A MiddleWeb Blog
If you’re a teacher who spends time online in social media platforms, your algorithm probably sends you a combination of teaching memes and various teaching hacks from teaching influencers.
I was curious to see if these teaching tips actually translate to the real world, so – looking for some novelty – I tried some in my own classroom. Here are some favorite ideas for brain breaks, choosing students, sharing small group work, and more.
Reconnection Day
From Looslilearning on Instagram, I learned about Reconnection Day, which is a time for reconnection on the day after an extended break. She sells question cards on her TPT site, but I took an idea from the comments section and had students play pictionary with an activity, a food, or a place from their time on break, which they then explained in more detail.
This soft start to the second semester allowed students to share at their own level of comfort, and it got them back in the practice of discussion again.
Duck, Duck, Go
Instead of our usual ‘wheel of names’ to decide which group should present first, I took an idea from Teachengagingela on Instagram and used an online duck race to determine the order for presentations. Students were cheering for (or against) their duck, and it added some fun to sharing out. For several classes afterwards, their first question was “Are we doing a duck race today?”
You’re on Classroom Camera
Whimsyandrigor on Instagram had a great idea for sharing student work using a (teacher) iPhone over Airplay. While students were creating causal maps about the collapse of Mesopotamia, I was able to buzz around the room and share highlights that could inspire other groups to improve their work. Students loved seeing their work on the screen, and if the camera paused at students who were off task, it quickly got everyone back to work!
Hot Exit Ticket Ideas
An account called @the.unteachables posted a variety of possible exit ticket ideas. I tried one called “Hi-5 Facts” where students trace their hand and write the main idea on the palm, then a fact in each finger. It was simple, involved no prep, and was novel enough not to elicit groans.
The next exit ticket that I want to try from this account is called “Teach a Teenie” where students have to explain the lesson in the simplest way possible, as if they were explaining it to a young child. I am eager to see what they do with our economics lessons around trade and tariffs, as I already feel like I’m doing this activity while planning my lessons!
Brain Refreshment
Some of the best ideas that I’ve gotten from social media relate to fun brain break activities. There are so many short games that can be used to break up class time and get students’ bodies and brains moving. Best of all, once you like a few on social media, it’s impossible to stop getting sent more.
A few popular activities that we’ve played have involved solo cups or “American Party Cups,” as they are called here in Singapore. We did a flip cup Tic-Tac-Toe game as well as various cup stacking challenges. The students get really rambunctious while playing these games.
I’ve found a few group games from an Instagram user named @oil0na (see her video demos!). My advisory students did a pen relay game where you have to move across a large room (or down a hallway) while balancing a pen between the fingers of two people. Once you reach the other side, a third person joins the activity with more pens.
Another cheap and fast game from @oil0na is a relay where students each have a sheet of colored paper and need to move a ping pong ball across the room by shaping their paper into a funnel and passing it along. Once they’ve passed it, they move to the end of the line to keep the ball moving. Something special about activities like this is that different students can shine, and it’s always surprising to see who thrives.
The Bright Side of Social Media
The human brain thrives on novelty and if something can be described in a brief social media post, it should be simple enough to roll out easily in the classroom. While not everything will be the perfect fit for every class, I love that I have so many opportunities at my disposal to easily mix things up.
