On Course – Political Science

Back to Table of Contents for the On Course I Workshop

1. Strategy: Movers and Shakers

Application: Review for any course

Educator: Sarah Hadmack, Faculty, Religion, University of Hawaii and Windward Community College, HI

Implementation: For a classroom of 24 students, create 12 3×5 index cards with one review question on each card. Have the students stand in two rows facing one another. Give each student in one of the rows a card with a review question. These are the Shakers. Have each Shaker identify the answer to the question; then have them ask the student directly across from them their question. The students answering the questions are the Movers. As soon as the Mover answers correctly, he/she moves to the right and is asked a question by another Shaker. Have the Movers move down the whole line of Shakers. When all the Movers have answered each question, have the students switch roles and repeat the activity. Option: give the Shakers star stickers and the Movers blank 3×5 index cards. If the Mover answers correctly, the Shaker gives him/her a star sticker. The student with the most stars get +5 points on his/her quiz/test.

2. Strategy: Jigsaw

Application: Political Science

Educator: Deanne Repetto, Faculty, Political Science, Folsom lake College, CA

Implementation: When teaching students the significance of 4 court cases, ask them to assemble into teams of four.

1. Ask groups to assign each student one of the four cases to review.
2. Have students working on the same case meet in pairs to discuss the details of the case and identify its significance.
3. Ask students to return to their original group of four and share their case with the group.
4. Conclude by allowing students to ask clarification questions.

Examples of possible court cases: Pressy v. Fergeson, Dennis v. US, Bron v. Board, Lemon v. Kurtzman, Miranda v. Arizona, Schenk v. US, Gibbons v. Ogden, Barron v. Baltimore, and Marbury v. Madison.

OCI Political Science Forum