Group Activities

In discussion, students pair off and respond to a question either in turn or as a pair. This method easily can be combined with other techniques. For example, after students have responded to a list of true-false statements, they can be asked to compare their answers with their partner’s and to discuss the statements on which they differed. In science classes, students can be asked to explain how some experimental data support a theory that the instructor has just discussed. Generally, this approach works best when students are given explicit directions, such as “Tell each other why you chose the answer you did.

Discussion topics in Public Health

• Hot Topics in Public Health Links to an external site. [Medscape]
• ProCon.org Links to an external site.
• Public health, environmental and social determinants of health Links to an external site. [WHO]

One reason that some students perform poorly in classes is that they do not have good note-taking skills. That is, although students may listen attentively, they do not always know what to write down, or they may have gaps in their notes that leave them bewildered when they go back to the notes to study or write a paper. One way to avoid some of these pitfalls and to have student’s model good note taking for each other is to have them compare notes occasionally. After covering a crucial concept, the instructor might stop lecturing and have students read each other’s notes, filling in the gaps in their own note taking. When students see the value of supplementing their own note taking with others’ notes, they are more likely to continue the practice outside of class time.

In the traditional class review session, the students ask questions and the instructor answers them. Students spend their time copying down answers rather than thinking about the material. In an active-review session, the instructor poses questions, and the students work on them in cooperative-learning groups (either informal or base groups can serve this purpose**). Then the instructor asks students to share their solutions with the class, and all students discuss any differences among their proposed answers. The ensuing discussion can be guided according to the questions and answers techniques outlined above.

A concept map is a way of illustrating the connections that exist between terms or concepts covered in class (Novak, 1990; Novak & Gowin, 1984). Students brainstorm to generate a list of facts, ideas, or concepts for a particular topic and then draw lines connecting related items. Above each line students write the nature of the relationship between the items. Because most of the terms in a concept map have multiple connections, students must identify and organize information to establish meaningful relationships between the pieces of information. A concept map is an effective means to show students how the many concepts covered in a typical course are connected. Although individuals as well as groups of students can do concept mapping, the maps produced in groups are usually much more detailed than those produced by individual students.

Mind mapping Involves writing down a central idea and thinking up new and related ideas which radiate out from the center. By focusing on key ideas written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you understand and remember new information.

In this technique, students make a list of opposing points or arguments on paper or their interactive notes. Students typically can generate more comprehensive lists working in groups than they can alone. This method is particularly effective when asking students to compare views or to list the pros and cons of a position. One technique that works well with such comparisons is to have students draw a ‘T” and label the left- and right-hand sides of the crossbar with the opposing positions (or “Pro” and “Con”). Students then list everything they can think of to support these positions on the relevant side of the vertical line. Once students have generated as thorough a list as they can, the instructor asks them to analyze the lists by asking questions that are appropriate to the exercise.

An alternative activity could be a Visual Web, where student create a concept map that contains images or any a different ways of visually constructing relationships (such as Venn diagrams instead of points and lines), and explanatory textual material.

In jigsaw projects, each member of a cooperative-learning group becomes “specialized,” mastering a discrete part of the subject matter required to complete the project. He or she thereby possesses knowledge critical to the rest of the group. There are generally four stages in the jigsaw process (Clarke, 1994; Marcus, 1998). First, the instructor organizes students into heterogeneous home groups (if the instructor has assigned students to base groups during the term, the base group may constitute the home group for a given project). Each member of the home group is assigned or chooses a part of the subject matter to be explored. For example, if the project requires applying several moral theories to a case study, each student in the home group is assigned to become an expert on a particular moral theory. In the second stage, students re-form into focus groups centered on their selected topics. In our hypothetical example, several students from different home groups who were designated as experts on Kant’s moral theory would group together to explore, clarify, and write down the main ideas of that theory. In the third stage, these focus groups disband, and the original groups re-form. The home groups now include an “expert” on each moral theory sub-topic. The experts report their findings to the rest of their home group, and the group discusses the issues in depth. The fourth and final stage of the project requires the group to apply this information. In the example above, each group could determine the moral status of an action portrayed in a case study according to the various moral theories they have mastered.

This method works well when students have completed an individual homework assignment or short paper. On the day the assignment is due, students submit one copy to the instructor and one copy to a partner. Partner pairs may be formed just for the day or assigned for the entire term. Each student offers critical feedback on his or her partner’s work, standardizes or assesses the partner’s arguments, or corrects mistakes in problem solving or grammar. Peer evaluation can be a particularly effective way to improve student writing. However, students need to be given specific instructions on what to look for in the work they are assessing. Students also can benefit from assessing an anonymous paper or a paper from a previous class selected by the instructor.

