I did a presentation at the NWEA Fusion conference on “Creativity and Collaboration in Data-Driven Instruction” – basically my attempt to fit some of my favorite educational ideas all into a one-hour session. I really wanted to give those attending a chance to share ideas with each other. As I seem to say often, I think teachers are the best copyright violators in the world; we do a fantastic job of taking ideas we hear and see and making them our own.
We didn’t end up having enough time to share as I would have like, but I collected the ideas they wrote on sticky notes so that I could share them here.
Question: What are your favorite activities for involving creativity or getting kids working together in class?
Responses from Secondary Teachers:
– Real life interviews – Community members interview students – recorded. Students evaluated only on their assessment of the video of their interview
– PowerPoint presentation – students make a presentation on an assigned topic
– Book reviews cannot be written – Instead, commercials, quiz show, crossword, poem, song, meal, skit, video, etc.
– Put the British Empire on trial
– ELA, Social Studies or Current Events – Students design talk show (eg Oprah) with guest with differing views on the topic – present to entire class (Standards: Leaderhip, Communication, Current Events, Debate)
– Role play in high school – Students are in an end of world scenario but can escape to the mountains. Give kids a chance to have a talent (doctor) but also a liability (one arm). Create daily conflicts and have journals from point of view of characters.
– Act out a scene in a play we are reading together
– Use lyrics from songs of an era (say 60’s) and have the kids tie the ideas/themes from the songs to history
– Student-made “Study Guides” on units/chapters
– Far Side inferring
– Problem-Based activity – Students are tasked to make a tower using straws
