Active Learning Activities

Group Work Project Contracting

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

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.

Nature of Science Ice-Breaker

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

Card Sorting Activities for Mechanics

Physics Worksheet Based Activity

The aim of the activity is the application of concepts and math to solve complex problems.

Peerwise Assignment: Human Body

Group Problem Solving with Show and Tell

Students learn to build a conceptual model describing a Mechanics-based situation and practice mathematical problem-solving.

Model Building

Students learn to build a conceptual model describing a situation involving an accelerating charged particle.

Solving World Issues: One Smartphone at a Time

The purpose of this activity is to familiarize students with the potential of online tools for problem-solving.

Gender and Job Inequality

Family HiStories of Migration

Students interview two members of their family to collect information about their family history and present it in class.

Reflective Reading on Islam

Students use homework questions to prompt a deeper engagement with the reading material to generate better class discussion.

Identity Dot Exercise

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

Holding Your Seat: A Mindfulness Exercise

Teacher for a Day: Defining a Definition

Defining a Definition

In this single-class activity, students practice problem-solving related to definitions.

Presentation skills: Conveying emotion

Bottle Rocket Tracker

Using video and Tracker software, students learn to analyze and fit equations of motion to raw data.

Dart Gun Velocity

In this activity, students will find the muzzle velocity of a foam dart gun and predict its maximum range.

Circus Launch Clicker Questions

Forces Scavenger Hunt

Momentum Photoproject

Motion Diagrams

In this activity, students learn to create and interpret motion diagrams using a notebook file in interactive whiteboards.