1. What are one or more things you learned from looking at the posters, watching the video, and reading the article?
  2. Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement? How might you apply this in your teaching? What is something you will do differently / what will you think about implementing?
  3. Briefly describe something that you do well in your teaching. For example, you might briefly describe an activity, assignment, or approach you use that is an example of a teaching strategy addressed in one or more of the posters, videos, or article.

« Activity 3 Discussions

Group 4: Central NM, Delgado, El Paso, Fletcher  

Question #1: one or more things learned.
MWC Answer: The posters on active learning methods were not very beneficial to me with respect to “new information gain”. From viewing the posters I discovered that I am employing most all of the methods described in the posters except lecture wrappers and gallery walks.

I viewed all 3- videos and I found Greg Hancock's session on interactive lectures (emphasis on think pair share) to be a nice review of how I currently use active learning (esp. think pair share activities) in my classes. One particular element of this video mitigated one of my concerns related to incorporation of active learning into lectures. Specifically, this video re-affirmed to me that a symmetric consequence of incorporating active learning into lectures was that in order to create the in-class time required to perform the “active learning” component one usually needs to omit other course elements within that particular lesson topic. This video reaffirmed to me that it is absolutely fine to omit one/some elements within a lesson topic to enable the students to gain a deeper understanding of one of the more important and/or unifying concepts within that particular lesson. The student learning-gain via “deeper learning” is highly beneficial to the students understanding, hence would serve to enable the learner to apply the concept to other variants within that topic and encourage critical thinking.

I also viewed Carl Weiman’s video “Group work in the college classroom”. A lot of the material presented was a nice review for me as I have read most all of Carl Weiman's papers on science education. However, one technique I did learn about was the use of individual white boards to help students learn a particular science concept, create a graph or perform a derivation. I learned that simply having students address questions or concept problems via writing their work on a sheet of paper usually causes them to be fearful of writing something down - fear of their answer being permeant, i.e. inability to modify/change their answer. Alternatively, using a white board allows them the ability to erase/remove and/or to change answers, i.e., if they create drawings, graphs, explanations or ideas incorrectly the white board enables them to fix their work later as the class discusses the problem and/or the instructor provides a deeper explanation to the problem at hand. I also liked the idea of incorporating “case studies” centered on experiment design and interpretation. I do this routinely in my classes with concepts that are difficult to understand because they are not easily visualized or ones that possess time-frames either too slow or too fast or to dangerous to perform as a traditional lab experiment. The over-arching idea here is to promote the learners understanding of a basic concept, then have the learner apply this concept to situations with different parameters. This is a very useful teaching tool.
I also liked the section on the challenges related to “group work”. In particular how to compose the student groups, care must be taken as not to have one single type of minority within a group as they may feel isolated. In the past I did not consider this, hence this will be a consideration in the future. My teaching pedagogy really resonates with the information presented in this video. I use group work at least on a weekly bases to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of one of the more important concepts within a lesson. For example, topics such as Plate tectonics, Bowens reaction series, experimental and theoretical density of minerals, geophysical indicators to predict volcanic eruptions - all are topics where I have utilized Group work activities to promote student learning of complex concepts.
I also viewed Carl Weiman’s Collaborative Exam Video (U of Iowa) . I have been using collaborative exams for ~6 yrs. now and I have performed an evidence based study which demonstrates the strengths and shortfalls of this pedagogy. Collaborative exams are a very powerful pedagogy and my studies indicate that use of collaborative exams with our CNM student demographics achieved positive outcomes with respect to enhanced student learning and concept retention.

As for the article Structure Matters, this was review of material I had previously been exposed at the fall 2019 GSA meeting -SAGE 2YC workshop

Question #2: Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement?
MWC Answer:
As I highlighted in Q#1 above I will probably try the white board method presented in Carl Weiman’s video “Group work in the college classroom” to help students learn a particular science concept, create a graph or perform a derivation. This video emphasized that using a white board allows students the ability to erase/remove and/or to change answers, i.e., if they create drawings, graphs, explanations or ideas incorrectly the white board enables them to fix their work later as the class discusses the problem and/or the instructor provides a deeper explanation to the problem at hand. (Note use of the white boards serves to help mitigate the students fear related to writing something down because of it being permeant). However, since CNM does not possess individual white boards for each student I will probably need to implement this in a different manner with respect to what was shown in the video. Since my classes are fairly small I believe that I can put students into groups of three and provide each group with a “designated space” on the classrooms large white boards. In this manner each small group of students can create their solutions together using a media that is easily modified as discussions take place. Might be fun to try this when we discuss Bowen’s reaction series.

Question #3:describe something that you do well in your teaching.

MWC Answer:
I incorporate a lot of active learning into my lessons, such as “think-share -pair” and assorted group activities using computer simulations with guided inquiry based worksheets to help students understand complex science concepts. I have also created activities focused on designing experiments and/or interpreting results from data/graphs. My classes are highly interactive and I promote continuity of this “active learning” by using collaborative exams.

