Best Practice Index

Audio/Video | Blogs | Brainstorming | Case Studies | Demonstrations | Discussions
Games | Group Activities | Note Taking | Outlining | Questioning | Reading/Writing
Role Playing | Service Learning | Virtual Field Trips | Webfolios | WebQuests | WIKIs

Audio/Video
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• In my Western Civilization course, I will often begin my Egyptian lecture asking students what they know about the Egyptians and then follow with a lecture on what we do know about the Egyptians. twenty minutes before class ends, I show the beginning clip from the movie The Mummy, which summarizes and makes what everyone has learned come to life for the students by stimulating their sense of hearing and seeing by actually experiencing what had been merely a lecture. The results are always positive and leave the students with a sense of wonder about what they learned and more importantly what they will learn next class. - Dr. Chretien Guidry

Blogs
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Brainstorming
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Case Studies
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Demonstrations
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Discussions
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Games
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• Make it as true to the real game... from look of game to rules.
• Because it is fun doesn't mean it can't be hard.
• It won't work if YOU don't believe in this activity.
  - Daphne Powell

Group Activities
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• I ask my students to relate outside events or activities to the subjects covered in my courses.
• I encourage students to challenge my ideas, the ideas of other students, or those presented in readings or other course materials.
• I give my students concrete, real-life situations to analyze.
• I encourage students to suggest new readings, projects, or course activities.
   -  Kathleen Lauber, Biology Department

Note Taking
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• Sometimes the instructor has to demonstrate how to take notes. Methods on how to reorganize notes by chart, outline, and flowchart are listed below. - Kathleen Lauber

Compare/Contrast Chart
Using the compare and contrast method spontaneous generation of ideas can be created. Students will also have the advantage of seeing both sides of the argument. When creating a compare and contrast chart make the cells limited in size. This will keep the ideas down to five words or less thus focusing on the idea vice grammar.

Flow Charts
Flow charts are useful in visually organized ideas. This is beneficial in reinforcing information for students who might be visual learners.

Concept Mapping
Concept mapping helps student's understanding and relating to information. Concept mapping gives students a new way to rearrange things to better understand the information.

Outlining
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• "I ask students to present their work to the class. At a point during the lecture, I will stop and let students compare notes. This way the students compare their information to ensure no important information was missed" Outlining will help students get more organized. Outlining focuses on only the important subject matter, not all the information in the lecture. - Kathleen Lauber
   

Questioning
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I have developed a set of interactive quizzes using the Macromedia Captivate program for my BIO 2010 laboratory. Within this laboratory course are many prepared slides that the students are required to identify. I have placed digital review pictures on my website and also four (4) interactive quizzes for the students to work on their own time.

These quizzes have proven extremely valuable to the students as they can actively use the site from any computer location. They are able to take the quizzes as many times, as they feel necessary, in the process of getting ready for the laboratory exams.- Kathleen Lauber

Reading and Writing
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Role Playing
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Service Learning
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Virtual Field Trips
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• I developed a virtual field trip for HST 2010 -The U.S. to 1877. Currently, the virtual field trip is provided only as an extra credit option. It was developed as simply another means to expose students to the early history of the United States that was different from was being done in class and the assigned reading. Students are advised to take the field trip as we move through the various topics in class. Though the students do complain about how long it takes to complete the trip, still, based on a mini-review at the end of the trip, most appreciate the experience. - Ron Brown

Webfolios
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WebQuests
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• I developed a Webquest/Virtual Unknown Laboratory for my BIO 2010 Laboratory. The development of this activity was prompted by two things: spiraling cost of laboratory supplies and preparation and the knowledge that students love to work on computers.
  
  The activity developed is based on the students being a new member of the MIT (Microbe Identification) crew of the Charles County CSI lab. The students are to use the Webquest activity to learn about the 13 biochemical tests that are required for the identification of Gram Negative Bacilli. This involves research on the web about each biochemical test, compiling a Data chart and the subsequent identification of a bacterial sample microorganism to genus and species. The final portion of the exercise is to compile a final report on the microorganism including information on disease symptoms, treatment of the disease and transmission of the disease.
  
  Students have found this activity to their liking since they are in charge of when they do the activities. Although many students have commented that they enjoyed the activity, but still miss the hands on activity with the actual lab. - Kathleen Lauber

Wikis
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• Students can create a wiki as a group project that will later be presented to the class. They can also produce individual wikis as e-portfolios. The ability to post comments on each others’ wikis is useful for peer review of student writing.

However, wikis are most effective when students use them to construct knowledge and they are given a free hand in content development. An instructor might assign a problem or topic to student groups and then allow them to design the wiki website according to their own creative inclinations. The students could teach this material to the rest of the class. - Janet Evans Houser
Class Wiki: http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/western_civilization_
hst_1010_wiki/western_civilization_hst_1010_wiki