The Pedagogy Institute: 21st Century Strategies for Engaging Students

Critical Thinking Strategies for Student Engagement
AKA: How to use visual tools in an interacting and engaging way!

Dr. Lynn Baynum

Associate Professor

Teacher Education

Directory of Strategies

Using Emaze, Powtoon, (Power Point):

–            Word Splash

–            Think Pair Share

–            Focused Listening

–            Note Share

–            Kahoot

–            ReQuest

–            Modified KWL

–            Lino 

–            Pass the Paper

–            Take a Guess

–            Fishbowl

Word Splash (brainstorming, rehearsing key ideas, rehearsing steps)

•              Purpose:

–            to rehearsal strategies that require students to think about, recall, and reflect on both the content and how that connects to skills and tasks.

–            to use teacher talk the describes expectations while showing students those expectations, specifically while using rubrics or checklists. 

–            to use teacher talk (think aloud) that describes metacognitive processes associated with content knowledge connections, skills or a task. 

–            connect prior knowledge to new knowledge. 

•              Steps:

–            Create a list or a word web of terms to describe a typical class. 

–            Code the Text: Underline (or circle) the key terms that describe the essence of your pedagogy.   

Three Critical Listening Strategies
(Think/Pair/Share, Focused Listening, Note Share)

Interactive Notebooks and Graphic Organizers

Fold paper into three sections and note the name of the strategy at the top and details about that strategy below.

Think-Pair-Share (cognitive rehearsal and oral integration of content)

•              Purpose:

–            to reinforce or recall details at intervals in a lecture, video, or short discussion,

–            OR to assess background knowledge prior to teaching a concept.

•              Steps:

–            Lecture/share information about a concept, key term(s), or process.

–            Ask students to recall information shared individually.

–            Ask partners to turn and restate information conceptualized from the lecture.

–            Ask a small number of students to restate to the whole group concepts shared with a partner to confirm the scope and sequence of the topic, key term(s), or process.

Focused Listening (connecting expectations, scaffolding to determining importance)

•              Purpose:

–            to establish a reason for listening to a lecture, video, or short discussion.  

•              Steps:

–            Explain or list key concepts or topics to listen for during the lecture, video, or short discussion.

–            Use questions throughout the lecture to rehearse information.  Ask students to write or share ideas/answers. 

–            After the lecture, video, or short discussion, write a brief summary. 

Note Share (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content) 

•              Purpose:

–            to review key concepts or terms with peers to reinforce effective note taking.

•              Steps:

–            Share a lecture, video, or short discussion.

–            Ask students to organize and summarize the information in their notes.

–            Prior to the end of class, ask students to find a partner and share notebooks.

–            Read notes, return notebooks, and write a brief summary of the lecture, video, or short discussion based on the partner’s notes. 

–            OR code notes with similar connections, ie. Circle items in both partners’ notes, underline different ideas. 

Reviewing and Assessing Information: Using Kahoot 

Two Critical Questioning Strategies
(Request, Modified KWL, )

Interactive Notebooks and Graphic Organizers

Fold paper into hat, name of the strategy at the top and details about strategy in the flaps.

ReQuest: Questions and Answers (critical thinking: synthesizing, evaluating and summarizing)

•              Purpose:

–            to summarize (through questioning) concepts at various intervals in a lecture, video, or short discussion or while reading a text. 

•              Steps:

–            Share information in a lecture, video or short discussion or while reading a text. 

–            At intervals in the lecture or reading, ask students to find a partner. 

–            Have each partner to generate a question based on the discussion or reading. 

–            Take turns asking and answering each other’s questions. 

–            Encourage partners to ask multiple level questions: literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesized (text to text, text to self, text to world), or aesthetic questions. 

Modified KWL (critical thinking: synthesizing, evaluating and summarizing)

•              Purpose:

–            to activate background knowledge prior to reading to summarize concepts shared.

•              Steps: What the Author’s Point, What Questions Do I Have that Match the Author’s Knowledge, What Has the Author Taught Me???

–            Use a table format to organize notes.

–            Ask students to skim the textbook or article. Ask students to list at least five key features they know about a topic.

–            Ask students to write only two questions, one based on content from headings or vocabulary, and one based on the author’s purpose (theme).

–            Ask students to read the selection, and then answer the questions.

–            Share a few questions and answers in small or large groups. 

Reviewing and Assessing information: 
Using Lino to Describe of Close Reading

Three Summarizing Strategies to Rehearse Content, Concepts, and Connections
(Pass the Paper, Take a Guess, Fishbowl)

With a group read the slide and select key components in the steps to present the strategy.  In a minute, model the steps for the group.  The group will guess which strategy was demonstrated.  

Pass the Paper (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content for a share understanding) 

•              Purpose:

–            to assess students’ background knowledge and shared understanding of a concept or key terms.

•              Steps:

–            Ask students to use a piece of note paper or an electronic tool, like Evernote.

–            Pose a discussion topic based on a lecture or required reading. 

–            Ask students to write for one minute in either a list, definitions, or descriptions of the topic.

–            After one minute, pass the paper to another student and continue writing for one minute either adding additional information or using codes to agree/disagree with information.  Code can include circles, stars, underlining.  

–            At the end of class, use the codes to discuss the topic, either as a whole group or with partners.

Take a Guess (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content for a share understanding)

•              Purpose:

–            to assess students’ background knowledge of a concept or key terms.

