We have a tool that helps us do this very effectively in our curriculum. It's a "Self Study" assignment for each day, that the students should do outside of the class time. The self study assignments directly relate to the tasks that we are doing in class and even though I don't grade these answers as homework, I can look at everyones answers as we go over it as a group and find out what they know.
TERESITA,
Do you assign the prior learning pre-tests/quizzes during the first week of the course?
Tremayne Simpson
cole,
This is a great method for identifying student knowledge. As I mentioned earlier in the post collaborative activities are a great way to assess student subject knowledge. The instructor will have to keenly observe the group interactions to fully understand the individual levels of prior subject knowledge. Also, "random selection" of student groups can be helpful as well.
Tremayne Simpson
I will ask students about their prior life and work experiences about the topic using a pre-test, or a quiz.
joseph,
"Icebreaker" activities are an effective way to get the class started. I also use icebreakers for the first day of the course, however I try to find new ways to deliver them. For instance, I may ask the students to interview classmates or conduct an impromptu, collaborative assignment before they get to know the other students. Either way, they typically establish a level of comfort with their peers and are able to have productive discussions thereafter.
Tremayne Simpson
David,
You can also assess prior student knowledge by using an appropriate activity. The activity can be collaborative or individual, however it may provide you with a "candid" assessment of your students. Questionnaires can achieve this, as long as the students do not have anxiety and perceive it to be a formal exam or quiz on the first day of class.
Tremayne Simpson
Pearl,
I agree that it would be best to begin the course with an assessment to gage your students' skill sets in regards to math. Is there a mathematical prerequisite for this course? If so, it would be a good idea to review the learning objectives of the prerequisite course, to see which math concepts are covered in the class.
Tremayne Simpson
In my case we do a lot of hands on demonstrations, so what I like to do is ask them questions durring the demonstration to see the level of knowledge the group has on that specific topic. With this insight I can gague the amount of time I need to spend on that subject, or if i can give them some extra information. All groups are different and need to be led differently.
On the first day of class I take time to go around the class in a discussion , during this chat I ask the studend where they are from, what they were doing before entering this school,what was their hobbys, and what they see as their future. this always gives me some insight as to what they know or kon't know about the course content.
On the first day of class, I normally go over the syllabus and course objectives with the students. The course objectives normally have learning outcomes that the students will need to have before leaving my class. This is an opportunity for me to highlight those objectives and ask questions about what the students know about these subjects. Hopefully I also get some students who are willing to ask questions about the topics they don’t really know anything about. The point though is to engage them to see what those things are that they know or don’t know.
I think I could improve on this by creating a questionnaire that pertains to the class objective and the major themes of the class.
I am currently teaching a new Ultrasound Physics course for the first time with a new textbook. The first chapter is all mathematics! Although our students take 10 weeks of general education math courses we typically have several students who would prefer to be done with math :-) A few students are very comfortable with math. I noticed that a few students were not challenged enough, and most students were fine with the pace I was covering the material. I have learned that I will definitely give the next class a pretest over the types of math problems from chapter one thereby giving me an idea of the best to approach chapter one.
Desirae,
Great example. Students appreciate when their instructors can remember provided details about them. It ensures them that their instructor cares about them as an individual student, which can go a long way in creating a welcoming and inclusive learning environment.
Tremayne Simpson
Desirae,
These are great methods for assessing student experience levels as well as knowledge in the subject areas. In addition, there can be an informal portfolio review for higher-level classes, for a better gage of the student's prior work.
Tremayne Simpson
Steve, as a first time teacher,I have learned this strategy to be the best ice breaker. This also helps when I am discussing a subject matter, and I can remember explained about his/her background and tie that into the discussion.
Some ways to identify what your students already know include asking simple questions about there background in terms of professional learning and classroom settings. You can ask them about the courses that they have previously taken prior to your class.
On the other hand, you can ask them about their work experience. Work experience is a good topic to discuss because it will help you, the professor assess whether the student has real industry experience.
Anthony,
I also use this approach. It is best to give the assessment on the first day of the course, because it provides the instructor with an ample amount of time to revise the course lesson plan, based on the results.
Tremayne Simpson
Yes I do administer the pretest and quiz on the first day Mr. Simpson. It helps me feel out who needs extra attention and also to determine how much of a review I need to go through before I can move ahead.
Anthony,
This is a great method for identifying the prior subject knowledge of your students. Do you administer the pretest on the first day of the course?
Tremayne Simpson
I give a pretest on the basics of the subject matter and very brief quiz to determine the level of competency within the group and to see which individuals may need extra attention.
Geneva-Marie,
This is a great method to assess the prior knowledge of your students. It is not an "overt" method, so students will not have "test anxiety" or feel under pressure to discuss their knowledge of the subject. In addition, this serves as an "ice breaker" activity, which will get the students comfortable with sharing their thoughts and opinions in the classroom.
Tremayne Simpson
