Active Learning Activities

Group Work Project Contracting

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

Electron Odyssey: Journey through the Mitochondria’s Electron Transport Chain

Students play the roles of protein complexes to see how electrons, protons, and energy moves through the ETC to produce ATP.

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.

Mechanics in Motion: Iterative GIF Creation

In groups, students create GIFs to demonstrate and explain how mechanic principles apply in real-life scenarios.

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

It’s All in the Delivery: 6 Rounds to Effective Presentation

Groups of students orally present a poem six times, focusing on six key aspect of effective oral presentations

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

Controversy in the Science Classroom: Nature of Science Quiz

Peer Review, Assessment & Feedback

Harvard Implicit Bias Test

In-Class Think Pieces: Course Pack

Building Effective Teams

Reflective Reading on Islam

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

Pratique d’écriture

Photosynthesis: Light Dependent Reactions

From “Yum” to “Yuk”: A Case in Point… Mutation

Projects on Junot Diaz: “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”

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

Having Students Read and Apply Essay Feedback

Holding Your Seat: A Mindfulness Exercise

Peer Review Calibration and Constructive Feedback Workshop

Does X Associate with Y?

Engineering Poster Presentations with Peer Assessment