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Students can learn a lot from actively participating in class. One way that you can encourage participation is by having constructive class discussions. Ask open-ended questions so that students have to give more than a yes or no answer. Don't ask questions with a set answer in mind. Discussions should help students explore different ideas.  Younger kids can start to learn critical thinking by answering questions. You could try, "What are some ways to show kindness?" You'll get lots of different answers! For example, you could ask, “Why is it so important that we take steps to protect the environment?” You could also try, “Do you think the U.S. should get involved in trying to solve problems in other countries? Why or why not?” In addition to discussion, you can try lots of other ways to help students get involved in class. Anything that gets the students doing something new for a few minutes is good. You can easily adjust activities according to the subject you teach. For almost any subject, you could try short in-class writing assignments. This will give students a break from listening to you talk and give them some time to learn more actively.  Say, “Okay, everyone spend 5 minutes writing about what you think the key points of today's topic. When you're done, we'll share our thoughts as a large group.”   Ask students to relate the topic to their own lives. For example, “Write a paragraph about what kinds of things your family does to help the environment.” Try Stand Up Sit Down. For example, if you are trying to teach the difference between proper nouns and common nouns, you can have students stand up if the word you say is a proper noun and sit down if it is a common noun. You can apply this to many subjects, including math. Try having students stand up if a number is prime and sit down if it is not. Working together can help students see material in a new way. It can also make things more fun! In addition to assigning group projects, you can find other creative ways to help students interact with one another.  Try Think-Pair-Share. Give students a question, and give them a few minutes to think about their answer. Then, have them pair up and share their answers with each other. Finally, have each pair share their answers with the whole class. This works great with high school and college students. Play a matching game. Hand out a note card with a word or phrase on it and have students get up and find their match. You can do this with rhyming words, synonyms, problems/solutions, or anything that you want! Elementary school kids can have lots of fun with this one. Getting out of the classroom is a great way to help students connect to material! Field trips are a great way to bring some excitement to the topic you're teaching. Make sure that the field trip clearly relates to what you are teaching. For example, if you've been learning about environmental issues, take students to a self-sustaining farm.  If you've been teaching about the solar system, take a trip to a planetarium. Make sure to follow all school policies when you're planning a field trip. For high school and college students, constructive debates are a great way for students to connect with the material. During discussions, encourage students to share opposing viewpoints. For example, if you are talking about whether or not peaceful protests are constructive, have students clearly explain their viewpoints. Make sure that students remain civil. No name calling, raised voices, or insults! If things start to get heated, wrap up the debate. Say, "We obviously have lots of strong feelings on this. To wrap up, take 5 minutes to write down what you feel are the key points on this issue."
Facilitate class discussions with thought-provoking questions. Try in-class activities. Use activities that require interaction with other students. Take a field trip. Encourage debate if you are teaching high school or college courses.