Active Learning Activities

Constructive Commentary

This activity guides students through set steps and strategies to comment on their peers' creative writing.

Editing Exercise: Mock Academic Conference

Research, writing & editing activity that builds interpretive skills and the ability to incorporate research.

Peer Review for Beginners

This peer-review activity for English 101 aims to help students improve their essays, but also to develop evaluation skills.

100 Years of Work

This is a jigsaw activity where students map key developments in workplace design over 100 years.

Group Work Project Contracting

For instructors planning student group work projects over many weeks or months.

Nature of Science Ice-Breaker

A first class ice-breaker activity introducing the nature of science.

It’s All in the Delivery: 6 Rounds to Effective Presentation

Groups of students orally present a poem six times, focusing on six key aspect of effective oral presentations

Rough Draft Workshop: Group Peer Assessment Jigsaw Activity for Case Study or Procedural Writing

Students bring a rough draft of a written group project for peer evaluation and feedback

Real-World Physics: Mini Video Projects

These mini-video projects require students to engage with course concepts and make connections to the world in which we live.

Don’t go NUTS: A Case Study on the Physiology of Stress

Blended Learning: Just in Time

Yeas and Nays: Using Smartphones for Gathering Data

Building Effective Teams

Sustainability Development Plan (Part 1 and Part 2)

In this activity, students learn to define sustainability and apply this to a single Montreal neighbourhood. 

Let’s Role Play the French Revolution!

Disappearing Sea Otters

Students take the role of an ecologist and try to analyze species behaviours and predict population change.

Rhetorical Strategies

Projects on Junot Diaz: “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”

Understanding Terminology Using Jigsaw

Having Students Read and Apply Essay Feedback

Short Stories and Social Realism: Building an Essay Toolkit

In this multiple-class activity, students build a toolkit of essay-writing skills through analyzing a short story text.

Protein Separation

Concept Map: Furniture Design Time Ripple

Peer Review Calibration and Constructive Feedback Workshop

This activity's goal is to familiarize students with the peer review process and teach them how to accept peer criticism.