For northern hemisphere schools, it is likely that time of year when you begin to turn serious attention towards examination preparation, and this means honing those essay writing skills. For all schools, practice with essay writing skills is always welcome.
One of my favourite essay practice activities is based on speed dating. This activity encourages students to think quickly, and express themselves concisely in a detailed manner. They hear the ideas of one another and receive peer feedback, all while refining their plan for a specific essay question, eventually ‘finding love with the essay’.
Here’s how it works:
1. Hand out a set of 3-5 essay questions. Give the students 10 minutes to select their question, and sketch out a quick outline of a response.
2. Split the class in two groups. Hopefully, you have even numbers in the class. If not many modifications are possible, including putting yourself in the mix or allowing a single ‘thinking spot’ for those proposing essay responses). The students sit facing one another in pairs – half the class in a circle facing outwards, and half the class in a circle facing inwards.
3. The students facing the inside (group A) explain their responses, those facing the outside (group B) listen and provide feedback.
4. Group A is given 2 minutes to explain their response to their partner. They must talk the entire time. I set some sort of buzzer just to keep things lively.
5. Group B is then given 2 minutes to provide feedback on what they liked about the proposal, and how it could be refined. Again, they must talk the entire time.
6. Group B stays where they are, while Group A rotates to a new set of partners. The 2-minute explain/feedback process begins again.
7. Continue like this until Group A has explained and received feedback on their essay – the same essay – to at least 5 people.
8. Then switch so that Group B has a chance to propose their ideas and receive feedback.
If there is not enough time, this model can be modified or carried over across two classes. Another strategy is to change up the timing – beginning with a longer period of time, and whittling it down to 2 minutes. Another possibility includes asking students to prepare the essay response before arriving in class. You could also request students to develop their essay into fuller outlines, or complete papers after the speed dating is done. One more option might be to ask one student to volunteer to type up their essay and email it out to the rest of the class in 48 hours before your next class. The rest of the class can then mark this essay based on the IB criteria. A full class discussion/follow-up can then allow students to provide constructive feedback to the author of the essay. While this activity takes careful discussion management and some bravery on the part of the student who circulates the essay, it is a fantastic learning experience in many ways. One way to lay the groundwork for this type of assignment is to build a collaborative learning environment from the start.
Essay practice such as this provides a rich learning experience centered on students and peer feedback. It is a good reminder that often the best learning takes place with teacher on the sidelines.
Tags: anthropology, chalk-and-talk, essay, external aseessment, introductory anthropology, introductory social and cultural anthropology, Paper 2, Paper 3, speed dating, student engagement, timed assessment
