Assessment
Informal assessment should take place in the classroom on a regular basis. This includes evaluation of students as they interact with their peers, we can ask questions to make sure the students are student are retaining and understanding the information that we are sharing with them.
I have found that incoroporating activities in segements of my lectures not only make the class more exciting but it also helps the studnet to become activitely invovled in their learning experience.
Vernise
Norman,
This is a great method for engaging your students, during the class session. Since students generally have anxiety regarding Math, do you find that it is difficult (during the first weeks of class) to get them to work out a problem on the board, in front of the class? If so, what methods do you use to appease their anxiety with participating in the activity?
Tremayne Simpson
I teach math, but this could be applied to other subjects. One of the best tools/exercises I have found for determining areas to emphasize in class is to have a student work a problem on the board. I establish a rotation so that I am not using one or two students over and over. I find 2 or 3 problems that are similar and have a student work one on the board. Then another student works the second problem, etc. Before using this, I would see that some topic was not clear and explain it again. But, still not clear. By watching a student, I can see how they are trying to solve a problem. Once I see their method, I have choices:
1. Tell them why it doesn't work and what changes to make.
2. Fix a minor flaw in their process.
3. Incorporate some steps from their method into my demonstrated method.
4. Explain why their method will never work.
By using different students, I am not focusing on a select audience, so they are willing to participate. By being able to narrow in on the issue, I am able to save time and the rest of the students have another opportunity to learn. I have explained this process to my current students as a teaching method and they have all bought into it.
Assessment and evaluation are dynamic and
ongoing process to identify needs and problems
of students,and then we can implement interventions and corrections.
Gina,
Yes, peer-induced learning can serve as an excellent reinforcement to the lecture. Also, it enables the students to use networking skills, which will be important when they enter the career world.
Tremayne Simpson
Gina,
Yes, peer-induced learning can serve as an excellent reinforcement to the lecture. Also, it enables the students to use networking skills, which will be important when they enter the career world.
Tremayne Simpson
I agree with this aspec of teaching also. If you add different activities in the class you can really understand how your students learn and maintain the information
I completely agree about adding activities and informal assessments to the lecture portion of class. It engages the students and keeps the lessons from becoming stale and one-dimensional. Group work and problem solving exercises are great ways to break up the monotony of a straight lecture. This gets the students interacting with each other and forces them to find practical applications of the subject matter in order to find their solutions.
It also helps them know if they know the material
In addition, informal assesment on a regular basis also keeps the student on thier toes and makes them better prepared for the formal assesment.
