Bryan Koivisto, who teaches organic chemistry at Toronto Metropolitan University, collaborated with PhD Candidate Anthony Morgan to bring Freestyle Socials into the virtual classroom.
In a Freestyle Social, a question is asked and players are given 10 seconds to form an answer. Then, they move to whichever side they agree with and each side gets to explain to their opponent why they chose their answer. If someone changes their mind through the explanation, they are allowed to switch sides.
According to Bryan, students come to their organic chemistry classes with a predefined opinion. They develop a fight or flight response to the course which limits their thinking. Freestyle Social offers students the chance to fearlessly explore organic chemistry while expanding critical thinking skills. That said, Freestyle Social as a concept is transferable between different disciplines.
About The Learning and Teaching Grants
The Learning and Teaching Grants Program (LTG), funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, supports teaching excellence and pedagogical leadership, along with our community’s ongoing dedication to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and decolonization (EDIA + D) in the classroom.