- Exit Tickets**
At the end of each lesson, give students a sticky note or index card to answer one simple question:
"What did you learn today?" or "What was confusing?"
Cost: Almost free
Benefit: Quick feedback and helps with lesson planning.
2. Handmade Learning Games
Use colored paper to create flashcards, bingo games, or board games for vocabulary, math facts, or grammar rules.
Cost: Just paper and creativity
Benefit: Turns review sessions into fun, active learning.
3. Local Resource Integration
Use everyday objects (bottle caps, matchsticks, leaves, etc.) to teach math concepts like counting, sets, and geometry.
Cost: No cost
Benefit: Makes abstract concepts tangible and relatable.
4. Visual Notes or Anchor Charts
Create visual posters for tricky concepts (like parts of speech or types of triangles) and hang them on walls.
Cost: Chart paper and markers
Benefit: Constant reinforcement and helpful references.
5. Peer Teaching
Let students teach a small part of the lesson in groups.
Cost: Nothing
Benefit: Builds confidence and deepens understanding.
π§ 6. Storytelling to Teach Concepts
Turn tough lessons into short stories or role-playsβe.g., teaching chemical reactions as a "relationship drama" between molecules!
Cost: Your imagination
Benefit: Helps students retain complex ideas.
7. Weekly Reflection Journals
Ask students to write one paragraph each week about what theyβve learned or how they felt about the lesson.
Cost: Notebooks
Benefit: Improves self-awareness and retention.
8. "Think-Pair-Share" Routine
Ask a question β give students time to think β pair them up to discuss β share answers with the class.
Cost: None
Benefit: Encourages participation, even from shy students.