Broken Pieces

What is it? Students are given key words or pieces of information on a topic. They are asked to arrange these in a particular order. This could take the form of producing a specific outcome, eg. a revision guide or summary. Alternatively it could involving putting the information together to describe a process. Resources/Equipment: Cards with pieces of information on each

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Responsibility Reflection Accessibility Engagement

Review Race
What is it? Groups or pairs are given an A3 sheet with key words spread out on them. Each student in the group is also given a different coloured pen. They have to draw a line between any two words they can link together. Along this line they write down what the link is and explain it to the group. Resources/Equipment: A3 sheets with key words on

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Responsibility Discussion Flexibility Engagement

Game of Chance
What is it? Students are given an activity to complete, along with a die. Each number on the dice relates to an area to consider (eg. when analysing a character, 1= personality, 2= family, etc). Alternatively each member of the group could be given a number they have to add a point when this comes up (extra numbers could allow nominations). The dice are rolled, and the designated student answers according to the number. Resources/Equipment: Dice for each group

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Responsibility Engagement

Ranking
What is it? Students are given key words or pieces of information on a topic They are asked to arrange these in order of importance or relevance, or according to how much the group agrees with them This could take the form of diamond ranking, bullseye (most information in the middle), pyramid, etc. Students are then asked to justify their decisions. Resources/Equipment: Cards with pieces of information on each

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Responsibility Reflection Accessibility Discussion Flexibility Engagement

Pass the Buck

What is it? Students are given either a sheet with a topic on it. This could be an exam question, a key figure or some key words. They make some initial notes on their own sheets. Students then circulate, writing notes on other groups sheets, both in terms of making notes and in response to comments made by other students. They then return to their own original sheet, using the information gathered to either plan or produce a full answer. Resources/Equipment: A3 sheets with different topics on them (one per group)

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Confidence Reflection Discussion Flexibility Engagement

Corporate Excellence
What is it? Students are given an activity to complete. Whilst they work on this the teacher circulates, randomly asking group members questions about the task. The expectation is that any student can answer the questions, so the whole group have to work together to ensure that this is the case. The group gets 1 point for each question the chosen students answer correctly. The winning group is announced at the end of the activity/lesson/ Resources/Equipment: None other than the activity

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Responsibility Discussion Engagement

Flowcharts
What is it? Students are given all the information needed on a topic. They then have to simplify this and break it down, either into the basic process or as a summary or guide. They do this by using the key to a flowchart, deciding on the most important information and what type of action it is, and gradually creating a complete flowchart. Students then feed their flowchart back to other students, justifying their choices. Resources/Equipment: Guide sheet for producing a flowchart A3 paper

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Reflection Accessibility Discussion Flexibility

Thinking Hats
What is it? Students are given a topic or scenario to consider. They are given 6 thinking hats (either physical or simply on cards), along with the role for each one. They have to adopt this viewpoint throughout the discussion. Students can swap hats at predetermined times as signalled by the teacher. They should then have the opportunity to consider an issue/problem from a range of viewpoints. Resources/Equipment: de Bonos thinking hats Range of topics for discussion

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Responsibility Reflection Discussion Flexibility

Art Attack
What is it? Students are given a number of images related to a topic or activity. They use these as inspiration or as a guide to completing the task. The images could be of equipment needed to complete a process, stimuli fro creative writing, different objects associated with the topic. Groups work together to achieve their goal collectively. Resources/Equipment: Sets of images

Criteria met: Goals Accountability Responsibility Discussion Flexibility Engagement