Grej of the Day
Being a teacher will never be an easy position. Apart from the actual teaching, there are often countless hours devoted to assessments, planning and organisational skills to be uncovered. Then, within all these areas, are also a myriad of staff meetings and trainings to be absorbed. While learning ourselves and honing our teaching skills should always be at the forefront of teaching, there does, however, come a point where all these skills we are presented with may become overwhelming. Evaluating and selecting practices which align with our beliefs is critical to ensure continued success within the classroom for the long term, rather than trying ideas as temporary measures until the next ‘new idea’ seeps in. In the quest to expand my knowledge of learning strategies, I came across a gem of an idea called Grej of the Day.
Background
Grej is a Swedish word that represents ‘one thing.’ The concept of Grej of the Day was created in 2009 by Micke Hermansson, a former classroom Swedish teacher. As a child, he devoured countless facts and details from published materials including the Guinness Book of World Records in his free time as a hobby. To inspire his students, he decided to share and transfer this incredible wealth of knowledge to his students, instilling within them the enthusiasm to be inquisitive and discover new perspectives in the process of learning. Never did he imagine how this one unique idea would transform students’ curiosity to initiate self-directed learning and also work to deepen their thirst for knowledge. The idea behind the Grej of the Day is simple. Give students one micro-lesson during the beginning of class. These can be anywhere from 5 – 8 minutes long and the teacher gets to determine which topic to delve into, from the blue sea slug to the Pyramids of Egypt. Teachers are only limited in their topic choices by their imagination.
The idea behind the Grej of the Day is simple. Give students one micro-lesson during the beginning of class. These can be anywhere from 5 – 8 minutes long and the teacher gets to determine which topic to delve into, from the blue sea slug to the Pyramids of Egypt. Teachers are only limited in their topic choices by their imagination.
3-Key Steps
There are three important components to making any Grej of the Day successful.
Step 1: Piquing Their Curiosity (1 min)
The teacher begins by giving students a clue the day before regarding the upcoming topic. Unbeknownst to the students, these brief clues are the catalyst to encourage them to explore their thinking as well as prepare their brains for learning. These clues do not need to be extremely detailed and may include a single sentence, with some cues being:
- A fun fact about the animal/object/subject to be discussed
- A question for students to ponder
- A famous quote
- An image
- A part of an image
- A short audio clip
- A play on words
- A riddle
Step 2: Fun Facts & Stories (4-6 mins)
After the students have analysed the clue and have guessed the topic, the next step is for the teacher to proceed with the main points of the presentation. This is where the magic happens! The teacher begins by providing students with a micro lesson, captivating them by building background knowledge on the subject and infusing them with further facts and information packaged in a very compact and dynamic presentation. It is important to note that within these slides, there should be a strong focus on visuals with minimal amount of text, further cementing the acquired information.
This is also the stage which most teachers deviate from, for if the information presented is too long, few facts are retained. The key is to ensure that the teacher not only delivers content effectively, but also presents it in a manner that is intriguing and memorable.
Step 3: End with a BANG, Provide the Next Clue and Re-Teaching (1-2 minutes)
In the last few slides, the teacher concludes the session in three stages. First, end with a bang! The Grej of the Day session ends by introducing an exciting and little-known fact regarding the topic, a piece of trivia, an extraordinary detail, or even a cliff-hanger note leaving them wanting more. It is best not to tell your students too much as they may lose interest in the subject matter. You might end with a question like:
- Did you know that the Eiffel Tower was initially supposed to be a gift for Barcelona, Spain but the Spanish government rejected it?
- Did you know that sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins can?
- Did you know that supermarket apples can be a year old?
Following the amazing fact, the teacher provides the class with a quick clue for the next day’s Grej of the Day. Finally, the session draws to a close when students are tasked with recalling facts from the presentation and then sharing this information with another peer or adult before the next day. It has been shown that students who share information learnt demonstrate a greater retention rate of up to 90% of the material covered in class. Some teachers have expanded the Grej of the Day concept even a step further. They have created classroom display boards linking their learning of the world around them by showing connections between culture, events or people. Others have created notebooks for students to document their learnings or created lunchtime Grej of the Day clubs with clues posted on designated spots at school and presentations made in large auditorium settings.
Conclusion
Although the world of teaching continues to evolve, we as teachers are often inundated with ideas from all angles. As such, it is easy to deviate from our intended paths and continue to remain focused on our goal utilising the best practices in our field. Despite these setbacks, we as teachers can help foster students’ inquisitiveness by providing them with tools to develop them into lifelong learners. Unlike other innovative ideas, Grej of the Day is notably different. With it, not only can we diversify the content we teach, but we can also develop lifelong skills such as curiosity,
confidence, enthusiasm to learn and willingness to share – all of which are essential for creating a more knowledgeable individual.