HI Michelle, Thanks for your post to the forum and for a great summary of the value of CATs! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I think CATs are great and used correctly can be beneficial to both the instructor and the student. At the beginning of the class I would ask the students to jot down what they expect from the days class. At the end of the class I would have them do a minute paper. If it is done correctly, that would help the instructor see where she needs to improve on, and what she needs to revisit.
CATs are important sources of feedback for both instructors and students because it allows the instructor to gage what the students are learning, as well as allow the students to assess what they have acquired from the lecture. These can also help instructors gage the overall class for full understanding of material, as well as allow instructors to change their techniques if necessary to reach the course objectives. CATs can be incorporated into teaching in a variety of ways, which will allow students to reflect on what they have learned, as well as provide the instructor with information on what the students acquired from the class.
By using CAT's I can evaluate my students ability to apply higher level concepts. I provide the base level concepts to my students and then they apply critical thinking skills to solve more complex problems.
Hi Harriet, Thanks for sharing some examples of good questioning techniques. Susan
Susan Polick
As I lecture, I always ask questions. I will ask questions that probe their ability to recall prior information and then relate it to the new information. I will also question them to challange them to perform higher level thinking than just recalling facts or information.
The minute paper is a terrific concept to allow students to show what they've learned and to generate a feeling of mastery of the day's concept(s) covered in class. It also can be a way of detecting at what level of Bloom's Taxonomy they can deal with the new information.
Hi Thomas, I agree - I keep notes while teaching a class so that I can use them to revise the class for the next time I teach it. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Daniel, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, the frequent feedback that we gain from using CATs is very valuable. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Barbara, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, students really enjoy playing games as they are learning and I like it as well!Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
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Susan Polick
Hi Sonya, Thanks for sharing some great examples of the usefullness of CATs! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Anne, Loved your reference to a "Mental Vacation"! Can I borrow it? Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Rebecca, Thanks for your post to the forum. I really like your idea of the open book pre-test! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Sharon, Thanks for your post to the forum. I think that in Accounting, that lessons much certainly build upon each other, so the more feedback that you can obtain - the better! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Donna, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, assessing how students can apply concepts is very important! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Robert, Thanks for sharing a very illustrative example of the value of CATs! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi George, Thanks for sharing another great use of CATs! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I have not used CATs but I do plan to incorporate them in the future.
Knowing how well the class is doing and how the students are absorbing the material is a good foundation for making any adjustments to the next time you teach that course. fine tuning the objectives, content and assessments for better results.
I continuously use “punctuated lectures†as a classroom learning technique, by stopping the discussion abruptly to reflect what was just learned. I find this technique most effective, with small bits of information. Also, it appears to keep the students engaged.
