Monday 11 May 2015

"It's Buzz Time"!

Hey teachers, what do you do straight after your basketball/soccer/netball game each week? Get in your car and drive home? No. Not straight away - you talk.

You get together with your team and reflect on what just happened. The good plays, the mistakes, the funny bits, what worked and what didn't. You share your perspective of the game, and learn from each other. 

I give my students the same opportunity. After a game or activity concludes, or even if it is just a break in play, I say to my students "It's Buzz Time".

They know what this means.

They turn to the person next to them or huddle with their team mates and talk about what just happened, and I stand back and let them go for it.

The resultant sound is like a hive of bees buzzing away.

'Buzz Time' enables:

  • A chance for students to express themselves and be heard.
  • A chance to listen to others and learn the art of taking turns to speak.
  • Learning from others' mistakes and triumphs.
  • Enjoyment through re-living the funny moments in a game. 


Following 'Buzz Time' I invite the students to tell the class what was discussed. The teachable material that comes from 'Buzz Time' is endless. It is a technique that I use regularly with all year levels at my school.

And it's not just for P.E. classes. Try it in all your other lessons. Sometimes students will steer a discussion in a direction you had never thought of, and this is when your students can become the teacher!


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