Here are a different ideas on Role Play:

1. Role play: In role playing, students act out a situation or incident. By doing so, they gain a better understanding of the concepts and theories being discussed in class. Role-playing exercises can range from thought experiments for individuals to complex group interactions. Depending on the time and resources available, role playing might take the form of a play. For example, students studying ancient philosophy might recreate the trial of Socrates.
2. Role Reversal: Teacher role-plays a the student, asking questions about the content. The students are collectively the teacher, and must answer the questions. Works well as test review/prep
3. Jury Trial: Divide the class into various roles (including witnesses, jury, judge, lawyers, defendant, prosecution, audience) to deliberate on a controversial subject.
4. Press Conference: Ask students to role-play as investigative reporters asking questions of your, the expert on the topic. They should seek a point of contradiction or inadequate evidence, hounding you in the process with follow-up questions to all your replies.

Panel discussions are particularly useful as a way to include the entire class when students give class presentations or reports. The instructor assigns student groups to research a topic and prepare a panel presentation on it (this technique may readily be combined with the jigsaw method outlined below). Each panelist then makes a very short presentation before the floor is opened to questions from the audience. The key to this method’s success is to choose topics carefully and to give students sufficient direction to ensure that they are well prepared for their presentations. Instructors also may want to prepare the classroom audience by assigning students various roles. For example, if students are presenting the results of their research into a medical ethics problem such as euthanasia, some of the other students might take on the roles of clergy, patients’-rights advocates, hospital officials, and so forth.

Actually a variation on the panel discussion, formal debates provide an efficient structure for class presentations when the subject matter easily divides into opposing views or pro/con considerations. The instructor assigns students to debate teams, gives each team a position to defend, and asks the teams to present arguments in support of their position. First, one team presents its arguments. The opposing team then has an opportunity to rebut the arguments, and, time permitting, the original presenters respond to the rebuttal. This format is particularly well suited to courses that stress the development of argumentation skills in addition to the mastery of content (Seech, 1984; Johnson & Johnson, 1994b).

Students get into pairs and interview one another about a recent learning unit. The focus, however, is upon analysis of the material rather than rote memorization. Sample Interview Questions: Can you describe to me the topic that you would like to analyze today? What were your attitudes/beliefs before this topic? How did your attitudes/beliefs change after learning about this topic? How will/have your actions/decisions altered based on your learning of this topic? How have your perceptions of others/events changed?

Divide the class into groups and have all groups work on the same problem and record an answer/strategy on paper. Then, ask groups to switch with a nearby group, and evaluate their answer. After a few minutes, allow each set of groups to merge and ask them to select the better answer from the two choices, which will be presented to the class as a whole.

Divide the class into four groups after a lecture: questioners (must ask two questions related to the material), example givers (provide applications), divergent thinkers (must disagree with some points of the lecture), and agrees (explain which points they agreed with or found helpful). After discussion, brief the whole class.

Here are some PowerPoint game templates to use in class:

This type of activity first asks students to consider a question on their own, and then provides an opportunity for students to discuss it in pairs, and finally together with the whole class. The success of these activities depends on the nature of the questions posed. This activity works ideally with questions to encourage deeper thinking, problem-solving, and/or critical analysis.  The group discussions are critical as they allow students to articulate their thought processes.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Pose a question, usually by writing it on the board or projecting it.
2. Have students consider the question on their own (1 – 2 min).
3. Then allow the students form groups of 2-3 people. 
4. Next, have students discuss the question with their partner and share their ideas and/or contrasting opinions (3 min).
5. Re-group as a whole class and solicit responses from some or all of the pairs (3 min).

Advantages of the think-pair-share include the engagement of all students in the classroom (particularly the opportunity to give voice to quieter students who might have difficulty sharing in a larger group), quick feedback for the instructor (e.g., the revelation of student misconceptions), encouragement and support for higher levels of thinking of the students.

Case studies are scenarios that apply concepts learned in class to a “real-life” situation.  They are usually presented in narrative form and often involve problem-solving, links to course readings or source materials, and discussions by groups of students, or the entire class.  Usually, case studies are most effective if they are presented sequentially, so that students receive additional information as the case unfolds, and can continue to analyze or critique the situation/problem.

Guiding questions lead students through the activity.  The questions should be designed to develop student’s critical thinking by asking students to distinguish between fact and assumptions, and critically analyze both the process they take in solving the case study as well as the solution itself.  Example questions include:

• What is the situation? What questions do you have?
• What problem(s) need to be solved?  What are some solution strategies?  Evaluate pros/cons and underlying assumptions of these strategies.
• What information do you need? Where/how could you find it?
• What criteria will you use to evaluate your solution?

Case Study Links:

• Case studies in Public Health [Columbia University] Links to an external site.
• National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Links to an external site.
• Promoting Healthy Public Policy through Community-Based Participatory Research: Ten Case Studies Links to an external site.
• Essential Case Studies in Public Health: Putting Public Health into Practice Links to an external site.