CTD Fa14 Weekly Workshop: Getting feedback from your students

CTD Weekly Workshops:

Getting Feedback from Your Students

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Peter Newbury, Ph.D.

Center for Teaching Development,

University of California, San Diego

[email protected]

@polarisdotca #ctducsd

ctd.ucsd.edu

resources: ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/weekly-workshops-fall-2014/

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November 12, 2014

The Lament of the Instructor/TA…

Getting feedback from your students 2

“I WANT to know if they’ve got it, but how?

They just sit there!”

“I’m pretty sure the people who are asking questions are

the ones who understood it best. Why don’t

the ones who are lost SAY something?”

“Is what I am doing helping them?”

“Why don’t they ask any questions?!”

How people learn:


Students need a chance to

try,

fail,

receive feedback,

and try again

before a summative evaluation.

(Bain (2004))

The same applies to instructors

learning how to teach!

Solution: Get Feedback


1. Set expectations

2. Enable and encourage

communication

3. React to student challenges

and requests

(Image: sphere-itize me, captain by demibrooke on flickr CC)

1. Set Expectations


On the first day of classes,

Be enthusiastic

about content of course

about your desire to help them learn

Set expectations

tell them what you will do each week to help/prepare

tell them how to let you know what they want/need

TAs: Have discussion section the FIRST WEEK

If you can’t, send email via TED/class list.

1. The First Day: Be Enthusiastic


“This was one of my favorite courses in undergrad. I am so

excited to be able to help you get the most you can out of

this course.”

“I remember when I learned this – it was hard.”

[normalizing struggle]

“I am here to help YOU. And I will do what I can to figure

out what that is – but I can’t read your mind. I will be

asking you to tell me what you need and what you’d

like me to do.”

2. Enable/encourage communication


Provide a private channel

Email to TA or instructor (develop, discuss, follow your email

policy)

Googleform

surveymonkey

Provide a public channel

Discussion/Question Forum in TED (be sure to monitor the

forum – TA’s job?)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on TED

Piazza: Crowd-sourced questions and answers

How do you communicate

with your students?


piazza

anonymous feedback

hear from individual students in office hours, section,

facebook?

twitter?

Getting feedback in class or section


Muddiest Point /Minute Paper


Index cards

hand out index cards every day as students enter the room

ask them to write down things when they’re confused

collect during class (esp if break) or at end

slip of paper with (smallish) text box drawn on it

at end of lecture, ask students to write down most confusing

point

drop responses in boxes on way out

Can also be done before/in/after discussion section

http://www.flaguide.org/cat/minutepapers/minutepapers1.php

Two-Minute Pause


1. Stop every 10-12 minutes (middle of a topic is OK)

2. Ask students to talk with a neighbor for 2 minutes:

“Review what was just lectured: explain to each other,

check notes, formulate a question to ask.”

3. Return from two-minute pause w/ class-wide disc’n

Why does it work?

reduces cognitive load

provides opportunity for metacognition

put in own words helps clarify/deepen understanding

increases short- and long-term recall [2]

CAPES for Prof in Dept.


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

SP10 SP11 FA11 SP13

Recommend Class

RecommendInstructor

started using

two-minute

pause

Two-Minute Pause PRO


Provide a question in case they

don’t have anything to talk about

don’t know how to have an expert-like conversion

Examples:

summarize material just covered “What do you think would have happened if they ran that experiment with adults instead of children?”

motivate upcoming material “How do you think this will change when we apply it in 3 dimensions instead of 2?”

Two-Minute Pause PRO+


Provide a question in case they don’t have anything to

talk about and provide conversation starters to direct

their discussions.

Melt chocolate over low heat. Remove the chocolate from

the heat. What will happen to the chocolate?

A) It will condense.

B) It will evaporate.

C) It will freeze.

(Question: Sujatha Raghu from Braincandy via LearningCatalytics)

(Image: CIM9926 by number657 on flickr CC)

“Any questions?”


NEVER ask this.

Instead:

1. “Take a minute and talk with your neighbors to see if

you understand or to come up with a question.”

2. Wait 1-2 minutes: circulate and listen

3. “What questions do you have for me?”

4. Take questions and answer them or admit you aren’t

sure, need time to prepare a good explanations (and

get back to them!)

What have you tried?




Reward participation and question-asking:

Verbally

“Thanks”

“That’s important”

“I didn’t realize that, Maria. Thanks for asking.”

participation points

candy (yes, really) Learning your students’

names, not just the ones in

the front. Makes HUGE

positive impact on

“community” in classroom!

3. React to student challenges/requests


For TAs in discussion section or instructors running

review

1. List topics you have prepared in top left corner of

board (Get these from attending lecture, TED forums,

index cards, etc.)

2. Ask students if they have other topics to add

3. Take vote on what students want to cover

4. Go from most votes to least (kind of)

KQS – Keep Quit Start cards


1. Around week 3-4-5 (late enough that they know your

class but soon enough you can make changes)

“Please write down one thing I should

KEEP, QUIT, and START doing.”

2. Review cards before next class

3. Report back (selectively is OK)

Include items that were split (like going too fast/slow)

Things people wanted and you can’t change, explain:

“I HEAR YOU but I need to prepare you for the next class.”

If 90% of students say quit doing something – you are

going to have to quit

How to Get Feedback


1. Set expectations



How to Get Feedback


1. Set expectations



Concept: Martha Stacklin, UCSD-CTD

Images: Action in Lane 20 by djking on flickr CC

Ping Pong by MugurM on flickr CC

References


1. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press.

2. Ruhl, K.L., Hughes, C.A., & Schloss, P.J. (1987). Using the

Pause Procedure to Enhance Lecture Recall. Teacher Education

and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of

the Council for Exceptional Children January. Vol. 10 no. 1 p 14-18.