Hi Andrew- Welcome to Ed 103! I have probably never thought about that before; most students don't get exposure to economics in high school so for most of us it is that murky area we hear about in the news. So, I think your first day questions are a good idea. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
Hi Stacy- Welcome to Ed 103! Doing an oral assessment at the start of your lesson also gives you a clearer picture of where your students stand with the last lesson before you plow into the next. Great work! Best wishes - susan
I like the idea of taking a moment at the close of a day, or when completing a topic to have the student write down key points they have learned along with one unanswered question.
I like the idea of taking five minutes at the beginning of class to have students list what they learned the previous class. This givers instructors the opportunity to check in on the students comprehension of the material and whether is carrying over to the next class.
I do not always use written exams to assess my students. I incorporate oral questions quite a bit by doing a review at the beginning of each class. This way, I still know what the students learned from my lessons, but I do not stress them out with the word quiz or test. If i do not have good participation, I hand out more written assessments, and the participation increases and so does the students' knowledge base.
I always have a handout on the first day with some questions. It allows me to see where the students are when they enter the class. More importantly though, it allows me to set a expectation for the class (Economics) since most students don't really know what to expect from an Economics class.
This type of format lets the students know exactly what is on the scedule and what is expected of them. This type really works out well for us as for 95% of our cirriculium is based on students working in teams.
Hi Chanel - I think the survey is an excellent idea as it will serve as your guide as to where your students need the most work and also can be used to compare to their post-tests/finals to show them how far they have come. Best wishes! Susan
Hi Kerry - Welcome to Ed 103! We have our instuctors put the class oblectives on the board and then, as you mention recap those objectives at the end of the class and check each of them off. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. susan
I like the Minute Paper it is a good means of receving information on weather or not you are ontrack with your lesson plan. By takeing afew minutes every couple of days the feedback from the students lets you know as an instructor if they are understanding the material.
I tell them what they are going to learn at the begining of class. Before the end of class I recap what I just taught them.
I can incorporate these techniques into my classroom early on in the program. These CATs will let me know the difference in level of all of my students. I would like to do a questionnaire and discuss this amongst my class. I would like to do it on a scale of how familiar/not familiar they are with certain upcoming subjects. I think this will bridge the gap and make my class a cohesive unit so they can be comfortable in knowing not everyone is an expert of the field on day one.
In our current class, we start them off with a daily quiz to keep them reviewing for the cummulative exam. Some questions are repeated to emphasize specific points or if the class is consistenly getting a question wrong to learn it right. We go over the exams as a class and then record them and hand them back to study. The scores on tests are improving and we add new questions as we move forward in chapters.
Hi Jan - Loved your post! Yes - sometimes we just can't win no matter what we do but in the end we keep on trying! Best - Susan
Actually, I think the biggest benefit of CAT's is for the instructor because it allows for improvements in delivery and reenforcement of strong points.
I like the CATS for the same reason - see where we hit and miss in classes and the curriculum.
When the CATS are reviewed with students and I say I learned from them what to do or say BETTER NEXT time, they think either 1) wow we helped Ms. Meigs make it better for the next bunch of students or 2) wow we got shafted, Ms. Meigs didn't teach us that way. But I thank them for teaching me something new.
I like to use a open group discussion with class and teacher participation geting them started off with Q & A quizzes It gives me an idea of what they may need more of, and it gets them in their seats and ready to face the day.
Hi Lou - I love that idea! There's nothing better than positive feedback at the end of the day to get students excited about starting again tomorrow! Susan
I like to assemble my students at the end of the class and allow them to present their best work of the day for everyone. This gives students an opportunity to show work that they are proud of, and also provides a forum for discussion of what is really good (why), and what could be better (how).
By immersing the students into the problem solving activity or task to complete. The instructor can give feedback during the process of problem solving to best facilitate the learning process of the student.
