Interactivity – the Key against Boredom

Due to the pandemic context, teachers all around the world are confronted with various problems: lack of performant electronic devices, a stable internet connection, what platform to use, what strategies to adopt, how to deliver the information, how to assess, how to get students’ attention and many more. There were a lot of unknown data for most of us. Moreover, one of the fiercest enemies we struggled with was students’ boredom. Sometimes our screens showed only colored circles which couldn’t tell us if the people behind them were listening to us or they got bored and were doing something else.

A solution to this problem is using interactive PDF and PPT presentations. They are vivid, interesting, competitive, and fun. They can be used not only in online classes but also in face-to-face teaching if you have a video projector at hand. You can create them by yourself (there are useful tutorials on youtube) you can take them from different platforms which offer helpful educational resources.
The following examples show two interactive PPT presentations and one interactive PDF.

Interactive PPT: FRUIT WHEEL
Vocabulary:  fruit
Procedure:  There are two teams: boys and girls. Each team sends their representative in front of the class for each round. With the help of a video projector, the PPT will be projected on a screen so that all the students see what happens. The students will spin the wheel, press stop, and click on the right word which defines the fruit chosen by the wheel. Each correct answer will be given a point. The team with the highest score wins.

Figure 1. Wheel of fortune PPT caption (Herber)
Figure 1. Wheel of fortune PPT caption (Herber)

Interactive PDF: SOCCER EQUIPMENT AND GEAR
Vocabulary: soccer equipment and gear, sports
Procedure: With the help of a video projector, the PDF will be projected on a screen so that all the students could see it. The students, in turns, come in front of the class and drag each caption to its corresponding pictures.  There is a Submit button that is pressed at the end and the students will see if they were right. This is a good way to both revise soccer equipment and gear vocabulary and learn new words. The activity may continue by giving examples of other sports where each of these equipment items is also used. Consequently, they revise sports vocabulary too.  The activity can take the form of a contest (two teams).

Figure 2. Soccer Equipment and Gear PDF (www.busyteacher.org)
Figure 2. Soccer Equipment and Gear PDF (www.busyteacher.org)

Interactive PPT: JEOPARDY
Vocabulary: construction, school subjects, landscapes flags, space, technology, games, health, and care
Procedure: This activity based on the famous game Jeopardy is a great way to revise vocabulary and at the same time to have fun. It is an interactive PowerPoint presentation. The teacher explains the rules of the game: 4 teams, 1 representative; they pick the topic and the question; correct answer brings them the correspondent number of points; wins the team with the highest number of points. Students form the teams and decide who the leaders are. Students choose and answer the questions. The best team gets a certificate.

Figure 3. a), b) Jeopardy PPT (Hofman)
Figure 3. a), b) Jeopardy PPT (Hofman)

Webography
Herber (2013). Fruit Wheel of Fortune (PPT). [online].  http//:en.islcollective.com  (17. Sept. 2020)
Hofman, L. (2007). Jeopardy. Advanced (PPT). [online]. www.eslgamesworld.com/. (8.May.2021)
www.busyteacher.org

 

prof. Lavinia Mureșan

Colegiul Național Petru Rareș, Beclean (Bistriţa-Năsăud) , România
Profil iTeach: iteach.ro/profesor/lavinia.muresan

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