Keeping children actively engaged during lessons is a strategy the teacher often has to face with his or her students. When children are actively involved in their lesson it keeps them motivated, engaged, and interested in learning more. It also helps children stay on track and gives them a chance to be a valuable member of their class.
There are many various forms of active participation strategies a educator can use. These strategies can be used for partners, groups, or whole class.
Partner active participation strategies include: Poems for Two Voices: when reading a poem, have the children pair to read every other line and a second strategy is Timed-Pair-Share: where students share with a partner for a predetermined amount of time, and then the partner shares with them for the same amount of time.
Group active participation ideas include: Talking chips: is when the teacher poses a question for the students in the group to discuss. each member is given a "chip" and the students each take a turn "talking" by placing their chip into the center of the table or basket. another idea is Team-Pair-Solo: students solve problems first as a team, then as a pair, and finally alone.
Whole Class active participation strategy include: Fish Bowl: this strategy provides students an opportunity to engage in formal discussion and to experience roles both as participant and as active listener; students also have the responsibility of supporting their opinions and response using specific textual evidence. Students are asked to engage in a group discussion about a specific topic- within two circles. Inner circle students will model appropriate discussion techniques, while the outer circle students will listen, respond, and evaluate.
