William Shakespeare

Overview

Experienced trainers and educators have seen how learners seem to best remember what they hear first and last, so it makes sense to ensure that you end your programs in a profound manner. To help ensure that learning was successful and that key concepts were obtained, trainers and educators should give thought to how they will end a learning event.

This section provides a variety of ways to review program content, celebrate learning, and close out a ses-sion in a memorable way so that participants walk out with a better understanding of what they learned.

Games and Activities in This Section

Title Time Required Page

42. Verbal Volleyball 10 minutes 173

43. Pat on the Back 20 minutes 175

44. Retention and Reaction 15 minutes 177

45. A Postcard to Me 10 minutes 179

46. We Can Sell This Idea 60 to 75 minutes 182

47. Content Jeopardy 60 minutes 185

48. Match It Up 60 minutes 191

49. Concept BINGO! 30 minutes 197

50. In Summary 30 minutes 201

51. The ABCs of It All 30 minutes 203

52. Concentration Review 30 minutes 206

42. Verbal Volleyball

Time Required

10 minutes

Purpose

To provide an opportunity for learners to review key concepts learned dur-ing the session and celebrate their learndur-ing.

Objective(s)

Through use of an end-of-session review activity, the facilitator will be able to:

• Actively engage learners in a review of key session concepts; and

• Allow for individual celebration of learning.

Group Size

Up to twenty-four

Process

Form pairs of learners. Have partners face one another.

Explain that they are going to play “verbal volleyball” in which they will review as many key concepts from the session as they can remember.

Tell learners to decide who will start.

When ready to begin, shout “GO” and the learner designated to start will shout out any key concept, idea, or issue covered during the session.

Partners will then shout out a different concept, idea, or issue, and they will continue volleying the concepts back and forth until they run out of ideas.

Explain that they cannot repeat a concept, idea, or issue already said by a partner.

Once it seems that learners are running out of ideas, shout a 30-second warning and, at the end of that time, sound a noisemaker to indicate time has elapsed.

Have everyone give a “high five” (fingers extended and joined and slapping palms in the air above their heads with their partners) for their accomplishment.

Process Follow-Up

Ask: “What do you think some of the most important or beneficial con-cepts, ideas, or issues we learned today were? Why are they important?”

Go around the room and have each learner tell one key concept, idea, or issue that he or she experienced and how he or she will be able to use it on the job or in another environment.

Answer any questions learners have about session content.

Have everyone give a round of applause for their efforts.

Option

Instead of using this as an end of session activity, you can also use it as an interim review.

Props/Tools Needed

Noisemaker (cow bell, Chinese gong, slide whistle, or bicycle horn).

Possible Topic Application

Any session in which you desire to review key concepts.

Why It Is Brain-Based

Engages learners mentally and physically;

Causes learners to access memory and recall data;

Adds a bit of novelty and fun to a review; and Adds sound to the learning environment.

43. Pat on the Back

Time Required

20 minutes

Purpose

To allow learners an opportunity to review key concepts while sharing com-pliments with one another.

Objective(s)

Through the use of a review activity, the facilitator will be able to:

• Have learners reflect on key session concepts learned;

• Recognize the individual contributions and achievements of their peers during the session; and

• Provide an opportunity for learners to celebrate their learning.

Group Size

Up to twenty-four

Process

Have learners form a large circle.

Provide someone in the group with a soft, tossable object (Nerf^®, Koosh^®, or other type of ball or bean bag).

Explain that they have 15 minutes to toss the ball around the circle to one another.

The ball cannot be thrown to someone who has already caught it.

As someone catches the ball, he or she is to shout out one key concept, idea, issue, or thought that he or she has experienced in the session and give a brief explanation of what the concept means.

Each person is also to give the person who tossed the ball to him or her a sincere compliment (for example, “I appreciate the way that you volun-teered your experiences during the session” or “Thank you for helping me understand [concept] when we were working in small groups”).

Continue the activity until everyone has tossed and caught a ball.

If they run out of key ideas or concepts due to the number of participants present, learners can start telling how they will use a key idea or concept once they leave the session.

Process Follow-Up

Ask: “What did you learn from this activity?”

Possible Answers: The importance of reviewing key information to reinforce it in your memory; that feedback can be powerful and feel good; that it is important to take time to celebrate your accomplishments.

Have everyone give themselves a round of applause for their accomplish-ments and contributions.

Option

Instead of having everyone in a circle, pass out sheets of paper and have peo-ple write down one key concept or idea that they experienced.

Have them also write (print legibly) one compliment for the person to the right (have them write the person’s name).

Encourage them to put their names on the sheets.

Collect all the sheets and randomly distribute them to learners.

Ask for a volunteer to stand and open and read what is on his or her paper.

Reward the volunteer with candy or a small prize.

Have everyone give a round of applause at the end.

Props/Tools Needed

• Nerf^®, Koosh^®, or other type of ball or bean bag;

• Paper and pencil (if using the optional activity); and

• Candy or small prize (if using the optional activity).

Possible Topic Application

Unlimited.

Why It Is Brain-Based

Appeals to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners;

Addresses several of Gardner’s multiple intelligences (interpersonal, bodily/kinesthetic, and linguistic);

Addresses personal motivators (for example, need for recognition and social contact); and

Recognizes and rewards behavior.

44. Retention and Reaction

Time Required

15 minutes

Purpose

To provide a process for learners to recognize key concepts learned and to recognize their peers.

Objective(s)

Through an interactive review process, the facilitator will be able to:

• Identify ideas or concepts from a session that learners believe are important;

• Encourage active participation in the review process; and

• Allow learners to provide feedback on their reactions to the session and/or others in the room.

Group Size

Up to twenty-four

Process

When ready to start the review activity, pass out one 3-by-5 colored index card to each learner.

Explain that they will have an opportunity to reflect on key ideas and con-cepts from the session and capture one of these on their index cards.

Have them turn their cards horizontally and print “Recollection” along the top edge.

Allow a couple of minutes for everyone to write their ideas or concepts and tell them to look up toward you when they have finished so you will know who is still working and needs more time.

After everyone has finished with their recollections, have learners turn their cards over and print “Reaction” along the top edge of the cards and then write one reaction they have to the session (for example, “I came in thinking I knew the content already, but instead learned a number of new strategies”

or “I really appreciate the way everyone worked together during the team activity”).

Again, ask learners to look up when done.

When everyone has completed the task, ask for a volunteer to read his or her Recollection, tell what it means, and how he or she sees it applying on the job or in other environments.

Reward the volunteer with candy or a small prize.

Continue around the room to the right or left and have others do the same thing.

After all recollections have been reviewed, follow the same format and have everyone read their Reactions.

Process Follow-Up

Ask: “What do you think the most important concepts were that you learned today? What makes them the most important?”

“What questions do you have about today’s activities and content?”

Have everyone give themselves a round of applause for their efforts.

Option(s)

1. Instead of using this as a final review activity, use it as an interim review;

or

2. Instead of Recollections and Reactions, have learners write whatever other information you think is important to collect (for example, best thing learned today and biggest challenge using today’s information).

Props/Tools Needed

• Small prizes or candy;

• 3-by-5 colored (assorted) index cards; and

• Pencils/pens.

Possible Topic Application

Unlimited.

Why It Is Brain-Based

Appeals to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners;

Actively engages everyone in the learning process;

Creates eustress by forcing learners to recall information;

Requires learners to access memory and recall data, then think of applications;

Recognizes and rewards behavior; and Uses color to enhance the environment.

In document Creative Learning (Page 193-200)