You caught a beauty!!!
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Download PDF of scaffold here.
Download PDF here.
theory behind scaffold…
Adding humour to a lesson is always a recipe for success. Humour changes the dynamic of the class and helps students to see their lessons with a different frame of mind. This scaffold uses irony – the highest form of humour – to help make potentially dry material more inviting and accessible.
The use of humour is engrained in our cultural perspectives. Edward T. Hall, one of the pioneers of cultural studies for the purpose of preparing us for and appreciating the differences in peoples across the globe, elucidates the varying uses of humour in different environments. American humour, for instance, is binary and is either present or absent. In the Far East, on the other hand, one encounters a wide spectrum of subtle degrees of humour that are commonly present.*
In cultivating global citizens, it is important that our students know the differences of humour in different cultures – between irony and simpler forms of humour – so that they can react to it appropriately. It’s yet another way of appropriately and knowledgeably interacting with the people around us in this interconnected world.
On a more visceral level, humour brings enthusiasm, positive feelings and optimism to the classroom. Irony generates cognitive activity and changes the vibration of the class. Using humour and irony in conscientious ways will help students to approach their lessons with a different frame of mind – one more relaxed and receptive; once they are more receptive, they can produce more meaningful verbal exchanges about the topic at hand and internalise new information more deeply.
In putting this activity together, you’ll have the opportunity to play with language in creative ways. You’ll prepare questions from a lesson, unit, or project your students are about to begin. Each question will include multiple choice answers – one that is most appropriate, and the rest as absurd as you like them to be. (Remember, we want to cultivate a learning environment in which there are no ‘correct’ answers, but only those that are more justifiable than others.)
You can begin by explaining to your students that they’re going to take a short quiz. Very briefly, accept their groans of disapproval, knowing that they are going to start laughing very soon. As their amusement rises, so will their receptivity of new concepts and language that you surreptitiously present in the faux quiz.
*Hall, Edward T. (1973). The Silent Language. New York. Anchor Books
step by step…
- Write 10-15 questions related to the unit you’re about to begin. For each question, offer multiple choice answers – one appropriate and the others written with irony (to the point of being absurd).
- To make the activity cooperative, give one copy of the ‘quiz’ to each group of students. The Speaker reads the questions and the three possible answers aloud. The other group members take turns a) identifying the most appropriate answer, and b) explaining why another one cannot be appropriate. The Moderator keeps the group interacting in an efficient manner, with everyone having a chance to participate. (See example below using a Social Science lesson.)
- The activity continues until all the questions have been asked and answered in the manner outlined above. Those groups who finish before others, read the text in the unit and write their own faux questions.
- Finish by going over the ‘quiz’ as a class, with each Speaker taking turns asking the questions and each group taking turns answering. As each group answers, you ask another group if they agree with the answer or not, and they must give their response in a complete sentence. (Ex. ‘Yes, we agree with the answer because the other two options were not appropriate.’ or ‘No, we don’t agree with the answer. We believe the answer is ‘b’ _____________.’)
- Formative Assessment: Write academic terms from the unit on the white board and each group takes turns verbalising what them and putting them into context – either using the information fro the appropriate answer from the faux quiz, or the most appropriate answer.
- Reflection: Answer the following reflection questions using the Question Continuum below. (Note, some questions address methodology and some address the content. Both are essential to foster self-efficacy for our students.)
- Yes/No Were the questions amusing?
- Which Which multiple choice options were the most absurd?
- When When did you realise that the ‘quiz’ was not what you were expecting?
- Where Where is Stonehenge located?
- What What was Stonehenge designed for?
- How How have scientists made conclusions about Stonehenge?
- Why Why is it important to study sites such as Stonehenge?
- What if What if you had the opportunity to go back in time and work with the builders of Stonehenge? What would you most want to know?
video explanation…
find more scaffolds here…
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