As you enter a classroom ask yourself this
question: "If there were no students in the
room, could I do what I am planning to do?" If
your answer to the question is yes, don't do it.
Gen. Ruben Cubero, Dean of The Faculty, United States Air Force Academy
24 Quick Teaching Ideas for use in
the classroom
most taken from The Teaching Toolkit
Random Names
Random Name Generator – Click here
Variations
Extend with ‘but’
Extend with ‘so’
Extend with ‘however’
Speech
Exclamation mark
Question
Short sentence – 3-4 words
Start with an adverb
Simile
Extend with ‘because’ – Click here
1
Sticky Notes
Sticky Notes – Click here
2
Paper Chains
Students can work in groups.
They are asked to write something they have learnt on the
strip of paper.
They then continue adding things they have learnt to build the
longest chain possible.
This activity can be done individually and the paper can be
colour coded to specific material areas
3
The Jigsaw Technique
The class is divided into several teams, with each team
preparing separate but related assignments. When all team
members are prepared, the class is re-divided into mixed
groups, with one member from each team in each group.
Each person in the group teaches the rest of the group what
he/she knows, and the group then tackles an assignment
together that pulls all of the pieces together to form the full
picture.
Jigsaw module from Pedagogy in Action
4
The Gallery Walk
The gallery walk is a cooperative learning strategy in which
the instructor devises several questions/problems and posts
each question/problem at a different table or at a different
place on the walls. Students form as many groups as there
are questions, and each group moves from question to
question. After writing the group's response to the first
question, the group rotates to the next position, adding to
what is already there. At the last question, it is the group's
responsibility to summarize and report to the class.
more information and examples
5
Variations:
In the middle of a piece of paper should be the topic
title/question/equation/quote
Each student must write a fact/key point/keyword/case/info
about the topic on their piece of paper.
Swap and then add a new fact/key point …, until the papers
have been round the class once.
Students should then develop a point made by somebody
else and add some more info to it... or argue against it?
Continue until the papers have gone round the class 5 times?
Students can then look at the paper they have and ask
questions, summarise or it can be photocopied to make a
booklet.
6
Variations:
Use images? Students restricted by number of words? Or
asked to argue against or for only...
Do this in mini groups? Instead of the whole class?
In silence?
Learning Zones
To check on the understanding of students how about you
ask them to move to the learning zone that reflects their
level of understanding...?
One corner-  One corner- 
One corner-  One corner- 
Red- Do not understand
Amber- I am OK-ish
Green- I am confident and able
Purple – I am willing to explain/answer questions
7
Viewers and Listeners
First arrange the desks in your classrooms where students
will be facing each other. Where one student/pair has their
back to the board.
The teacher then displays information on the board.
The 'viewer' has a limited time to read and understand this
information before it is removed from the board.
The viewer then has to explain this information in their own
words to the 'listener'!
Both students must now write down their notes.
The viewer and listener should not write until the teacher
says so. When the viewer is reading- they must try
to understand the information rather than memorising it.
8
Variations:
This can be done with images? Equations? Quotes? You can
highlight words- TABOO words which viewers can not use
when explaining to the listeners...?
Dictogloss
Share with students a paragraph of text. This can be
displayed or read out loud.
Then display/read out the same paragraph but with key
words missing/not said
Students have to recreate the paragraph- by either filling in
the gaps or re-writing the whole paragraph
They are not allowed to write when you display/read the text
the first time and you should not slow down your
reading/increase the display time
Students are learning to pick out key elements of a textalong with learning how to write notes.
9
10 Second Rule
Give pupils 10 seconds to come up with an answer and then
you choose who answers
Give pupils 10 seconds to come up with an answer and then
invite hands up (A lot more will contribute)
10
Pose, Pause, Pounce, Bounce
Pose a question or ask for an observation or opinion
Pause for sufficient time for all to have thought of a response
Pounce on someone for an answer
Bounce onto someone else with a follow up question such
as: What do you think of their response?
Criticise their response
Add to their response
What did …. Say
Keep Bouncing – see how long a chain you can form
11
Teach Me, Tell Me
Each pupil has a question and answer on their card, the
pupils move around the class asking other pupils their
question, the pupil being asked can either say the answer if
they think they know it or ask to be told/taught the answer.
Pupil swap questions and move on.
Teacher involved and integrates isolated pupils
Rapid demonstrable progress as pupils come across previous
questions and can now answer them.
12
Variations:
Can have questions of different abilities on a card
Duplicates for reinforcement – 10 sets of 3
Pupils can pose their own questions
Could ask what does this line of poetry mean and record the
answer below the question and then pass it on.
There could be information on the card and the pupil makes
up a suitable question on the fly
Wonder or Progress Wall
Wonder Wall is used to encourage pupils to record on a postit or similar anything that they wonder about during the
lesson
Progress wall is used to record any key facts, excellent
questions … during a series of lessons
13
Relational Cards
Give a set of facts and get pupils to move around and seek to
draw out similarities – text, images, problems, …
Give out a copy of some pieces of text you have marked, give
out your grades, give out your written comments and see
whether they can match them with reasons
14
Relay Race
To aid group work by breaking a task down and making it
competitive:
1. Write a sentence to introduce a story set in a large manor
house
2. Include a simile in the next sentence
3. The next sentence must have only 6 words
4. …
15
Inquiry
Science Example
16
Diamond ranking
Give the group 9 facts and they have to sort out the most
and least important and then rank them in a diamond
17
Using a picture from the end of a piece of work to
introduce a topic
Begin the topic with a picture from the end of the topic –
the class has to work out what is in the picture and why it
has been chosen – can begin to think of questions which
can then be answered as the topic goes on
18
Picture interpretation
Give the group a picture with two text boxes around it – in
one they write about what the picture shows them, in the
other they write about what the picture does not show
them
19
Hypothesis testing
Give the group a series of statements – they have to work
out whether they are true or false by using appropriate
information
20
Use a video extract with the sound off
Get the group to provide their own commentary
Use a video extract with the picture off
Get the group to work out the tone of the extract and what
might be happening
21
Review Wheel
Click here
22
Plenary Grid
Click here
23
Behaviour Management
Click here
24