I believe discussing these techniques in the classroom with your students would be effective. It will help them gain an understanding of how and why they are used
Hi Susan,
I am a fan of all of the CATs examples. In teaching English, the Minute Paper gives students an opportunity to write without being graded, the thought being the more they write the better they get. The Background Knowledge Probe, can be done as a small group (with some changes) or as a class discussion project. Process Analysis this CAT might be used one-on one with students that are having trouble. Punctuated Lectures this has to do with question and answer periods during or after a lecture.
All, or portions of all of these methods can be done each class period.
josh
I would think at the begining of lession you are about to cover and after the lession. As this would see what they knew comming in and then what they gained comming out. You could then adapt by covering the requirements and even going further depending on overall class situation. If they knew more on the subject than anticapated you then could cover the basics and then present even more info on subject
Classroom Assessment Techniques are frequent feedback sessions that enable an instructor to evaluate a students progress individually and a class group collectively. Analyzing the feedback should give indicators as to what additional work is required. Does an individual require more assistance on a particular area? Does a group require more practice during a lab? Does the instructor need to revisit a particular area of the subject matter to more thoroughly impart information? Frequent and quick assessments can enable the instructor to monitor progress of everyone in the class to prevent students from becoming lost and possibly failing the class. Naturally, this can be directly related to student retention. In addition, the more frequent the feedback, the more engaged the student can become in the course.
I have not used CAT's techniques. After reading this module will help better my class environment. Currently I am using extra credit question to use as a reference for feedback.
As far as CATs are concerned, a great idea is to create a short paper of the instruction you are about to perform then have the students perform it in class. You want to make sure you explain all information about the task before completion.
After the task is performed, make an assessment and get some feedback from the students and see if there could be possible changes made to the task at hand. This allows the student to learn what you learned and if positive changes can be made to the learning objectives.
Simply write day to day feedback and let the students know how they are doing, this will help with midterm grading and evaluations. This method also allows for quicker assessments and makes for better student/teacher relationship.
Hi Julia - welcome to class! I think that with adult subject matter experts as students the CATs would be less necessary as feedback from this audience would be more readily given.
This is the first time I have ever heard of CATs as a source of feedback. Currently I don't plan to implement any of the specific techniques that were mentioned. My classes are comprised of adults who are subject matter experts, but need to learn how to create a lesson plan and teach. In the current 5-day format, each student is in front of the class four times. Two lesson plans are constructed and presented. The students take a short survey to determine which theoritical view of education matches their thoughts and behaviors in the classroom. They complete the KAI to show differences for recieving and responding to information. They also complete a pre and post test. When I expand the course to two weeks, at least 3 more lesson plans and practice teaching exercises will be added as well as test writting exercises. With a maximum of 8 students per class, it is a very supportive environment of co-workers. In additioning to questioning, I can tell through non-verbal feedback when someone is having difficulty.
At present, when we review a chapter, I play a game with my students.
I introduce a topic, then throw a nerf ball to a student, they then add a point or fact about what we have learned. That person is then out.
They throw the ball to another student, who adds to the disucssion, are then out and they throw the ball to the next person of choice.
This is done until all students have added to the discussion, I then finish with any additional information as necessary.
This way all students are involved and feel like they have contributed to the discussion.
It gives me feedback on what they remember, and how well the topic was covered.
It also gives the students reinforcement on information covered by the students.
Have the students write down what new terms they learned today, or a brief review of what they learned.
Hi Amy -not sure how to get students to verbalize what they didn't learn because if they did't learn it they probably don't know they didn't learn it (-; You could have them tell what they found was the hardest to learn/understand. It's likely that those topics will be what some students did not learn at all.
I have been using a verbal CAT at the end of every week. I ask students to tell the class one "good thing" they learned durning the week. This allows the whole class to hear what everyone has learned. Is there a good way to get students to verbalize something they didn't learn?
If the purpose is explainned, students are more likely to provide answers about their understanding instead of answers fearing a grade.
I have found that the basis of class room assessment is built on existing good practice by the instructor in providing the students with feedback in a timely fashion. I have found that it provides me a platform from where I can base, adjust and meet the student’s needs even if needs to be individually. Watch and observe all avenues of communication, non-verbal alike. We fail the student if we don’t engage the student. I know from past experiences of being a student myself that I should never forget that so I have the ability to understand their needs as well. This tool we call assessment is the key to the students success.
I use minute papers quite often. They are quick and can be reviewed quickly, too.
I like the idea of the minute paper, if the students will honestly answer you, then it will be an effective way to assess their understanding of the material. Some of the students that I have had think that they will not use some of the information they receive in the field.
These techniques can be useful, especially at the beginning of a course, to determine each students exposure to the material(background knowledge probe). By utilizing a minute paper, any unanswered question, recorded by each student, can be discussed in open forum, and the student didn't have to be put on the spot to ask it.
Hi Louis- that is really terrific! I think that more schools should put an emphasis on customer satisfaction. This does not have to translate as "The customer is always right!" but does mean that we do our best to do what is right for our customers!
One of the chapters in my curriculum covers “Customer Satisfaction Index” as it relates to a service industry. I explain to my student that the teaching environment in many ways relates to a service industry – the students being my customers. After the lesson plan is complete the student assignment is to write a “Customer Satisfaction Review” on either the “school”, the “class”, or “myself’. This “customer Satisfaction Review” can be either signed (if the student requests feedback) or left anonymous and the student is checked off when paper is turned in. The grade is only complete or incomplete if not turned in. I will take the information from the review and direct it through the proper channels if the points made are valid and need attention including any comments about my own teaching skills. I assign this every term and if I see a topic come up again, even if I discounted it on a previous review I will the forward it regardless of my own opinion.
Round table questions also work to get the whole class working
