I teach a class that relies heavily on powerpoint slides. I plan to implement a sort of feedback exercise in between or during the last 2-5 minutes of class to determine what they've learned or absorbed. They can either write it down or openly discuss it. Any other ideas? Thank you!
At the end of each Chapter of our text book I will have each students tell me something about the material that they could relate to the most. They would have to go into details so I will know that they fully understood the material.
Jacqueline Coleman
By repeating each task daily and adding one new portion every day the students acquire good work habits and can strive for excellence on each project.
I agree Nancy. It also allows you the opportunity to see which student's may need a different teaching style if they are struggling.
Daily quizzes on course content allow you to see if the students are comprehending the information you are giving them. Also having weekly lab days allows the student's opportunities to apply the skills they have learned in the classroom.
The online learning system we use now has a feature called grade book. The grade book tracks students' cumulative performance. So at any point during the course both the instructor and student are able to see where they stand. This enables the individual student and instructor get together and devise a plan for the student to succeed going forward.
Hi Francis, Thanks for sharing ideas to keep students engaged in their learning and using critical thinking skills! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Circulating while the student work problems is one of my favored methods.
I also salt the sessions with questions that seem to come out of left field. For example, when covering the formula for circumference, I ask the question: If you had a planet with a diameter of 10,000 km, and you wrap a band of metal around the equator, how much length do you have to add to the band to lift it 1 inch off the ground all around the planet? What if the sphere was only the size of a basketball? How much would you need to ad then? What if it was only the size of a pea? The result is so unexpected that it sparks the interest of the class and makes them look again at what the formula means.
We use competencies as a way to assess their knowledge.
Using formative evaluations gives student the feedback they need to help cement in concepts and skills. I am using labs, role playing and quizzes as a formative evaluations.
we have weekly welding test for the students to perform at the end of the week they are reviewed and graded
We have weekly quizzes and written homework and labs each week. With these 3 things in place it keeps me up to date on there progress. With the labs I am actively involved with them. They all have to participate in the labs.
We have weekly labs and a lab final where the students are evaluated.
We also use weekly labs to evaluate student progress in the didactic section of out courses
At the end of each block of instruction, I have different students summarize various objectives covered by the lesson plan. If answers are not complete, I ask if anything was missed and allow others to participate in summarizing the objective. I try to get all students to participate in the end of session recap. At the end of the day, I do the same thing, but look to summarize the full day’s block of instructions to ensure they have a comprehensive understanding of how all the blocks of instruction built on top of each other and are tied together. This method requires some time to allow for discussion, but is easily managed when taken into consideration.
Hi Robert - The timely feedback that you give your students in Lab is ideal!
Susan Polick
We have Labs on an almost daily schedule, sometimes 2 or 3 Labs for that day, I can evaluate the students grasp of the subject by the performance of the Lab tasks. I grade as I go so discussing briefly the missed portions of the Labs helps the student understand better and achieve higher understanding of the objectives of the class.
Hi Frantz, Thanks for sharing a good technique to interact with students as they are learning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I do a weekly "Class Participation" project where the students demonstrate a skill required in the field. I walk around to see how everyone is doing and give comments. What I discovered is that students who normally never asks questions raise their hands when they are stuck. Since they know that no one has mastered the skill yet, it seems less intimidating to ask. I feel alot of them respond well to this and I get immediate feedback of their skill and knowlege level.
