A Teacher’s Secret Weapon

It should come as no surprise that learners of any age learn better when they are using what they know and when they feel that there is a reward. This is why there has been a surge in learning games that teachers can use in their classrooms and that they can personalize with very little work. This allows teachers to work hard when they need to, and to enjoy their time off when they don’t need to work that hard. One of these games is a version of Jeopardy that can be played within Microsoft PowerPoint, and that relies on the teacher to assign points and categories.

Using it is rather simple

Once a teacher has downloaded the template from any number of free teaching websites, using it is rather simple and functions in the same way each and every time. The teacher just edits the categories at the top, puts the correct answers and clues into the slides, and then saves the slides to their computer or a flash drive. Meaning that a game can be re-used year after year or can be adapted to fit the needs of different learners as the teacher goes, making it a great tool for anyone of any teaching style.

Once the powerpoint is opened up, the teacher merely clicks upon the clue, waits for the correct answer, and then reveals it with another click. Many templates also allow a score keeping mechanism to be utilized, but most teachers prefer to do this on paper or in some other program. The entire process is completely stress-free and motivates students to come to class rather than skipping what might be seen as an easy class.

Usually, this tool is used to review for tests and finals, ensuring that students pay attention and are fully prepared to take on the assessment that lies ahead. However, it can be used to review reading and to test the overall knowledge of a classroom as well. Because the game relies on students to speak up, it doesn’t penalize anyone who hasn’t studied and doesn’t shame anyone for not knowing the answer. The information that is displayed makes it easy to take notes and also makes it easy to upload to an online learning tool for student review as well.

Jeopardy powerpoint templates are one of the newest weapons that a teacher can have, but they are a very real time saver and a genuinely motivating piece of technology.