3 easy-to-facilitate classroom diagnostic activities!
Elements of Diagnostics:
– a short activity
– all students are involved
– interactive
– the opportunity for the teacher to “step out and observe”
Diagnostic 1: “I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to bring…”
In this exercise, the class sits in a circle and everyone must add on to the picnic list, remembering what the students ahead of them are bringing as well. For an introductory exercise the students can preface their object with “My name is Andrea and I’m going to bring an alligator”. (Alliteration activity).
What can you observe in this diagnostic?
– students ability to engage in the activity
– memorization skills
– creativity
– patience…while waiting for their turn
– Confidence. How do they react when they forget an object?
– Who seems to be actively trying to remember what everyone is saying, before their turn?
– Shyness. Do they look at their classmates in the eye while they repeat their object or do they look at the floor?
– Attention seekers. Who “milks” their turn?
Diagnostic 2: Create a tableau.
In this exercise, the class is told to create a tableau of a specific scene. For example “a day at the beach”, or “the circus”. They join the scene one at a time and freeze in the “still-life” picture.
What can you observe in this diagnostic?
– students ability to engage in the activity
– Initiation. Who jumps right in? Who waits til the end?
– Balance. The ability to hold a frozen position for a period of time.
– Sustainability. Are they commited to their pose, or do they get distracted watching where their classmates fit it?
– Creativity. Who thinks outside of the box?
– Space awareness
– Do they add-on to another student’s activity? Or do they start their own, in solitude?
– Patience.
– Class dynamics
Diagnostic 3: The numbers game, “Buzz”
In this exercise, the class stands in a circle. The ‘mission’ is for students to be aware of their classmates and count as high as they can. The rules are: they say buzz on any double numbers or numbers with “3” or “7” in them (13, 17, 22, 30-39, 11…etc), and that causes the movement of the circle to reverse. If someone messes up, you start from 1. They game gets tricky when you reach the 30s…and the direction switches every single number.
What can you observe in this diagnostic?
– student’s ability to engage in the activity
– listening skills
– counting skills
– quick thinking
– Ability to follow several directions at a time.
– Confidence. How do they react when they mess up?
– Patience. How do they react when someone ELSE messes up?
– Awareness. Are they ready for their turn?
Andrea Bertola Shaw 