One of the most effective learning techniques is back to back learning, which is an activity that gets students to focus on precise details and to communicate using only words.

Teachers always want to encourage students to pay careful attention to learning in class. One of the most effective teaching techniques to get students to concentrate on the fine details rather than just the big picture is back to back learning. This strategy has various names but no matter what you call it, it works like this:

1. Students sit close together in pairs but facing away from each other.      

2. One student [student A] is given a picture or other graphical information.          

3. Student A then describes the picture or graphic in as much detail as possible to the other student [student B]  

4. Student B uses the information from student A to draw the picture in as much detail as possible.

5. At the end of the exercise, both students compare pictures to see how close the copied picture is to the original.           

6. Then, the students swap roles and repeat the process with a different picture.    

Points to note:

• Student A is only allowed to explain the picture using words – drawing in the air or giving any other non-verbal clues is not allowed
• Student B is not allowed to look at the picture student A has but can ask questions for clarification
• Other students are not allowed to ‘help’ by standing behind student A and passing on hints to student B
• Students can face each other rather than sitting back to back, provided that they hide the picture behind a book or piece of card so their partner can’t see the information

How it promotes learning    

Effective learning techniques often get students to focus on precise details and this activity forces students to think very carefully about the exact information they need to get across to present the exact picture.     

Students are encouraged to think carefully about the words they choose to convey the information; this might mean helping them to practice specialized vocabulary which is essential to be able to understand the topic in question. 

When students talk one to one like this they are developing an important interpersonal skill as well as exchanging information.   

In a class of 30, 15 pairs of students can be all involved in the learning activity, all talking, all listening, in a focused way at the same time. That’s really productive classroom talk.         

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that ‘picture’ means it has to be something really artistic. This technique can be used in most subject areas. All that’s needed is some information presented in graphic form. For example:           

– In Science, the information to be communicated might be an electrical circuit;     

– In Mathematics, the information might be series of geometric shapes and their properties [angles, dimensions]  

– In Modern Foreign Languages students might describe the layout of a house or the plan of a town – the really challenging element here is that students have to communicate the information in the foreign language    

– In History the information might be in the form of a timeline        

– The ‘graphic’ might be a visual representation of a process, for example, Geography students might explain to their partners the stages in the build up of a hurricane or other natural phenomenon.

Bottom Line  

This technique is quick and effective – although you will probably need to ‘train’ your students how to get the best out of this activity – e.g. establish ground rules about who speaks when, respecting personal space etc.     

It doesn’t need any special equipment or seating arrangements, other than getting students to work in pairs. It gives all students a tight focus for specific learning, keeps them all involved and encourages cooperation, all of which are features of effective learning techniques.

By: Mrs. Merceditha D. David | Teacher III | Pantalan Bago Elem. School | Orani, Bataan