Interactive Classroom Structures:Create Classroom Magic with Driven Student

Engagement

John Hardison-Studio 113 at East Hall High in Gainesville, GA

PowerPoint: http://goo.gl/RLlh4

Twitter hashtag: #GAETC

E-mail: John.hardison@hallco.org

Twitter: @JohnHardison1

Blogspot: http://gettingsmart.com/cms/blog/author/john-hardison/

What is needed to create classroom magic?

1. Passion for teaching and genuine concern for students

2. Strong classroom management

3. Energy

Traffic Light System for B.Y.O.D.

My Favorite Sites Integrating Cell/Smart Phones

• Polleverywhere• Socrative• Posterous• Voicethread

My Favorite Sites for Backchanneling• Polleverywhere• Todaysmeet

My Symbaloo Webmix for PBL Assignments

• Creative Gallery

The Foundational Model/Structure

ABCD Model/Structure (An Organizational Structure)• Team construction (count-off, random Excel, teacher

assign, student assignments, website, etc.)• Building blocks for many other structures• Every student is a number and a letter• Team make-up is interchangeable

Practice (A-Statue B-Rap C-Preacher D-Artist)• Most embarrassing moment?• Greatest accomplishment with students?

Whose Line Is It Anyway?• Alphabet Conversation (timed or untimed)• Questions Only• One-Word Song

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1. ABC Conversation

2. Questions Only

3. Soap Opera (Over-Dramatization)

4. Country

5. Rap Genre

6. Detective (Freeze)

7. One-Word Song

8. News Conference

9. CD Compilation

10.Director’s Cut

***T-Rex***

Model/Structure #1Wax Museum• Teams create symbolic wax statue• Use any appropriate materials from classroom/home• Must hold statue for two rounds• Round one: students are still and silent while recorded• Round two: students explain but still while recorded• Students do not move until cue is givenPractice• Create a successful/unsuccessful team of

three-four castaways to be stranded on a deserted island? Give this team a name and be prepared to explain your reasoning.

Model/Structure #2Recording Artists• Teams create a standards-based song or…• Teams select a famous song that relates to the

assigned standards(s).

No Practice---Notes Only• Math Rap song• Of Mice & Men song• Improvisational song• Another original song• As always, teachers model everything• Optional: Use Posterous to collect videos

Model/Structure #3The Voting Chips• Students work with partners to complete task (i.e.

multiple choice questions)• Teams of two begin with set number of points (chips)• Partnerships sit around stage as front/back channel• Front Channel has all control (final vote)• Back Channel indicates initial vote (by hand or

Polleverywhere.com)• Teams share initial vote then have 10 seconds to change after

hearing class majority vote• Teacher announces/explains answer• Teams double points or return chips to center• If team changed from correct answer to incorrect answer, they

must pay extra 10% of current points• Optional: Use Socrative for rounds of silent voting

White-5Yellow-10Green-25Blue-50Red-100

Borrowing:

First Time: 25 Points Max. @ 10% Interest

Second Time: 15 Points Max. @ 20% Interest

Third Time: 10 Points Max. @ 50% Interest (from a classmate only)

Model/Structure #4Gamify (Mitcheopardy with musical chairs)• ABCD Foundational Model/Structure• Use pre-planned Jeopardy template in

PowerPoint or Jeopardy Labs • Use Google Forms to collect relative media

examples before beginning structure

No Practice---Notes Only• Mitcheopardy

Model/Structure #5Flip Forum• Students sit around the stage • Each student has a visible number in front of him/her• Each student reads/answers questions/participates in

discussion and flips his/her number over• He/she then calls on a remaining number to continue

the thread of discussion• Polleverywhere is used as a backchannel the entire

time• Discussion resets after no numbers are visible

Practice• How can administrators support today’s

teachers?

Model/Structure #6Flip Forum (with Unaware Speaker & Silent Discussion) • Stations A & B: Flip Forum (discuss questions verbally

and with use of cell phones/one person speaking at a time)

• Station C: Unaware Speaker (team acts out answers while unaware speaker reports to camera man)

• Station D: Silent Conversation (students discuss prompts by using www.todaysmeet.com)

• Diagram

No Practice-Notes Only• Stations A & B• Station C• Station D

Discussion Leader---Please Announce Before Beginning

•Cover only two questions per rotation•Raise your hand to speak•Speak when your number is called•Place number face down after speaking•Text to polleverywhere.com if you wish to comment nonverbally about the discussion

Model/Structure #7The Chosen Ones• Selected students go to stage & become A, B, C, or D• Volunteer student runs the spinner (number/letter)• Volunteer student is the camera man • Spinner selects student to deliver answer in center of

stage• If correct, remaining students on stage select “door”• If incorrect, speaker and his original team chooses

“door”

Practice• Create a superhero who embodies the skills

and talents of your team members. Be sure to name this superhero and mention his/her weaknesses.

