Active Learning Activities

Group Work Project Contracting

For instructors planning student group work projects over many weeks or months.

Past, Present & Future: A Belize Timeline

Students collaborate to create a historical timeline for a country they will soon be travelling to.

Running on Water: Activating Prior Knowledge of Static Equilibrium

Students watch, discuss, then analyze the veracity of a video in which hydrophobic shoes allow people to run on water.

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.

Nature of Science Ice-Breaker

A first class ice-breaker activity introducing the nature of science.

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

Card Sorting Activities for Mechanics

Controversy in the Science Classroom: Nature of Science Quiz

Connotation Exercise: Interview and Presentation

Interrupted Case Study in Material Engineering

Projet Specific: Webzine

Three-Tiered Writing

Bringing Context to Life: Annotating Research for Reading Novels

Putting the “You” in Education: Using Self-reflections for Learning

Having Students Read and Apply Essay Feedback

Forget the Math! Draw Pictures to Learn the Wave Theory of Light

Engineering Poster Presentations with Peer Assessment

Problem Set Using Lightboard Video Recordings

Piece of Paper Question

Kinematics Concept Mapping

Circus Launch Clicker Questions

Reflective Writing On Waves