Team Choice - A variation of Mel
Silberman's "Billboard Ranking" strategy (Silberman
p 135)
Cognitive processing: problem solving, synthesis
Overview: Student groups apply concepts or procedures
learned earlier in class to solve a new kind of problem
that involves making a choice of better/best among the
options that are available.
Description:
Student teams apply concepts or procedures learned earlier
in class to solve a new kind of problem that involves making
a choice of better/best among the options that are available.
All teams work on the same problem.
Value:
This Active Learning strategy engages students in team problem-solving
that requires implementation of principles or procedures learned
earlier in class. Key: require students to make a choice as
a team and apply principles of the course to justify their
choice.
Instructions:
1. Divide students into teams of equal size, no larger than
6 per team.
2. State the objective you want to accomplish by engaging
students in this.
3. Introduce the problem and name the choices, simplifying
the choice options as much as possible. For example: solution
1 or 2; organization A or B; strategy A or B or C.
4. Explain what you expect teams to do to arrive at a choice.
If handouts are used, give each student a handout.
5. Give each team a blank response card or small marker board.
Tell students how much time they have and instruct them to
write their choice on the response card or board before time
is up.
6. Facilitate, answer questions, and observe team interactions.
Inform teams when they have only two minutes of work time
left.
7. Call time and direct all teams to hold up their response
cards/boards simultaneously.
8. Announce results. Get volunteers to justify their team's
choice. Encourage discussion, allowing students to teach and
learn from one another.
