Teaching Tips: Classroom Activities

Would you like to make your college success classroom more interactive and engaging? Try the activities below!

December 2007

GET A JOB

Goals: to help students understand that being a college student has real requirements and responsibilities just like a “real” job in the world of work

Group size: 15-40 students

Time required: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Materials: large sheets of newsprint and examples of employment ads from a local newspaper

Physical setting: normal class/training room

Process: Ask participants or small groups to create classified employment ads for the “job” of college student. For example, “_________” College / University is seeking applicants with excellent skills in oral and written communication, problem solving, time management, and technology for positions as professional students preparing for a variety of future opportunities…” Ads should list particular job requirements, benefits, information about your institution, and so on, and be transferred to a large sheet of newsprint to present to the larger group.

Variation: You may wish to have each participant first create an ad individually, perhaps as an outside assignment, and then combine and refine their ideas in groups.

Source: Staley, Connie: 50 Ways to Leave your Lectern, 2003.


CASE STUDY EXCHANGE

Goals: to help students learn problem-solving skills and apply course material

Group size: normal class size

Time required: homework assignment; individuals or collaborative groups may analyze in approximately 30-40 minutes

Materials: a case study (narrative/story) written by each student

Physical setting: homework assignment; normal class/training room

Process: Ask each student to write a brief case study or story about a fictitious freshman based on his or her own experiences or those of a friend (using a false name). The case study should focus on a common problem that freshmen experience or a situation that was poorly handled. After papers are turned in, randomly exchange case studies so that each student has a partner. Participants should use course materials and/or a chapter from the text to help the fictitious student described in the case study to “fix” the problem or develop strategies that could have been used to prevent the problem from occurring. After the analysis/problem-solving papers are written and graded, return the papers and announce the members of each secret partnership, allowing the pairs time to discuss the analyses they’ve written.

Variation: Rather than asking each student to write a case study, collaborative groups may write them. Or choose the best individual case studies and distribute one to each group.

Source: Staley, Connie: 50 Ways to Leave your Lectern, 2003.


November 2007

Getting to Know You

Class activity
Materials needed: flip-chart paper, markers, masking tape
Time: 30-50 minutes
Goal: To help students to get to know each other and create a comfortable classroom environment
Students circulate around the room and write on sheets of posted flip chart paper with the same headings as in Exercise 1.1. For example, one sheet of paper would have the heading “I’m happiest when…” and students would add their responses to that paper.

(Excerpted from the Instructor’s Manual to accompany FOCUS on College Success)

Focus Learning System

Class Activity (or an out of class assignment where students work in groups)
Material needed: Old Magazines, tape, markers and flip charts
Time: 20-30 minutes
Goal: To help students understand the Challenge?Reaction?Insight?Action System
In groups, have students describe some challenge that they may encounter during college. Using photos from magazines, students select faces of individuals that represent how they identify a challenge, another photo of a facial expression that represents their reaction, one that represents insight, and the final photo representing action. Using only these four photos as prompts, the groups share their challenge and subsequent responses and behaviors with the class.

(Excerpted from the Instructor’s Manual to accompany FOCUS on College Success)