CROSSWORD CHALLENGE: Making Your Own Crossword Puzzle

HAZEL A. WAGNER

INTRODUCTION

This chapter on Learning and Creativity ends with an activity that combines many principles of creativity with several levels of cognitive behavior. Building a crossword puzzle out of words used in the seminar enhances learning through the qualities of searching, questioning, restructuring, analyzing, synthesizing, simplifying, encoding, defining, explaining, and defending.

Seminar Leader Dr. Hazel A. Wagner says that this is "an excellent review because participants look through the seminar workbook to find good words to use and they have to think about definitions or clues for each one. The participants find that they are reviewing everything covered in the seminar to search for good words to use. It is also fun because it is a contest among the teams and because the teams come up with puns and other funny twists for the clues". An added bonus, according to Dr. Wagner, is that any questions left over from previous days easily get raised, often answered within the team during the creative process, or get asked of the Seminar Leader as they come up during team work.

KINDS OF SKILLS TARGETED

• Correct usage and application of new terminology and concepts

• Definitions and clues are discussed resulting in greater understanding and retention

TRAINEE BENEFITS

Trainees themselves commented:

"Fun".

"Helped us review what we learned the first two days".

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• To improve understanding of seminar material

• To facilitate retention of seminar material covered

• To engage with other seminar participants in review and retention in a fun way

MATERIALS NEEDED

Blue prize ribbons or other small prizes.

Safety pins for the blue ribbons.

Simplest version: Plenty of flipchart paper or other paper with grid lines. Instructions printed or displayed.

Nice addition: Plastic tiles with printed letters can be used, available in teacher supply stores.

ROOM SET UP

Team tables with approximately equal size teams

TIME REQUIRED

1 to 1.5 hours

PROCEDURE

Note: The procedure that follows assumes a seminar lasting more than one day.

1. At the beginning of any day except the first, plastic letter tiles are piled in the center of each team table. Each team takes a blank sheet of gridlined flipchart paper, or the Leader can provide each team with a copy of a blank 12 — 12 crossword grid (see handout attachment). This can also be done just with paper and pencil. The plastic letters add some flexibility and fun. A 12 — 12 grid is a good size to use, but any size will work depending on how much time is allotted for this activity.

2. Instructions are printed on a flipchart, displayed on an overhead or slide, or printed and handed out. Most participants are completely familiar with how crosswords are numbered and clues listed. Rule: All words used must be terms from subjects covered in the seminar with the exception allowed for a few short words (3 or fewer letters) if needed.

3. A specific amount of time is given, normally approximately 45 minutes, and all teams must stop at the same time. It is worth the time because of the excellence and completeness of the review that takes place.

4. The unused/blank squares need to be filled in and the teams are encouraged to be colorful ( although if using a copy machine, copies are unlikely to be in color ). If there are only 2 teams no copies are needed. If there are 3 teams, you can either make a copy or have them do the extra copy by hand. Otherwise, make enough copies so there is one for each team other than the originating team.

5. Hand out the crossword challenges to the teams face down. At the appointed time they can turn the crosswords over and start working on them. Allow 15 minutes and give 5 minute, 3 minute, and 1 minute warnings. As soon as a team is done, the members raise their hands. The other teams continue until the time is up.

6. Each team signs its result(s) to be checked. The originating team checks for mistakes. Any crosswords with mistakes are out of the game (though contesting and discussing an alternative answer is fun and eye opening).

7. The first team finished with an entirely correct puzzle wins. (Pieces of blue ribbon with safety pins or other small items are appropriate as prizes.)

As a team, use words and definitions from what we have covered
and design a crossword puzzle up to 12 — 12.

Make it colorful.

List the clues in 2 columns , Across & Down.

Clues can be definitions, fill in the blank, etc.

Fill in the numbers and "black" squares.

Then we'll exchange so the other team(s) can solve your puzzle.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
37	38

1 M	A	R	K	E	6 T	I	N	G		11	12
13	14	15	16	17	I	19	20	21	2	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	M	31	32	33	34	35	36
37	38				E

HANDOUT

Across

Down

 

ABOUT THE TRAINER

Name :	Hazel A. Wagner President, B9D, Inc.
Address:	784 Sanday Barrington, IL 60010
E-Mail:	[e-mail]
Fax:	847-304-4994
Telephone:	847-304-4999
Cell Phone:	847-910-9999

 

DR. HAZEL A. WAGNER has invested more than 25 years in education, technology, sales, and marketing. She has worked for major universities, corporate training institutions, and public and private corporations. She has a wide range of experience in consulting, management, teaching, instructional design, and testing methodology. She has managed sales and marketing organizations, developed worldwide alliance programs, and taught adults in corporate environments and graduate schools of business, such as the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, DePaul University Graduate School of Business, and Cardean University.

In addition, she has more than 20 years in marketing and sales for leading computer and telecommunications companies. In the areas of technology and marketing, she has worked for and/or consulted for General Electric Information Services, Digital Equipment, Oracle, Northern Telecom, Edventions, and Metamor Technologies, and others. She has taught classes on teamwork, effective communications, marketing, international marketing, sales skills for consultants , and sales skills for technical professionals.

In 1992, Dr. Wagner founded B9D, Inc., a marketing, sales, and training consulting company where she serves as President, specializing in technology, telecommunications, and consumer electronics businesses. B9D clients include a wide range of companies, ranging from Internet start-up firms to Fortune 50 companies and international corporations.

In July 2000 she was named by I-Street magazine as one of the top 25 women in technology in the Chicago area. She holds a PhD in Mathematics and an MBA in International Marketing and Finance.

Hazel Wagner has taught the following AMA Seminar:

5512

Fundamentals of Marketing