Speaker of the House

 OTHER TIPS: SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Speaker of the House

Shared by: 

Sloane Burke, Health Sciences

Materials needed:

3x5 index cards. There should be 1 card for each student in the course.

Learning challenge addressed/predictable outcome:

  • Promotes learner retention of course content
  • Encourages active engagement for better learner outcomes
  • Improves communication/public speaking skills
  • Increases synthesis of course material
  • Creates a positive, engaged classroom environment with instructor as facilitator
  • Builds classroom community

Best used for:

Any class size

Learning objectives/skills fostered:

  • Provides opportunity for peer directed learning
  • Encourages synthesis and retention of material
  • Public speaking

What to do/how to do it:

  1. Explain to students the concept of “Speaker of the House.” Relay the origin of “Speaker of the House” in our government system.
  2. Explain that a speaker of the house will be randomly assigned to one student each week.
  3. At the beginning of class – or before – distribute one index card to each student face down. 99% of the cards will be blank, but one card will have the words, “Speaker of the House” on it.
  4. The student who receives this card is charged with summarizing three key points from the class content/lecture/activity at the end of the class.
  5. Collect cards to be redistributed next week.

Tips for implementing:

Be sure to assign the “Speaker” card to a different student each week. What is fun to observe is many students will “cheer on” or playfully tease another student if they or others are chosen as the “Speaker."