Chapter 8: 25 Ways to Get Through Printed Material
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24.
T
ake an approach from psychology.
The term “autonomy of object” comes from the world of psychology. Basically, it asks that a
problem be viewed as a person. That person is then placed in a specific time and place. The
problem of school bullying, for example, could be viewed from the perspective of a sheriff in
the Old West in the 1800’s. Associations are then made with that era (posse, badges, corrals, and
so on) until an idea for solving the problem emerges. The answer to the problem could be a
roaming “posse” that reports anyone who is bullying other students.
An extension of this problem-solving approach can be employed by asking the class to choose a
person, time, and place to represent the reading selection. A discussion based on associated
elements can then be conducted.
Brainteaser:
Carlos and Bonita, who are brother and sister, are part of a large family. He has
as many brothers as he has sisters, but she has only half as many sisters as she has brothers.
How many children are in this family?
Answer: Three girls and four boys are in this family. Carlos cannot count himself as his own brother, so we know that there
is one more boy than girl: Carlos plus three boys and three girls. Bonita’s sisters are one less than the total number of girls,
because she wouldn’t count herself as her own sister. So, she has two sisters. Consequently, the number of Bonita’s brothers
is twice as large as the number of her sisters. Since she has two times more brothers than sisters, she must have four brothers
and two sisters, making it a total of seven children in the family.
25.
A
pply Zipf’s Law.
This law maintains that individuals naturally tend to use the shortest expression of an idea or
concept. “L.A.” thus represents Los Angeles. Challenge participants to create an abbreviation or
acronym that represents a truncated version of an important class concept. Reminder: An
acronym is a pronounceable word in real use (such as “scuba,” created from the initial letters of
other words: “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus”).
Example: “It Ad”
This phrase represents the four major feet in poetry scanning: Iambic, Trochaic, Anapestic,
Dactyllic.
Brainteaser:
Which will yield you the larger amount: six-dozen dozen, or half-a-dozen dozen?
Answer: Six-dozen dozen—the yield will be 12 times as much as half a dozen dozen.
500 Creative Classroom Techniques for Teachers and Trainers
126
B
onus:
Create one perfect summary of the material and several not-so-good summaries. Post them
around the room. Divide the reading material into five sections. Then form five five-person
groups. (Clearly, this exercise will work best in a class of 25 participants, but could be modified
to work with four five-person teams, or five five-person teams, and others.) Have each group
read one section of the material. (If you have 1, 2, 3, or 4 people left, ask them to read the whole
passage on their own.)
Five new groups will then be formed. Each group will have one person who reads section 1, one
person who reads section 2, one person who reads section 3, one person who reads section 4,
and one person who reads the final section. Group members will discuss what they have
learned, in an effort to get a firm grasp on the whole passage.
The new groups will then circulate around the room, reading the summaries you have prepared
and selecting the one they think is best in terms of its completeness. The leftover 1, 2, 3, or 4
people will do the same. Reward the team or person who first identifies the best summary.
Brainteaser:
The “V” words are next. Again, you will place a check mark next to the words
you know. Be ready to defend what you think you know. The group with the largest number of
defendable checkmarks will be declared the brainiest.
__ vacillate __ vacuous __ vagary __ vainglorious
__ valor __ vamp __ variegated __ venerate
__ veracious __ verbatim __ verbosity __ verisimilitude
__ vernacular __ vertiginous __ vesicle __ vespers
__ vested __ vestibule __ vexation __ vicarious
__ vicissitude __ vigilance __ vilify __ vintage
__ viperous __ virago __ virtuoso __ virulent
__ viscera __ viscid __ vitiate __ vituperation
__ vivacity __ volatility __ volition __ voluptuous
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