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Teaching and Learning Centre

Pedagogical competence in higher education

Summarizing

Make a fun game

Goal: creation
Length: 60+ minutes
Group size: 4–5 students per group
Materials: crafting materials, pen, paper, scissors, glue, tape

Preparations:
Gather all the materials before the start of the class.
Make sure to have a clear view of the topic.
Prepare a fun and relaxed classroom environment, for example through the use of music.

How to:

  1. Explain the topic and contents to the students.
  2. Ask the students to use the materials of the class or course to create a board or card game. Ask them to delve into their creativity. They can use whatever materials they have at their exposal.
    Time: 45-60 minutes
  3. Once they are done crafting, let the students play each other’s games.
  4. Evaluate the process and the outcome of the games.

Exit slip

Goal: summary, evaluation
Length: 5 minutes
Group size: individual
Materials: pen and paper

Preparations:
Prepare one or multiple short questions about the materials of the class. This can also include a math/physics problem for the students to solve. The goal is to see if the students understood the contents of the class.

Online adaption:

Organise an online form where the students can hand in their answers or ask students to put their answers in the meeting chat. Whiteboard tools can also be used here.

External links:

Teacher toolkit: Exit ticket (video 1:02 min)

How to:

  1. Present the students with the question(s) or problem.
  2. Give the students max. 5 minutes to complete the assignment.
  3. Collect the exit slips from the students or have them hand them in at a central place.
  4. Use the exit slips to see if the students understood the contents of the class. If needed, get back to the topic in the next class.

Write an exam question

Goal: summary, creation
Length: 5–10 minutes
Group size: individual or pairs
Materials: pen and paper

Online adaption:

Organise an online form where the students can hand in their questions or ask students to put them in the meeting chat or whiteboard.

How to:

  1. At the end of the class, ask the students to use the topics from the class to make a question they could expect on the exam. This can be an open-ended or a multiple-choice question.
  2. Either discuss the questions during the class or collect them. This gives insight into the level of understanding of the students.

Alphabet

Goal: summary
Length: 5–10 minutes
Group size: any
Materials: whiteboard and marker

Online adaption:

Use a whiteboard tool or a simple text document in the online setting.

How to:

  1. On the whiteboard, write out all the letters of the alphabet.
  2. Ask the students of the class to give words that are related to the topic of the class. The goal is to have at least one word for all the letters of the alphabet. If students can’t think of any word for a letter, help them by giving suggestions.