A

B

C

D X

Model/Structure #8Doorball• Uses ABCD foundational model/structure• Students must catch teacher-thrown balls (racquet ball

and nerf balls)• If caught, team answers prompt.• If dropped, team selects door number from post-it

notes and performs assignment. • May offer double-or-nothing (ping pong ball)

No Practice

Model/Structure #9Cell Phone and Seismograph(Literature Example)• Partners should read literature while noting key points• Review seismograph and Richter scale• Do not allow team members to discuss the scale

before collaborating to draw the scale• Team member #1 calls other team member and

articulates how the scale should be drawn• Team member #2 may only say, “Pardon,” “Yes,” or

“No.”

No Practice• USA Today article or Flanner O’Connor’s “The

Life You Save May Be Your Own” excerpt.

Seismograph

Seismograph

Seismograph

Model/Structure #10Floorgame• Pre-assigned teams of four study certain

sections of a lesson (i.e. Julius Caesar Act I) while taking notes on the assigned standards

• After studying assigned sections, students will play floorgame

• Designated areas/tiles on floor correlate to standards-based team assignment

• Teams must complete assignment before moving on to next section

• Unsuccessful teams go to the infirmary to perform extra assignment before returning

Model/Structure #10-ContinuedFloorgame-Continued• Excel sheet determines assignment and

modality• Teams take a knee after obtaining teacher’s

approval

No Practice---Notes Only• Julius Caesar Act I standards• Floorgame diagram• Excel assignment sheet

1

2

3

4

7

6

5

8

9

10

11

17

13

14

15

16

12

18

19

20

Model/Structure #11Concentric Circles• A=Reading and Addressing Questions (No Cell Phone) • B=Socratic Thinking (Verbal or Cell Phone) • C=Answers (Verbal Only) • D=Comments (Todaysmeet or Polleverywhere)• Diagram

Practice• “Social Media…U.S. Classrooms” by

Greg Toppo *

A

BC

D

Model/Structure #12Double Trouble• Teams discuss prompt• Team/individuals chosen via number/letter selectors• 1-2 team members present answer in front of webcam

in a teacher-selected style• Team member must complete assigned round(s) of

video game (Angry Birds, Frogger, Pacman)• If unsuccessful, consequences are assigned• Video answers mashed up as online movie• As always, teachers model everything

No Practice• Notes only

Model/Structure #13Stage Fright• Uses ABCD Foundational Model/Structure• Best to use number slips, spinner, and one die• One student per team is called to center of

room/stage via teacher-drawn number slips• Selected students stand in circle on numbered

queues • Teacher selects one student via

number slips/spinner/die to go to center of circle/stage.

Model/Structure #13 -ContinuedStage Fright-Continued• Student must successfully answer prompt. • Audience may vote or teacher(s) may approve. • If student is unsuccessful, he/she will roll the

die to determine how & what his/her team will improv.

“ETC Version”

Thinking of characters from the following four movies (Forrest Gump, Titanic, Rocky, Avatar), be prepared to present on the following prompts:

1. Pick any three or more characters from the aforementioned movies and create a superhero who embodies the obvious qualities of the characters.

2. Pick any three or more characters from the aforementioned movies and give a complete character description of each.

1. ABC Conversation

2. Soap Opera (Over-Dramatization)

3. Country

4. Film Noir

5. Moving Bodies (All 4 team members)

6. Director’s Cut

1. Perform the T-Rex to music for 30 seconds.

2. Improv four students in a boring classroom discussing their overbearing parents. When music is played, the discussion pauses and the students dance. When the music ends, the discussion resumes as if no dancing ever occurred.

1. ABC Conversation2. Questions Only3. Soap Opera (Over-

Dramatization)4. Country5. Film Noir6. One-Word Song7. Moving Bodies (All 4

team members)8. News Conference9. CD Compilation 10. Director’s CutIncorrect Answers: T-Rex

with music

Model/Structure #14Revolutionary Battle• Team captains secretly select teammates via a draft• Teams draw number to determine bracket placing• Teams complete class assignment • Teams discuss and plot strategy• Teammates select “card” or “power”• Team A vs. Team B• Teams-in-waiting can work on next lesson or

participate via silent conversation/texting/voting

No Practice-Notes Only• Example

Interactive Classroom Structures:Create Classroom Magic with Driven Student

Engagement

John Hardison-Studio 113 at East Hall High in Gainesville, GA

Voicethread for post-workshop questions

E-mail: John.hardison@hallco.org

Twitter: @JohnHardison1

Blogspot: http://gettingsmart.com/cms/blog/author/john-hardison/