Active Learning Activities

Find Someone Who… An Icebreaker With Purpose

In this activity, students try to find someone for each list item. Items highlight key issues explored in the course.

Silent Discussion

Conduct a discussion in your class without students ever speaking a word!

Reimagining the Reading Quiz: Peer Instruction in English

Students do a reading quiz in class and revise their answers after developing and sharing a rationale for their choice.

Snowball Starter: Goals of Science Education

In this activity, the snowball strategy links students' prior beliefs to a deeper inquiry of science education goals.

More Than One Way to Cook an Egg: Exploring Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Teams explore Gardner's Theory, present one component, summarize presentation content, and conduct a self-assessment.

Love at First Insight: Crafting Dating Profiles for Therapeutic Techniques

Students create a dating profile that highlights the key feature of the major Abnormality Models in Psychology.

Cross-Disciplinary Synergy 101: Uniting Expertise for Success

In teams, students interact, share information on their profession, and create cases where each discipline is needed

To Pass or Not to Pass: Acting out membrane transport

Aim of the activity is to increase students’ understanding of molecules’ movement through the cell membrane.

Feeling Feverish: Homeostasis of Pyrexia

Low Stakes Debate

Connotation Exercise: Interview and Presentation

Interrupted Case Study in Material Engineering

Gender Socialization throughout the Life Course

Students complete a grid that illustrates different life periods that reinforce gender narratives.

Schools of Thought in Psychology

Gender and Job Inequality

Name that Molecule! / Nommez cette Molécule!

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard

“Light, Camera, Action” Starring Reactions in Photosynthesis

Dictation: Read and Run

Let’s Role Play the French Revolution!

Fireweed and Seals, oh my! Mini Cases in Population Ecology

Cercles de Lecture (Reading Circles)

If You’re Not Part of the Solution You’re Part of the Precipitate

The Sailing Iguanas: A Mini Case in Speciation