Hi Tamara, Thanks for your post to the forum. Using case studies for your Career Development is excellent! I also teach Speech and have used the Minute Paper with great success. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
CATs can be incorporated in a number of different ways. I like to assign short research assignments and I give each student a portion of the total research. They can then share the information with each other and me in an informal discussion. This allows the students to gain confidence and skiil in both written and oral communications as well as giving me opportunities to give feedback in a non-threatening way.
I think this is a great tool to use regularly in class. I like the minute paper idea and the background knowledge probe best. I think we have to move so quickly through information this would be a valuable gut check as to how much was gained from each days exercises. I am going to initiate into my class this week on a trial run. I am currently teaching a review class so this would be a fabulous opener to each session.
Using CATs are very important you are able to get feedback from the class which can be helpful with your teaching styles. I enjoy using the Minute Paper CAT because it is easy to do just have the Students take a half sheet of paper and summarize the most important thing they learned in that class period. They can also be asked what was the most interesting thing they learned in class this will help you with your teaching.
I like the idea of using the minute paper for one of my classes. I teach a class that involves learning a program. I could have students write an assessment of the topics covered, what they felt was the most important aspect of the class, and any questions they may have regarding the topics covered.
The classroom assessment techniques are simple, formative assessment that faculty can use to collect feedback to examine how well student and learning.
These sources of feedback can be informative to the instructor in how exactly their teaching methods are effective or uneffective.
And the assessment ensure to the students that the instructor views their opinion as valuable source of information.
My greatest concern is that students are able to comprehend the material presented and then apply the knowledge to the job. Theory is great; however, there is no substitute for experience. That experience can be taught somewhat in the classroom, but the desire and knowledge of the student can only be measured by job performance
I've been using case studies and ope-ended critical thinking questions for my Career Development class-both as review and to assess where students are at. For Beginning Speech, it seems that minute papers might be useful, too, especially in larger size classes where personal coaching could get tougher.
by putting it in to technique skills and discussing it with the students
I like the minute test while including one unanswered question after a procedure demonstration. This permits students time to focus attention to a segment of a procedure that they(and others)did not understand, and allows them to come to a more comprehensive understanding together.
What I do to my students is to give them a weekly short essay writing on what they have learned for the week. This allows me to gauge their level of comprehension of the topic and it enables me to adjust my delivery methods.
CATs are great for both student and instructor. It lets me know how well the students are comprehending what is being taught and also lets me know if there are areas I need to elaborate on.
Hi Linda, Great examples of active learning and excellent feedback - thanks for sharing! Have a great holiday!
Susan Polick
Hi Diana, I also rely on frequent quizzes to give me important feedback that cannot wait till mid-terms! Have a great holiday!
Susan Polick
Hi Alisa, I especially like your use of review questions to have students see the tie-in with new material. Have a great holiday!
Susan Polick
Hi Dan, thanks for your great illustrations of the usefullness of CATs! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I monitor student learning by use of CATs. They effectively show student progress and understanding of concepts--Minute Papers at least two in a 4 hour class, then group discussions and Punctuated Lectures with me posing critical questions or asking students, either individually or in groups to supply lay person examples of the concepts which were presented in the relevant chapter(s)
With career classes being accelerated in nature I try to break up the course with more quizzes than just the typical midterm and final. Utilizing a quiz well before the midterm can help you determine where problems may exist for students as well as the instructor.
I have recently begun to have a few pop quizzes after the introduction of new material, so that I may gauge how the students are gathering and applying the information. I find this helpful bause I only see my students once a week. I have also begun to incorporate a lot of review questions that tie into the new data, so that they may see the relevance of previous lessons.
