Because I love to cook but am often short on time, I long ago developed a set of “bases” I use to make some staple dishes; I have a cookie “base,” a bread “base,” a soup “base” and so on.  By adding a few different ingredients, I can make two completely unique dishes using the same base.  But since I’m not here to teach cooking (and am known to be selfish with my recipes), let’s talk about what this has to do with learning.

Like cooking, great learning tools can be developed from a few simple base ingredients.  Any number of exciting student activities start with a good base.  One of my favorites is the Scavenger Hunt.

A Scavenger Hunt can be structured to relate to a number of topics.  For a course on technology, it might be structured as a list of tasks the students must accomplish using tools available on various Web sites.  For ethics, this might involve the students finding the specific Articles and Standards of Practice at issue, given a certain scenario.  For contracts, students might have to find a specific clause or group of clauses dealing with a given topic - the possibilities are endless.

The best part is, you don’t have to be an expert to master the use of simple activity bases.  Tons of examples are provided courtesy of Sivasailam Thiagarajan, Ph.D. - luckily he is known simply as “Thiagi” (pronounced “Tee-ah-gee”) - on his Website.  You can find a list of sample activities and games HERE.  Good luck with your hunt!

Elizabeth Hurd is a freelance coursewriter and curriculum developer.  For information on your specific education and training needs, call 843-442-0441 or use the Contact Form to be contacted directly.