At the end of each unit, I have my students anonymously answer a few questions. I ask what they liked most and what they didn't like about the previous unit. I also ask for suggestions as to what changes they would like to see. I take the information and try to incorporate their ideas into the next unit to make sure the students stay interested in the learning process.
We do end of term corse evaluations and also listen and observe throughout the term to see if the students are meeting the standards set.
Mike,
It is great that you have an open relationship with your class. It is very important for instructors to establish an excellent rapport with their students. Once this relationship is established, students will be candid in their responses and will be genuinely more engaged with the course.
Tremayne Simpson
Tremayne,
I find that the students enjoy being able to be open with me and really appreciate that I am willing to listen to their input. They understand that I will not be changing the entire curriculum to discuss everything everyone writes down, but even incorporating one or two small things in gives them a sense of contribution to the program.
Mike,
Do you find that the majority of your students are "candid" with their responses?
Tremayne Simpson
During their first week of class, I have my students write a short paper that has their goals and expectations for the program within the content. I use that information to evaluate my lesson plans and try to make sure that the material they have written in their paper is incorporated somewhere within the content of the course. By doing this, the student will be satisfied with the course content without me having to come out and say, "hey, what do you want to be in my lesson plan." I have found this to be a very effective method.
I usually take the feedback from end of course evaluations into consideration in my next course. I also allow students to give comments for feedback throughout the semester by debriefing after a particular assignment. I will ask their experiences and the relevence of the assignment to the course learning objectives and goals.
in term of production... we dictate the techiques and the rules. we don't allow students to provide direct input on the lesson.
Anyway when some of the students have experience and positive knowledge, we encourage them to give some feedback for the benefit of the group.
There have been times that I have allowed students to provide input in a lesson plan revision. Of course, it was not a section that was extremely vital to the course of study, but something that was minor enough to play around with. This actually empowered the students to feel that they had a say-so in their course of study. I noticed that they took the direction a little more serious because they had some say in it. I was very pleased with the results and the students were pleased with themselves. It was a win-win situation for all.
Tony,
Reviewing student input can serve as a reflective opportunity. The student perception of an instructor's approach or usage of activities, is a great tool to use for self-observation.
Tremayne Simpson
Evelyn ,
I agree that regulation is important. In addition, it is important to remind them that their suggestions must be related to the learning objectives of the course. More often than not, student input can be tangential.
Tremayne Simpson
Karen,
This is an excellent concept! You can also used the "exit cards" to find collective themes, that can be used to evaluate general, student comprehension.
Tremayne Simpson
I modify my lesson plans based on end of course student survey. I always get good ideas from them. One time some students suggested, in their survey, to change one of the text book. They thought that the last three chapters of that text book was a waste of time. Well, they were right about that. I replaced that text book. So far, I am getting a good feed back about the new text book.
I'm new to teaching, so I have yet to submit any kind of class evaluation form. I am slowly becoming acclimated to the role I play and think this may be helpful.
I do, I look at what they have to say I evaluate the comment and see if it fits and is appropriate. I am always learning and because of that I can see some times that a subject could have been taught better or with more clarity and focus. I think students help bring that kind of information to light.
I do not necessary allow my students to knowingly alter my lesson plans, however I do encourage their feedback on the class and our discussions and have used them to alter a lesson plan during instruction.
I like to incorporate "exit cards" into my lesson plan. I have the students fill out a little piece of paper with three bits of information:
What I liked best about today, what I want to know more about, and what I still don't understand. I can use their input to formulate the next lesson plan, and to revise the day's plan for the next time the topic is presented.
I believe students should be allowed to provide input for lesson plan revisions if there is a subject which they would like to go further into detail, or maybe a topic they feel is relevant to the course they would like to discuss and learn. Their suggestions can be regulated by how relevant they are to the course material and if they would apply to their career or everyday life.
Laura,
I like the idea of having a "student-centered" system. However, it is important to establish guidelines and to clearly define methods for students to provide their input. "Free-for-all" systems can become difficult to manage.
Tremayne Simpson
I teach by a student directed system. If they are having problems with a certain area, I may change my lesson plan to explain it in more detail and make notes that I should go into further detail the following semester.