•              Steps:

–            Before the lecture, have students with a partner or small group create a list of three to six important facts about the topic which they think you will discuss in your lecture.

–            Post the lists. 

–            During the lecture, take a few minutes to circle concepts on the list that are shared in the lecture, video, or short discussion.

–            At the end of class, use the circled concepts, to generate a summary of the content, either individually or with a partner. 

Fishbowl (cognitive rehearsal and integration of content for a share understanding)

•              Purpose:

–            to observe and summarize a short discussion or demonstration.

•              Steps:

–            With a small group in the center of the classroom, have a discussion or demonstration based on a concept. 

–            Ask the other students to gather around the small group with notebooks.

–            Lecture information or demonstrate a skill.

–            During the lecture or demonstration, encourage the small group to ask clarifying questions, plus take notes during the observation.

–            Ask the outside group to take notes highlighting their observations of the small group. 

–            At the end of the discussion or demonstration, ask the outside group to share their observations.

Engaging 21st Century Learners: Interactive Video Lectures

Are you thinking of using videos from Youtube, TED, Kahn Academy or other sites as required viewing?  Are you looking for ways to use videos before, during, or after a lecture to engage students?  If you answered yes, you might really like EDpuzzle.  It is a free video editing site that allows you to upload, cut and edit videos.  You can add audio content or directions and quiz questions throughout the video.  Students can view the video as part of a Flipped Classroom approach. Consider this option as a midterm or final exam.

EDpuzzle Tutorial

Engaging 21st Century Learners: Digital Presentations

Are you tired to using the same old power points?  Do you feel compelled to use the publishers' media during lectures?  Are you looking for a more visually engaging tool to spark interest and foster learning?  Consider redesigning one, some or all of your lectures to include a new method for showcasing content knowledge or a learning process.  Today, there are many options to expand digital presentations, namely:

Emaze Tutorial

Powtoon Tutorial

Prezi Tutorial 

You might think that you do not have time to recreate your lectures or power points, but the truth is that many of these tools interact with your existing files.  There is no need to redesign all your lectures or media, simply try a new option for a specifically poignant topic.  Consider requiring some of these options for students' presentations.  In fact, that is how I learned about them, I required students use a visual tool other than power point, and these are some of my favorites. 

Check out this brief article with additional options (including descriptions and links).  

Blog Post of Digital Presentation Tools

Engaging 21st Century Learners: No Tech Interactive Notebooks

Do you feel like students rely on your power points to record content information?  Are you tired of waiting for them to copy notes from your slides?  Do your students complain that they have difficulty retaining all the information you present in class?  Interactive notebooks or foldables are all the rage in educational settings.  Their visual representation of information is based in the graphic organizer genre.  Interactive notebooks or foldables should not be confused with origami, even though their structure is similar.  The intent of these tools is to guide students through the rehearsal of information in an visually stimulating way.  As a result of creating these organizers, students have balanced information in the cognitive and visual/spacial formats. There is not need to use these tools for all notes and content.  Simply select a foldable for a topic that might be very complex and problematic. Check out Pinterest for additional ideas.  

Interactive Notebook Tutorial

Try not to judge the purpose or structure of foldables.  They may not seem relevant for college students, but we all learn by rehearsing information, and we can enhance our learning when we construct information visually.  You might first model the construction and use of these foldables, but also encourage students to recreate their notes using these options as a means of studying.  After all, flash cards are more effective when they visually represent information in an engaging and interactive way.  

Engaging 21st Century Learners: Electronic Quizzes, Surveys, and Polls

Do you find that your students seem confused as to your assessment expectations, especially prior to or following midterm exams?  Do you notice that students have difficulty answering your questions correctly and with explicit and purposeful details?  Are you looking for a way to gauge what your students know throughout the semester without adding additional grading?  If you answered yes, then these tools will give you authentic data at various points during the semester.  Assessing 21st century learners using traditional means is one way to gather data.  Electronic quizzes, surveys, and polls during class lectures not only evaluates learners' outcomes, but also creates opportunities for real time interaction and remediation.  Digital tools are options to traditional methods.

Survey Monkey Tutorial

Poll Everywhere Tutorial

Kahoot Tutorial

These free tools are web-based and are created prior to class.  Fundamentally, they are the same, including each offering a variety of question formats, data analytics, and real time results.  In many ways, these tools are similar to trivia games used in restaurants and clubs.  So, consider creating an authentic and interactive way to evaluate students' learning before, during, or after a lecture.  Watch YouTube videos to learn how to design quizzes, surveys, and polls.

Engaging 21st Century Learners: Electronic and Interactive Bulletin Boards

Do you wonder why millennials are so enamored with social media?  Do you find your students using their phones and devises during class to communicate with friends?  Are you looking for ways to gain their attention during lectures?  Twenty-first century, digital natives use social media to share and showcase their ideas.  They post comments, images, and opinions.  They research and read their peers' posts.  They value the expedient and interactive nature of social media tools to communicate.  Electronic and interactive bulletin boards (like Lino) allow you to post information to a digital page. You can use this page to showcase notes and details during a lecture.  You can add videos, images, sticky notes, and here is the most amazing feature...your students can interact with the board in real time, including posting questions, responding to comments, and sharing information.  Watch tutorials on Youtube to learn how to use Lino or other electronic and interactive bulletin boards.  You do not need to an technology expert to use these tools, just give them a try and gather feedback from your students.  

Lino Tutorial