Activities and Session Planning

Creating learning activities involves designing and implementing educational experiences that help learners acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies. Effective learning activities are designed with specific Learning Objectives[BC1] in mind and are tailored to the needs, interests, and abilities of the learners.

Don't Over Prepare

Drawbacks to Overpreparing

• Decreased Flexibility. Over-preparing limits your ability to adapt to unexpected circumstances, address gaps in student knowledge, or to incorporate new ideas and perspectives.
• Reduced creativity. If you are overly focused on following a specific plan, you may miss opportunities to experiment with new strategies or to think creatively about how to engage students.
• Increased stress. Over-preparing can be time-consuming and stressful, particularly if you feel that you must adhere strictly to a plan.
• Burnout. Over-preparing can also contribute to burnout, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and overworked.

Benefits to Balanced Preparation

• Increased spontaneity. You can be more spontaneous and open to new ideas, which can lead to more engaging and dynamic lesson
• Improved student engagement. When you are more flexible and open to student input, it can create a more interactive and engaging classroom environment.
• Greater satisfaction. Being adequately prepared, but not overly so, can make you more relaxed and confident in your ability to teach, leading to greater job satisfaction and reduced burnout.
• More efficient use of time. You have more time, allowing you to focus on student support or professional development.

Creating Effective Learning Activities

Identify the relevant learning objectives. Start by identifying the specific skills, knowledge, and competencies you want learners to acquire. This will guide you in designing activities that meet those objectives.

• Make Activities Accessible. Consider the age, educational background, interests, and learning style of your potential students. This will help you to tailor the learning activity to meet their needs and preferences.
• Select appropriate materials. These can include textbooks, handouts, videos, simulations, and other multimedia resources. Consider using Open Educational Resources (OER).
• Design the learning activity. Create an engaging and interactive learning activity that helps learners to achieve the learning objectives. This can involve a variety of strategies such as group discussions, role-playing, problem-solving, case studies, or quizzes.
• Incorporate assessment. Include formative and summative Assessments that measure the learners' progress toward the learning objectives.
• Evaluate and revise. Finally, evaluate the effectiveness of the learning activity and revise it as needed to improve learner outcomes.

In-Class Activities

It is important to explain the purpose of learning activities because it helps learners to understand the purpose and relevance of what they are learning. This helps to build trust and rapport between you and your students. When they understand why they are being asked to do certain tasks or to learn certain concepts, they are more likely to see their instructors as allies in their learning journey rather than as arbitrary authority figures.

Open-ended Discussion Questions

Open-ended discussion questions are an effective way to engage students in meaningful and thought-provoking conversations. They are designed to elicit a variety of responses and encourage critical thinking and analysis and encourage students to express their opinions, share their experiences, and think creatively.

• Start with the learning objectives. Think about what you want students to learn and how a discussion can help them achieve that learning goal.
• Make the questions challenging. Questions should be challenging and thought-provoking, encouraging students to think critically and creatively.
• Encourage analysis and synthesis. Encourage students to analyze and synthesize, rather than simply recalling facts or information. Ask questions that require students to apply their knowledge and skills to new situations.
• Make the questions relevant. Questions should relate to students' lives and experiences, making them more engaging and motivating. This can be achieved by relating the questions to current events or real-world examples.
• Provide context. It's important to provide context for the questions, helping students understand the relevance and importance of the topic being discussed. Provide background information, relevant readings or resources, or frame the questions within a broader context

“Pass the Mic” Concept Review

Instead of holding a full review of all concepts, allow your students to take part in the review process:

• Well before the review, ask students for two to five key terms or concepts they feel they haven't learned fully. Create a review sheet from their answers.
• Present the list to the class. Instruct students to have their previous class notes and be prepared to take new ones.
• Use a trinket (i.e., a plush ball) as a “microphone” to help determine who is actively participating. The student who holds the “mic” picks one term/concept from the list and, using their notes, can offer up what they already know, what they are unsure of, or what they need more elaboration on.
• Once the speaker has finished, open the floor to the rest of the class for questions or additional comments.
• If you find that the discussion has taken a departure from the right direction, re-center the class and provide further elaboration if necessary.
• Erase each term discussed from the list as you go, have the speaker pass the “mic” to a fellow classmate, and keep tossing the ball around after each concept/term is discussed.

Think-Pair-Share

Think-pair-share is a collaborative learning strategy that involves three phases: think, pair, and share. This flexible strategy is often used in classrooms of different disciplines to promote active learning, student engagement, and peer-to-peer learning. It can help students develop critical thinking skills and to see different perspectives on a topic. By sharing their ideas with others, students can gain a deeper understanding of the material and build confidence in their own abilities.  Here's how it works:

• Think. Pose a question, problem, or topic for discussion, and give students time to think about their response. They can jot down notes or ideas in their notebooks or on a worksheet.
• Pair. Put students in groups of 2 or 3. They may share their thoughts and opinions, compare notes, and ask questions to clarify their understanding. This stage provides an opportunity for students to practice active listening and to learn from their peers.
• Share. Have the groups share their ideas with the class. One student from each pair may be asked to share, or pairs may be asked to collaborate and share their ideas together.

External Resources

• 15 active learning activities to energize your next college class
• Interactive Classroom Activities Brown University

Online Activities

Online activities can be engaging by providing interactive and collaborative opportunities for learners to participate in real-world problems, simulate experiences, or explore different perspectives. They create opportunities for learners to develop critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills while reinforcing learning objectives. Additionally, online activities can help learners stay motivated, connected, and engaged in the learning process, even when not in class.

• Online discussions. Online discussions are a great way to encourage interaction and collaboration among learners.
• Virtual field trips. Take learners on virtual field trips to explore different parts of the world or to visit museums, historical sites, or other places of interest. You can use tools such as Google Earth, virtual tours, or 360-degree videos to create engaging virtual experiences.
• Interactive quizzes and games. Quizzes and games can be an engaging way to reinforce learning and provide immediate feedback. You can use tools such as Kahoot!, Quizlet, or Jeopardy Labs to create interactive quizzes and games.
• Collaborative projects. Collaborative projects can help learners develop teamwork and communication skills while working on real-world problems. You can use tools such as Microsoft OneDrive or Microsoft Teams to facilitate.
• Multimedia presentations. Encourage learners to create multimedia presentations, such as video essays, podcasts, or infographics, to demonstrate their understanding of course concepts. They can use tools such as Powtoon, or Adobe Express to create engaging multimedia presentations.
• Virtual guest speakers. Invite experts in your field to speak to your learners via video conference. This can provide learners with valuable insights and perspectives that they may not have access to otherwise.