Tools and activities for lectures

Type

Heuristics

Comments

Buzz groups:

Students talk in groups of 2 or 3 at a certain stage of the lecture –to consolidate the content, or
to consider the next stage

Should be short (3-5 minutes) especially with larger groups.

Very helpful in organising a break the more didactic interaction in lectures. Very useful for
students new to the subject/language/discourse of the community.

Silent free writing:

Students write silently and freely about the topic at hand.

Should be around 5 minutes. Best to encourage a “silent” lecture theatre.

A very useful way of settling students. Engages students in thinking about the topic, assessing
what they know, what they’d like to know.

Predictive  questions:

Students note down some questions e.g. what they would like to or expect to find out or learn from
the lecture before it starts. At the end of the lecture, they check if their questions were
answered.





Students write down about 3 or 4 questions either individually or in pairs, groups of 3 etc.

Give at least 5 minutes at the end of the lecture for students to assess what they have learnt.

A very useful way of motivating students to assess what they know, what they’d like/need to know
and to actively listen (for a purpose).

Advance organizers:

Giving a summary of the lecture through a visual prompt and explanation or a written/oral
description

Should allow for more interaction e.g. student comments and questions.

Very useful for students new to the subject/language/discourse of the community.

Note-taking tasks:

Students given a structure or diagram which they need to “fill in.”

Encourage comparisons and time for students to fill in gaps through discussion with peers at the
end of the lecture.

Very useful to students new to learning from lectures. Very helpful in “training” students in
note-taking skills.


Jo Eastlake 2013