I know what you’re thinking – “this author wants to teach us about a game called ‘Collision’? Oh, this can’t be good.”
Relax, take a sip of your coffee, and stop to learn this interactive teaching strategy.
Ingredients:
A class of students
An open area to move around
A list thought-provoking questions that can have multiple answers
Chairs (optional)
Directions (if using chairs):
- Set the temperature of your classroom to “learned and need to review.”
- Add the students to the open area.
- If using chairs, place them in a circle and make sure that the students have room to move in and out of them. There should be a handful less (1-5) chairs than students – just like you might play in musical chairs.
- Have the students sit in the chairs except for the “leftovers.” They stand in the middle.
- Explain to the students that you’re going to ask them a question. After you say the question, you’re going to say the word “Collision!” nice and loud. Only then are they able to get out of their seats and try to find a new seat to sit in as a “base.”
- The only rule is they can’t sit in the same seat or the seat to their immediate left or right.
- They also cannot leave their base early. Doing so will automatically put them in the middle for that question.
- Four out of the five times, the students who are “stuck” in the middle are going to answer the question. Repeat the question so the students can hear it a second time.
- Every 5th time, the teacher has those who are stuck in the middle trade places with any other random student so that those replacements can answer the question.
- Feel free to remove more chairs as the game continues to increase the competition.
- Repeat as needed or until thought-provoking questions / time / students are exhausted.
Directions (the Mr. Miller Method, which is not using chairs):
- Play the same way as above, except split the students into 2 groups.
- One group will serve as the chairs / bases by planting their feet firmly in the ground and extending a closed fist in front of them. These students will all be facing the middle of the circle.
- The other group (which there are a few more of than the “bases”) will face an initial “base” partner with their back to the middle of the circle, except for a few extra who are in the middle.
- Just like in the above directions, students will stay connected to their “base” via a fist bump until they hear the word “Collision!”
- After that, they need to release from their “base” partner and find a new one. Just like above, it can’t be immediately to the left or right.
- Before you read the next question, ask the students to “Switch.” The kids who were previously “bases” will now become participants, and vice versa.
- Feel free to move more students to the middle as the game continues to increase the competition.
- Repeat as needed or until thought-provoking questions / time / students are exhausted.
Notes: Feel free to use a chalkboard, SmartBoard, or white board to explain ahead of time. However, don’t bet on that helping students to learn it. Just remind them it’s a lot like musical chairs and it’s meant so that nobody gets hurt. In 9 years of teaching, I’ve explained it well enough to them and encouraged them to be mindful of one another enough that I’ve never had a student experience injury. If students are too rowdy, immediately remove them from the game.
Otherwise, enjoy!