Doing a brainstorm should be familiar territory for many faculty. This is a jack-of-all-trades tool that can be used at any time, and is scalable for any length of time, from a single activity, to a way to assess a longer term project. Brainstorming is the emptying of the mind of all ideas around a

As in PLA #8 – One Word, The Exit Ticket is an activity you do at the end of an activity, lesson, unit, project, presentation, midterm, or course. It’s a way to get students to critically reflect in some way that you decide, but it also pushes every individual to give you a response. Unlike

One Word is a very simple exit activity. It’s designed to give your learners just a little extra time to process the lesson of the day. It’s also scalable, as it can be used to process a single activity, or a summary after presentations, or a quick reflective nod to a group project. It requires

Pay more attention to learners’ motivations for studying Study patterns and experience of learning are highly affected and influenced by the very different learning environment of students. Beaty, Gibbs, Morgan (1997) argue the different learning orientations and their effect on students’ success and motivation. Orientation “assumes that students have an active relationship with their studying”,

Mindmaps are great for outlining content, brainstorming ideas, and making connections for many different concepts. Mindmaps can and should be colorful, reflecting the depth and complexity of linking ideas together. The process is simple: Have learners draw a central image of the concept or topic to be explored. Words can be used, but drawing a

The concept of Retrieval Practice is not new to many of us (think flashcards), however in recent years more research has been carried out into how effective the practice of retrieval really is for our students by showing it to be one of the most powerful tools for committing learning to long-term memory. This blog