As the winter holidays approach, teachers often feel the need to switch up their usual classroom routines. With the excitement of the upcoming holiday break building to a fever pitch among students of all ages, educators may struggle to keep their classrooms on-task. Below are some ideas about how teachers can harness technology to maintain a momentum of learning as we head into the holidays.
Embrace holiday or seasonal themes
Lean into the excitement of the holiday season by creating lesson plans with a festive twist. From exploring the magic of the science and geometry behind snowflakes to delving into different winter holidays celebrated around the world, weaving holiday themes into the curriculum shows students that learning can still be fun and relevant, even as they look forward to the break.
Add extra brain breaks
If you find your students are more wiggly than usual, try adding in some extra brain breaks to the school day. Research shows that physical activity can enhance our executive functioning abilities like focus and working memory. Put on a GoNoodle dance, stretch or breathing video to help kids release some of that extra energy. If they’re still squirming and the weather allows, a brisk lap or two around the school can also help students regain focus.
Gamify
Gamifying learning is another way to keep students interested before the holidays. Platforms such as Kahoot! allow teachers to transform a mundane review quiz into an engrossing, competitive game. Have small groups of students work collaboratively to make the experience even more dynamic.
Need to take things up a notch? Try challenging your classroom with a digital escape room. Educational apps like Google Forms and Nearpod can make the process of creating a digital escape room more manageable. Teachers can also explore existing resources at sites like Breakout EDU. Students will learn about collaboration and problem solving as they work to solve the puzzle.
Take a (virtual) field trip
Harness your students’ innate curiosity by taking a virtual field trip to the North Pole or having students study another culture’s winter traditions. Using technology to widen students’ perspectives of how various cultures celebrate is a fun and engaging way of making the world a little smaller while still remaining educational.
Learn about other cultures
Draw out kids’ natural curiosity by assigning them a multimedia holiday-themed project. Students could incorporate an interview with an older relative about their family’s holiday traditions, bring in a holiday recipe that represents a different culture, or share short stories or music that gives students (and teachers!) a glimpse into the breadth of different celebrations that take place across the globe.
Host a movie day
While not as high-tech as some of the ideas listed above, most kids still appreciate a good old fashioned movie day to ease into the winter break.
While it’s typical for student attention spans to narrow as the holidays approach, teachers can use the power of educational technology to bring a little novelty to their classrooms while still ensuring their students are learning. By adding extra brain breaks, gamification and virtual field trips (and of course, the time-honored tradition of showing a movie just before the break), teachers can help their students ride the waves of holiday excitement without straying too far from the curriculum.