In this episode of "Counselor Chat" I discuss strategies to actively engage students in lessons. There are challenge of keeping students engaged but active learning activities are a way to increase student engagement, retention, and critical thinking skills.The benefits of active learning include promoting skill development, diverse perspectives, and an increased enjoyment of learning.Activities Discussed:The "partner pairing" strategy, which alleviates the pressure of students choosing partners and encourages random pairing."Four corners" --a versatile activity for evaluating different perspectives on various topics."Cross the line" -- an activity to prompt students to express their preferences and opinions.The "value line" strategy encourages students to position themselves along a continuum to represent the strength of their feelings about a topic."Down the line" --a group discussion activity that involves students moving to different positions to share and discuss questions."Circle in circle" -- similar to "down the line" but involves forming two circles and rotating positions."Snowball fight" activity, where students write answers to questions, crumple them into "snowballs," and engage in an interactive exchange of ideas."Toss and catch" involves tossing an object to students who must answer a question or pass it to another classmate."Create a commercial" activity, where students work in groups to create persuasive commercials related to a topic."Two Truths and a Lie" is a fun activity that encourages students to identify the false statement among two truths and one lie.Post-activity discussionsare important to guide students in reflecting on the past, present, and future implications of their experiencesActivities to try:Friendship Speed DatingGet Up and Move ActivitiesWhere Do You StandFour Corners ActivityGrab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcastJoin Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!Connect with Carol:TpT StoreCounseling Essentials WebsiteInstagramFacebook