Page 267 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 07 11/20/02 12:29 PM Page 256
256 The Creative Training Idea Book
Musical Chairs
Take learners back to early childhood learning days by having them play musical chairs
as a review activity. Set up chairs in an oval shape with one fewer chair than you have
participants. If you have more than 15 participants, you may want to form several ovals.
Have participants line up one after the other facing the center of the oval, then have
them all face either left or right. Explain that when the music starts, they should start to
walk slowly around the oval until the music stops. At that point everyone should quickly
try to sit in a chair. The person left without a chair must give a key idea, term, or con-
cept from the program and everyone else then adds information about it. The standing
person is then eliminated from the activity and can observe while one more chair is
removed from the oval. Start the music again and continue this activity until only one
person is left in a seat. At the end of the activity, discuss any key concepts not named by
participants.
When choosing music, pick an upbeat song such as “Celebration” by Kool and the
Gang, “I Just Want to Celebrate” by Three Dog Night, or something similar. Another
option is to go to a teacher supply store and buy a CD with children’s songs such as “All
Around the Mulberry Bush.” End with a round of applause from everyone.

Popups

This activity can be used as a vehicle for energizing participants or as a review. To do the
former, start at some point in the room and proceed either right or left by having each
participant in turn stand (pop up) and shout out any designated information, such as
the name of a flower, song, state capital, tree, and so forth, then sit down.
As an interim or final review, start with any designated learner and have the motion
go to either his or her left or right. When you tell them to begin, the designated learner
stands, shouts out a key concept or terms from the session, then sits down. Subsequent
learners repeat the process until everyone has popped up and been seated. Participants
should be told that they cannot repeat any concept or term already given by someone else.
After everyone has finished, have participants give themselves a round of applause
and then review any key concepts or terms that they missed.

Tic, Tac, Toe

To review key concepts using teams, you can use a variation of the game tic, tac, toe. Start
by creating a transparency or flip chart of a tic, tac, toe board (get the tic, tac, toe tem-
plate in the Tools for Trainers in the appendices). Write a clue for key concepts, terms,
or issues, addressed thus far in the session, on one of eight numbered strips of paper.
Answers are written on the reverse side of the strips. For example, assume that you dis-
cussed the contents of this chapter in a session. A clue for paper strip 1 might be “ A
technique used to have learners go back over key program ideas, terms, or concepts.”
On the back of the strip is the answer “interim review.” After you create eight clues, fold