Great activity to get students working together

The following activity is wonderful for getting students to work together to find their own solutions to their problems – from both a subject-based or personal perspective. It can be used as a basis for a whole lesson, as a fill-in activity, a starter or a plenary. It can also be adapted for virtually any age-group and for any topic or subject area.

Activity name: First Aid

Materials required: ‘Injury’ and ‘First Aid’ cards (you can find a set in the special online resource area we’ve created HERE)

Time required: Various, depending on situation – from 15 to 55 minutes

Directions:

1. Instruct students to write down on a scrap of paper something they would like clarifying or explaining – i.e. their subject ‘injury’.
2. Pair up students into learning partners or hand out ‘Injury’ & ‘First Aid’ cards to randomly select pairs. (Each ‘Injury’ stands with one hand raised in the air until a ‘First Aid’ pairs up with them – both partners then sit down).
3. Each pair finds a space in the room and the ‘Injury’ reads out their problem or question relating to the topic. (Background music is useful at this stage to alleviate embarrassment of sharing information in public).
4. The ‘First Aid’ listens and then suggests solutions for the ‘Injury’. The ‘Injury’ can write down the solutions offered if they are of use.
5. After 2-3 minutes, this stage is brought to a stop – either by turning off the background music or sounding a hooter. The ‘First Aid’ remains seated and the ‘Injury’ moves on to a new ‘First Aid’ for more solutions.
6. The process is repeated so that ‘First Aid’ is administered to 4 or 5 different ‘Injuries’

before cards are swapped so that all students are given the opportunity to both offer solutions and find answers to their questions in the same way.

I hope you enjoy using this activity with your students. I took it directly from my new book ‘The Active Learning Tool Kit – Outrageously Engaging Activities to Increase Student Participation, Raise Achievement & Have Your Toughest Students Asking for More.’

If you’d like the BEST collection of active learning ideas and activities to brighten up your classroom for just £3.99, head on over to Amazon right now and get your copy. Just do a search for ‘The Active Learning Tool Kit, or search for me by name, ‘Rob Plevin’.