Activiting prior knowledge
Blooms Taxonomy
Poetry Writing
Making predictions
Games
Turn and Talk
How does each of the above instructional strategies impact student learning.
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22activate+prior+knowledge%22&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7SUNA
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm
Making predictions: See the 6th (highest) level of Bloom's Taxonomy.
All are intended to teach students to think and be creative, not simply to parrot back facts and statements.
Let us know specifically how you see each of these six things affecting how students learn, and someone here will be happy to comment on your thinking.