I use a lot of what if questions in class discussions. It allows me to see the continuity of thought and logic used to find the correct answer.
I personally like giving the minute paper CAT because it allows the students a few minutes to ponder on the objectives/concepts they really grasps and those they need a little more clarification on. It also allows the instructor (me) to see what parts of the lesson I need to revise and find new ways to present the information. Allowing students to perform the CAT at the end of the lesson is a great way to close out a lesson and gives the instructor an idea of how to re-cap the next day before moving on to new material.
Hi Craig, Yes, especially in an English class, students need that feedback and it needs to be frequent as you mention. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Edward, - That is indeed the reason to use CATs - rather than waiting for feedback from a midterm or final, CATs can give us even daily feedback that can help us to alter our instruction accordingly. Best wishes- Susan
Susan Polick
The one think I like to do as an English I instructor is to allow my student learn from both the things they do well and from their mistakes. After every paper, we take some class time to workshop with each other and discuss what was really working on their paper and what needs help. This seems to help my students greatly.
Not only can I use them to gauage how well a lab task has help my students gain the knowledge they need for the course, but also for the feild we are training them for. This allows me to correct any misunderstood material or procedures the student needs to master.
Hi Drieca, That is really excellent - your students certainly benefit from your efforts! Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Susan...yes, I have actually had a friend who is a professional coder come in and do a presentation about hospital coding. It was great! I actually have a lot of hands on material for my students because I manage the business office and do medical coding and billing everyday.That is something I try to do often...bring in professionals when I can to come in and speak to my class.
Hi Drieca, I know that you will find the use of CATs valuable. Is it possible to have medical and billing professionals come in to speak about their careers to your students? Susan
I will be cetainly using the "minute paper"....I thinks that's a really good method for me as the instructor to understand and know what my students are nut understanding. My biggest fear is that students are not understanding what role they play in this field. I teach medical coding and billing and I find that some students are clueless as to how this whole career process works...and just how rewarding it is.
Hi Robert, Thanks for sharing some good techniques to use in determining student learning styles! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
CATs can be used to discover the learning styles of the students. After a reading assignment, ask a student to dummarize the content, and ask one or more others to expand on the answer given by the first student. After a lab, ask students to apply the techniques that were used in the experiment to a slightly different situation. After a video presentation, ask for feedback and applications of the material. This will reveal the learning styles of the individual students, and show you which methods to avoid, or to improve upon.
Hi Evelyn, Yes, that's an excellent explanation of the importance of using CATs! Best wishes- Susan
I would use cats at the beginning of the lecture and then at the end of the lecture. At the beginning it would be to warm up the students brains, so to speak.
The benefits for faculty are that CATs provide feedback from students while the learning is in process. Using CATs takes away the element of surprise for both the student and the instructor by closely monitoring and modifying the teaching/learning process within the classroom.
Hi Kerry, Thanks for sharing a great example of the need for frequent assessment.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Annmarie, Thanks for your post to the forum. How effective do your colleagues feel their use of CATs is? Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
In teaching Machine Shorthand, daily assessment is necessary to ensure that the students are writing words correctly and understanding the new concepts introduced on a daily and weekly basis. Without assessing students' regularly, unknown to the instructor, students may be using incorrect keystrokes or finger placement and will develop bad habits that are hard to break.
While I haven't used this type of assessment in my lab class, other instructors in my program give anonymous assessments every week, and review the answers in the class room so students can see where they went wrong.
Actually I printed off some of them from the web site link that was shared and intend to use them frequently. I want to know what the student already knows so I know where to begin my lectures/discussions. It will also help me to know who might have something to add to a discussion that isn't participating. I realize sometimes them saying nothing doesn't mean they are not learning. They may prefer to sit and listen to how others feel and not share what they are thinking or feeling. But they are still learning.
