What are some ways to make your classroom more interactive?
I love hearing from teachers on ways to make their classrooms more interactive. The more things you can do to bring a lesson to life, the better. Interactive learning is about more than just getting your kids engaged in their learning; it’s also about ensuring they retain the information they learn. It’s exciting to give them the opportunity to do more than just sit and listen. There are many ways you can make your class more interactive. Here are 3 ways to get your students interacting with peers and engaging with the content!
#1. Group Work
Group work is a great way to make your classroom more interactive. There are so many benefits to group work. Group work helps students generate ideas, take the perspective of others, and learn negotiation skills. It’s an empowering experience for kids to be involved in idea generating and discussing a variety of perspectives with their peers. Group work allows students to listen and digest ideas and learn how to negotiate when collaborating on projects. Group work is great because it encourages collaboration and it encourages people to think about alternative perspectives. Working in a group also helps students to develop their communication skills. Group work allows for rich discussions and a deeper understanding of the content being discussed. It provides a safe space to negotiate and learn how to cooperate with others. Group work will help students develop leadership skills, improve their ability to share ideas with others, and encourage negotiation.
#2. Hands-On Projects
Hands-on projects are a great way to reinforce what students have read or learned. Having students interact physically with the content can often make a complicated concept or idea much easier to absorb. For example, when they build something in the physical world, they have to recognize, and deal with, whatever glitches and challenges that come up along the way. Hands-on projects can be done independently or in groups. Students will often be so proud of their creations that they will want to show you and their peers. Presenting projects doesn’t have to be formal to the entire class. Consider a gallery walk and allow enough time for students to rotate between visiting other projects and being able to talk about their project. Having students create is a great way to get them engaged in the material. When students are creating, they need to have an understanding of the material. Creating something with their hands will demonstrate their knowledge and they will be proud to show it off!
#3. Games
Another way to get students to interact with the material you’ve taught is to integrate games that align with the skills and material you’ve taught. Including games that practice the material you have previously taught is a great way to reinforce their skills. Games are great in math, but can also practice grammar or science content. In addition to games practicing content, they also teach students to play with their peers in a fair manner. Following rules, taking turns and focusing are all important skills to practice. Teaching games that use various skills and content learned can be extremely valuable for students to practice what they know and retain the information they’ve learned. Check out the Digital Resources Tab for free math games!
Group work, hands-on projects, and games are some ways to get transform your classrooms into an interactive learning space. Try some of these in your classroom and see how your students jump on board. You will notice how engaged your students get in the material. Their learning will be obvious and you will be proud of what they can do!
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