Study Techniques
Problem Solving
Organization & Visuals
Group Collaboration AND SI Leader Techniques
Recall & Review
100
The SIL helps students review definitions, descriptions, and other information quickly with the use of index cards.
What are Note Cards?
100
This strategy gets students to focus more on the process of learning that has taken place. It covers how an answer was obtained rather than just making sure the answer was correct.
What is Summarizing the Procedure/Steps?
100
In 3 columns, students note what: -they already know -they want to know -they learned This helps students activate prior knowledge and link new information to that knowledge. This also helps the SIL focus on particular concepts.
What is a KWL?
100
A 3 stage process. Students are first given a question, concept, or problem to think about alone. Then they discuss their thoughts and ideas with a partner. Finally, the SI Leader facilitates a large group discussion with everybody.
What is Think-Pair-Share?
100
The SI Leader tells two true statements and one false statement about a topic. Students then must figure out whats true and false and indicate why/why not?
What is Two Truths and a Lie?
200
As a group, the students recap the instructor's last lecture. The SIL can provide prompts to help students remember particular information from class.
What is Summarize Lecture?
200
Generate a list of problems. Have students complete Step 1. After a minute, have them pass their problem to the right, and then have them complete step 2. Continue until all steps are complete.
What is Send a Problem?
200
Students organize information into different levels. The levels are based on whether information fits into a specific group. Higher levels are broader and inclusive, whereas lower levels are more specific and exclusive.
What is a hierarchy?
200
The SI Leader splits the large group into smaller groups and assigns each group a topic/task/problem/etc. The group then becomes an expert in their assigned thing. Then students move from their expert group to a new jigsaw group where each student acts as the "sole" expert in their topic/task/problem/etc, and teaches the material to the rest of the group.
What is a Jigsaw?
200
The SI Leader prepares note cards with vocabulary or identification words and one additional related word or term. During session, students are in teams and note cards are split among the students. One person must explain the vocabulary term to the other group members WITHOUT using any of the words written on the note card. The group then tries to figure out the vocabulary word based on the student's explanation.
What is Taboo?
300
In order to prepare students for new material, the SIL helps them think about what the professor is going to teach during the next class.
What is Predict the Next Lecture?
300
SIL divides students into groups. Each group completes a problem and writes a solution on the board. Have each group then share and explain the problem AND steps in as much detail as they can.
What is a Peer Lesson?
300
This visual, utilizing 2-3 overlapping circles, helps students compare and contrast information between 2-3 concepts, systems, or theories. Unique information is written in the circles, but similar information is written in the overlapping areas.
What is a Venn Diagram?
300
Questioning techniques that help the SI Leader ask more, open ended questions in a session.
What is Bloom's Taxonomy?
300
The SI Leader divides students into groups. Each group then must make a practice quiz for another group and provide an answer key on a separate sheet of paper. Then groups exchange quizes and complete them. After taking the quiz, the groups then compare their quiz to its corresponding answer key. The SI Leader helps groups with anything unclear or confusing.
What is Make/Take a Practice Quiz?
400
The SIL creates a set of unfinished, but organized lecture notes and has students fill in the missing information.
What is Incomplete Outline?
400
SIL prepares a bag that has different concepts/equations/vocab/etc written on pieces of paper. Students pull out paper one at a time and explain/solve the material that they pulled out.
What is a Grab Bag?
400
Students utilize a grid to help see the relationships between different topics or concepts. The SI Leader can provide a framework, but students organize the information within that framework.
What are Matrices?
400
When a student asks a question during session, have 3 students (or so) comment on a unique feature of that idea. The SI Leader will mediate correct responses and help fill in gaps in understanding.
What is 3 before Me?
400
In pairs, students will review as many key concepts from class that they can remember. Student A will shout any concept, idea, or issue (with an explanation) followed by Student B. Students continue volleying concepts back and forth until they run out of ideas. Ideas cannot be repeated. After 8-10 minutes, the SI leader brings the groups together and have students discuss the concepts/ideas they found most important, confusing, etc.
What is Verbal Volleyball?
500
In pairs, student jot down guidelines for how they currently annotate their textbook. Students learn how AND why they should annotate a text.
What is Marking the Textbook?
500
A grid (3x3 or 3x4) is set up on the board with sticky notes that have a problem written (on the backside). Students are split into Teams A and B. Team A designates a scribe and problem. The scribe can only write what the rest of the team tells them to write for that problem. In other words, the team directs the scribe through the problem. Meanwhile, Team B watches and challenges Team A whenever the scribe has written something they were not told/before they were told OR something was done in error. If the problem is correct from start to finish, Team A gets to write an "X" or "O". If Team B challenges and is correct, they can steal the square. When a team gets 3 squares in a row they get a point. Game ends when all problems are solved.
What is Super Tic-Tac-Toe?
500
This tool helps students to identify a central word, concept, or question, which is written down on the board. Then students branch out ideas/subtopics that connect to the main idea. After students generate multiple branches of ideas/substopics, the SIL facilitates discussion and helps students tie everything together.
What is Concept Mapping?
500
The SI Leader does not answer questions directly; instead, the SI Leader utilizes another resource to answer the question, including another student, class notes, the textbook, etc.
What is Redirecting Questions?
500
Before session, the SI Leader makes up a number of questions with simple answers. In session, two students stand up next to each other and ask a question; the first person to answer correctly moves on to the next student to try a different question with a new opponent, while the other sits down. The first student to beat every other student OR whoever went around the group the furthest is deemed the winner.
What is Around the World?
M
e
n
u