A-Z STIMULUS EXERCISE

Groups of students record responses to an open question on a concept by generating words triggered by letters of the alphabet.

Energising negative groups by raising and categorising issues and, where possible, developing actionable solutions.

The entire group works in a structured way on a problem facing individual members of the group.

Students develop their questioning techniques by applying a cognitive scale to questions they derive from lecture content.

A structured approach to creative group idea generation and/or problem solving using delayed evaluation of any and every conceivable idea.

Large or small groups sort, discuss and prioritise the ideas, issues, solutions and so on,  written anonymously on cards by all participants.

An acronym for a simple method for developing genuine empathy and rapport between lecturer and students.

A dialogue between lecturer and students creating an agreed and documented set of rules governing student and lecturer behaviour.

Helping students work in groups: introducing the process, mediating problems and self-assessment handouts.

A quick and effective process for creating genuinely culturally mixed small groups from a large group.

Involving a group of community specialists to develop or update the curriculum of a course and/or unit quickly, especially useful if the unit has vocational or professional outcomes.

A number of participatory ideas for the final class of a  unit.

Comparing competing points of view/ideas by charting pluses, minuses and interesting points.

Allowing students to create, submit and analyse prospective exam questions at each stage of the course.

A regular class exercise to increase students’ prior reading and analysis. Teams of students regularly submit questions to other teams who provide brief answers to the whole group.

A group analysis for any program of change, identifying driving and restraining forces, using brainstorming, dot voting and action planning.

Obtaining student feedback early in a unit.

A process applied to small groups for analysing and understanding any concept.

The first lecture of a unit is energised by students interviewing the lecturer.

An imaginative exercise to help students encounter a new concept (eg. questioning) using multiple senses.

A quieter group process, where each individual analyses and reflects prior to a general group discussion.

A process to develop the important life skill of giving and receiving constructive feedback applied to a student presentation/workshop.

A first lecture process where students interact in groups by discussing and raising questions about the unit guide.

A set of generic questions applicable to any content area for peer questioning within small groups (a proven more effective alternative to small group discussion).

A process for analysing any event, experience (eg. lecture/workshop/video) in a structured way. It may be used individually, although it is particularly useful as a small group or whole class exercise.

A framework for student questioning of a demonstrator used to develop learner autonomy during demonstrations.

A workshop technique in which individuals merge into small groups and small groups into larger groups, discussing and prioritising their responses to preset questions at each stage.

A group process to improve teamwork. Each group plot their performance against an ideal and make improvement plans.

The systematic pairing of students to provide learning and social support and motivation.

SWOT is a traditional strategic planning process applied here to group projects etc. to enhance performance and effective outcomes.

An imaginative group process to generate highly creative and/or problem solving ideas.

A simple empowering question to help prioritise work committments and manage time more effectively.

A ‘content, process and time’ framework to help anyone plan and facilitate better structured, more effective workshops and meetings.