Search Strategies Activity
This activity encourages students to review the search strategies taught during the instruction session. Each row gets a large card with two columns, one for strategies that broaden and one for strategies that narrow your search. Then they get cards with example strategies. They have to try and put the strategies in the correct column. Then each row is responsible for coming to the front of the room to explain one strategy to the class and put the strategy in the right column on the magnetic whiteboard. This activity makes students responsible for being able to explain at least one search strategy and elicits discussion among students to put the strategies in the correct column.
I also created an online version of this activity: Quiz Yourself – Which Strategies Help You Narrow or Broaden Your Search?
Get the Concept Before Naming It
At LOEX, I attended a session where the presenter explained that it is better for students to understand a concept before naming it. The example he gave was peer review. If you give students the chance to struggle to understand why peer review is necessary and only then give it a name (peer review), they will learn and retain the concept. Below is my attempt to translate this into an activity for Writing 122 students.
instructions for peer review activity
Do you have any suggestions for improving these instructions?
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