It is just as important to start the course on the right foot as it is to finish it with a good taste in your mouth . After so many months of classes, learning, round days and others that are not so important, the important thing is to go on vacation with a backpack full of good memories . To do this, we propose these 5 dynamics for the last day of class.
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DYNAMICS FOR THE LAST DAY OF CLASS
a course of moments
In the end, a course is full of moments, unforgettable moments and others not so incredible, but which are also part of the experience. As the days go by we can forget and the last day of the course is a good time to remember them .
Define as many categories as you think convenient and in groups they have to remember that specific moment that they do not want to forget. The categories are endless:
One word, one sentence
An image
A fun moment, a complicated moment
a different activity
a specific day
A tip for the next course
A proposal to improve
Something that surprised you
Something they have learned, etc…
You can try to reach a consensus among all the groups for each of the categories and even translate it into a mural or a digital document depending on the age, to have it as a souvenir.
Beginning and end of course
To carry out this activity we will have to do a little memory. Divide the class into groups. Each group must represent two scenes: one of how they felt at the beginning of the course and another of how they feel at the end.
They can use mimicry, representation, use elements that are in class and even make some if they need it. In this way they will be aware of the evolution , of how they have changed during the course and even of what they have learned, since this dynamic can not only be used to represent feelings but also learning : an exercise, activity, problem that at the beginning of course they did not know how to solve. Maybe you get some surprises, but surely most of the evolutions are positive.
When all the groups are ready, they will perform in front of the rest of the groups. In this way, everyone will have a global vision of what has been the course that ends.
laughing students with computer and notebook for proposals for the last day of class
weaving the net
A course is full of experiences and learning that have inadvertently contributed to their personal growth. Most likely they are not aware of it until you make them think about it. This dynamic serves to reflect on the important things that we take away from the course in relation to the rest of our classmates, beyond knowledge.
You have to give them a few minutes to think of one good thing that defines them and that is also positive for the rest of their classmates: listening, sharing, working in a group, giving in, supporting, paying attention, intervening, defending… at some point or respect tosomeone.
Then, sitting in a circle, each one verbalizes their learning or their contribution in their own words. The first one has a ball of wool and once he has explained it, he keeps the end of the ball and passes it to a partner, who cannot be either the one on the right or the one on the left, and he has to keep it tensed.
The idea is to weave a network of which everyone is a part , of which everyone is necessary and with which everyone is connected. A nice memory to go on vacation!
cognitive bias
Another dynamic for the last day of class involves dividing the class into small groups of 4-5 students to work better. As for the material, you only need to project a sufficiently large image of an abstract painting or sculpture . If you don’t have a projector, it can be a sheet, big enough for the whole group to see.
Next, you must explain that the title of that work is, for example, “freedom” and that they must think of reasons that explain the title as a group . “Why did the author decide to call it freedom?” After a few minutes of discussion, each group will share the reasons that have been appearing and you will write them on the board.
Once you have written them all down, you will confess that you have invented the title . You will explain that only one person, taking advantage of a hierarchical situation, has managed to get an entire group to see and think what they wanted.
It is important to close the dynamic. We will reflect on the manipulation and cognitive biases to which we are all exposed, and we will work again as a group to look for current examples. A proposal to take a critical thinking backpack on vacation!
A course of objects
To carry out this activity you need to previously select objects that have been representative of the course . You will also need a large sheet or blanket to cover them.
The activity consists of passing the object under it, without anyone seeing it and being able to identify the object by touch . They will have to agree on a solution. This will lead them to think about that specific moment or learning. You can spend a few minutes remembering that moment before moving on to the next.
Finally, you can organize a debate / reflection / vote to determine what will be the object that best represents the course : it will be the memory they take with them for the holidays and it may even be the memory they have forever of this particular course.
