Active Learning Activities

Silent Discussion

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

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.

Who Are You? A Multidimensional Examination of Self-Concept

Students investigate their self-concept, compare it to a classmate, assess differences between self- and social perception.

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

Rough Draft Workshop: Group Peer Assessment Jigsaw Activity for Case Study or Procedural Writing

Students bring a rough draft of a written group project for peer evaluation and feedback

Communicable Puzzles: Children’s Most Common Infectious Diseases

Using the Jigsaw strategy, students become an “expert” for one communicable disease through self-directed research.

Real-World Physics: Mini Video Projects

Controversy in the Science Classroom: Nature of Science Quiz

Don’t go NUTS: A Case Study on the Physiology of Stress

Interrupted Case Study in Material Engineering

Yeas and Nays: Using Smartphones for Gathering Data

Solving World Issues One Smartphone at a Time

Projet Specific: Webzine

Harvard Implicit Bias Test

Three-Tiered Writing

Cercles de Lecture (Reading Circles)

Rhetorical Strategies

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

Having Students Read and Apply Essay Feedback

Jigsaw Geography Presentation

Protein Separation

Homeostasis: Mapping the Endocrine System

Reflective Writing On Waves