout rooms can be created, and the teacher can, relocate students every few minutes. Students using their own headphones to communicate with each other. Learning OutcomesStudents:Work with a variety of other students, hearing a wide range of perspectives on the topic being studied.Build up their confidence in speaking in public.Have the chance to create, ask and answer questions.Can use the ideas they hear from others to improve their understanding of the topic.17. Problems and solutions. DescriptionGive students a scenario where they are given a problem and have to find a solution. This activity can be done in a variety of ways:Allow pupils to work alone, in pairs or groups to try to create solutions for the problems, which can be analysed by other students. A list of possible solutions can be given to help students, allowing them to choose the strongest ideas, explaining their choices.A choice of two or more solutions to the problem could be offered with students having to say what they would do, justifying their answer.During feedback, if the problems are based on a real life issue, the actual solution used could be shared with the class, who can compare and contrast their ideas. Self-distancing physical lessons advice: Students can be put into groups with each group having the same Google Doc. The students can then write their ideas onto the Google Doc, responding to their peers’ comments. Learning OutcomesStudents:Work through the decision making progress, increasing their awareness of how problems can be solved.Can create new ideas as well as working on used methods to find solutions.Take into account the benefits and consequences of different solutions.18. Role play DescriptionWhen discussing a topic or issue give the class a question to consider.Allocate role cards which respond to the issue from the point of view of different stake holders. The role cards could have an explanation of the person’s opinion to help students.This activity can be held in a number of ways:The role cards can be handed out randomly to pupils throughout the debate.Students can be given the role card face down. The other students have to guess which role they have taken on.Students are put into groups. Each group is given a card and students take it in turns representing the group as the debate unfolds.The role cards could be written on a handout and pupils have to write what they believe each character would say.The activity could be done as a pre essay practice, revising the different opinions.Example question: Should we raise tax on petrol?Different stake holders on the role cards:Friends of the Earth member.Taxi driver.Person who lives in a polluted town.Lorry company owner.Person who lives in the countryside.Local bus company.Local school.Parent of children who cycle a lot.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: This activity can be held in the same way as Question Time in section 5. Learning OutcomesStudents:Explore different perspectives on issues and consider the different implications on members of society.Respond to and evaluate counter-claims to arguments.19. Interactive homework. DescriptionSet pupils homework questions that require them to ask other people’s opinions, such as family and friends.The given question could be based on the lesson’s learning or could be in preparation, and research for a future debate, activity or assessmentThe interactive homework works best when open ended questions, or statements are used and when students ask more than one person, giving them a range of ideas to work with in class.The question could also be a closed on, as preparation for a vote.In the lesson after the homework, the ideas students have found can become part of the lesson’s activity, where students can:Be asked to represent the views of others as part of a debate or assessment.Work in groups to pool together the different responses to the statement.Self-distancing physical lessons advice: As this is a homework activity, it can be held in the same way as on this document. Learning OutcomesParents become part of their child’s learning, enhancing their understanding of what they are learning at school.The homework is achievable for all students.The tasks are interactive with family and friends, and not seen as daunting work, resulting in the amount of pupils completing their homework increase.Students are opened up to new ideas and discussion topics at home ................
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