The Stock Market Game
These are a few examples of lessons from Michigan that had changed my view of teaching.
The first example is the Stock Market Game. Students invested in stocks and could see in real time profits and loses.
This is one of the first lessons for myself where I learned to empower students. I formed groups and allowed the groups to elect leaders within the groupings. The CEO and the CFO had additional responsibilities of organisation. Students would research the stocks and take the stock to the group where they would vote yes/no and number of shares. Students had to justify with research that the stock was a "buy". The students were independently motivated and their excitement was palpable.
My student teams placed first, second, third, fourth and fifth out of over 630 teams across Michigan with profits of $38,000 in 10 weeks.
Give the control of learning to the students..they learn from success and from failures.
World's Largest Interactive Periodic Table
Learning should have a purpose and learning should be engaging. What is more engaging than a giant periodic table that is interactive?
Students could organize by period and by groups and see the relationships between the atoms as well as how they would bond with each other.
Local press coverage included live TV and multiple news outlets.
Engage with creativity and allow the students to be innovators with your ideas. Then learn from them.
Pet Rock? How about a Pet Fossil?
