Middle School Motivators!: 22 Interactive Learning Structures

These tried-and-true learning structures encourage all students to do their best learning, stay fully engaged, and work with one another in dynamic, purposeful, and respectful ways. Discover how to meet the developmental needs of young adolescents for physical movement and socializing with peers while helping students meet lesson objectives in any content area.

Samples of learning structures include: Consensus Mapping: Small groups of students work together to identify and reach agreement on the main ideas; Debate Duos: Pairs of students learn to respectfully debate both sides of an issue and consider multiple perspectives; Jigsaws: Small groups of students explore content in greater depth and then share their new knowledge with others.