In this activity, we will review the diversity of available learning activities and help you identify the effective methods you are already using in your own teaching practice. Through a collaborative exercise and peer evaluation, you will share your existing teaching practices with your colleagues. The aim of the exercise is to demonstrate how you can develop students’ skills without overwhelming them and yourselves with additional tasks.
Learning outcomes
Understand the meaning of learning activities and the wide variety, and recognise that you are already using it as part of your practice
Introduction: 0-10 minutes
The trainer briefly welcomes the participants and introduces themselves. Participants are then invited to briefly introduce themselves as well (name, grade level they teach, place of teaching, and years of professional experience). After the introductions, the trainer presents the overall structure and objectives of the training programme.
Activity/exercise in details
Divide the class into groups of 4-6 participants. Use the Snowball technique to let participants discuss which learning activities they know and already use in their classroom practice.
Each group creates a poster with an overview of their collected learning activities and their practices. Using Gallery Walks techniques, each group looks at the poster of the other group(s). After that, the participants come together as one group and create a shared poster for a collective overview of all the learning activities on the board. The poster must include the following information: name, age group, and SPIRIT transversal skills to be developed. The trainer can prepare a blank summary poster in advance that includes this information.
A particularly important task of the trainer during the reflection on the exercise: ask whether anyone recognises the learning activities used during this exercise. If no one does, briefly explain the Snowball technique and Gallery Walks as a learning activity. If any of the participants have personal experience with these methods, ask them to present the method and explain its practical benefits from the children’s perspective. Encourage group reflection and knowledge sharing, but control the time spent on this part!
Conclude by emphasising that participants are already using many learning activities in their lessons. The aim of these modules is not to add extra tasks or time, but to raise awareness that many skills can already be developed through these learning activities, so that teachers can work more intentionally and in a more focused way within their existing teaching practice.
Time allocation
- Introduction: 10 minutes
- Discussion by Snowball technique in small groups: 10-15 minutes
- Reviewing other groups’ posters by Gallery Walks: 15 minutes
- Plenary discussion and Co-creation of a common list/poster of the learning activities: 10-15 minutes
- Conclusion: 5 minutes
Total: 55 – 60 minutes
Required materials
Post-its, presentation paper, flip-charts and a colour marker, stationery.
Handouts
No specific handouts are required to carry out the activity
Pay attention – Important note
Avoid mentioning the terms “Snowball” and “Gallery Walk” in the introduction or while you are explaining the activity, so that the effect of the reveal is fully realized at the end.
Managing the physical space: To ensure the success of the Gallery Walk, make sure there is enough physical space in the room so that participants can move comfortably among the posters without crowding.