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1) I love the idea from the two-stage quiz video about administering collaborative group tests especially if we already have them collaborating in small groups for activities such as think-pair-and-share. I never thought that a tool such as this could be used as a way for students to build their confidence in being able to speak out and convey the information they are learning in class in a small group discussion. Many students need this self-reassurance that they are capable of discussion with their peers about any topic and what better way to give them that experience then through an exam. With each exam being such a huge portion of their grade each student may feel more compelled to speak out. As it’s not just a classroom activity but it’s an actual exam grade on the line. I believe this will naturally increase course participation as the students become more and more comfortable answering our questions and not worrying about what their peers may think about their answer. Utilizing this strategy along with others I learned through the posters such as the lecture and exam wrappers would help students to adapt to college faster and allow them to work on their abilities as a speaker as well which is rarely exercised by the average undergraduate student.
2) Based on the excellent resources that SAGE2YC has offered I will be changing many things about my biology classroom in the near future beginning with the lecture and exam wrappers. I will embed the lecture wrappers into my lecture slides for the beginning of each lecture and will include the exam wrapper questions on the last page of their exam. I’ve practiced think-pair-and-share before but after watching the video I feel I should be using it more often especially if I’m ever going to try out the collaborative group tests.
3) One thing I do well in the biology classroom is to teach complex biology mechanisms with illustrations and animations using a tablet rather than a whiteboard/chalkboard. The animations are made myself using the animation features in PowerPoint. I began doing this as an action research project to address the issue of student memory retention and my studies all led me to using images and illustrations as a better way for students to retain the lecture material over traditional lecture.

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Good afternoon all,

In answering the first question - one or more things I learned from the posters, video(s) and the reading.....I surprised myself at how many active learning strategies I am using. It seems I am using active learning but just didn't put a specific name to the exercise. The exercise also opened my eyes to so many other activities and the variety of the exercises. The paper was the highlight for myself. Specific to myself it broke the individual exercises in to a more specific goal. Now the activities are more than just a general active learning exercise but goals important to student learning. Something else.....in the article - "Use Praise with Caution". What an eye opener. I have to say I learned a lot!

The second question posed - Implementation - Two things I hope to implement into my own personal teaching are the Gallery Walks and as I stated above using praise with a lot more caution. The Gallery Walks are a 3 time win - 1) they are able to get up and out of their seats; 2) they respond to the prompt in written format and 3) they may also respond....I know students get fidgety sitting. Most of my classes are 2 hour and 20 minutes. This is along time to remain seated and learn. Being able to get up and be productive is excellent.

Finally - Think-Pair-Share....this has to be one of my favorite activities. It may be easily implemented on the spur of the moment! I have to admit I am not very good at pre-planning. I tend to "fly by the seat of my pants".....I know the material I want and need to cover but from semester to semester our "audience" changes. Most often I start the lecture or new material with the Think-Share-Pair.

Finally being able to download the posters, having links for videos, and the article were all great resources for myself - resources available at my fingertips.....

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Good Afternoon Everyone,
Question 1: After reviewing the posters, I discovered I do incorporate a number of the active learning strategies into my classes even though I have not put a label on them. I particularly use the think-pair-share when studying minerals and rock types. The posters opened my eyes to other strategies that I could incorporate in my classroom. I also learned about some valuable strategies that I can use that were discussed in the paper.

Question 2: As I said in question 1, I do use the think-pair share strategy. I am very interested in implementing worksheets (lecture tutorials). I have developed study notes in the past, but I like the way the lecture tutorials were explained in the link given on the poster. I will definitely be looking to create some lecture tutorials. After reading the paper, I would also like to incorporate more group work into my lectures. I believe geology is a great topic in which to do so. I do a little group work now in my lectures and I do see how beneficial it is to students. I also would like to investigate implementing the collaborative documents. I do see the learning curve in my classes increase when students work together.

Question 3: I think the best things I do in my classrooms are the think-pair-share activities. I will typically ask a question at the beginning of class and then give the students time to work on the answers and then discuss them. I also like to end class this way as it is a natural summary to everything that we have been discussing during class.

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Question #1: What is one or more things you learned from the posters, videos, and reading?

As a relatively new instructor right out of grad school, I learned a LOT from the posters, videos, and reading. Specifically, I learned about many different active learning strategies that I had never heard of before (i.e. gallery walks, jigsaw, wrappers). With regards to the reading, I found it really interesting to learn about strategies to allow students adequate time to actually think about biology. For instance, I had an "aha!" moment when the author suggested not trying to do too much within the allotted class time and to instead use class time to address particularly difficult topics. The author suggested using assignments outside of class (e.g. case studies) to bolster their understanding of additional topics of importance.

Question #2: What ideas did you have and which might you want to implement in your classes? What is something you might do differently in the future?

I am currently developing curriculum for some new Environmental Science courses at my college. Some of the ideas that I really liked and hope to implement in the courses that I am creating are the use of think-pair-share activities and the use of gallery walks. For example, I think it would be beneficial for students if I used think-pair-share activities in every class by using a topically relevant graph to initiate discussions about environmental issues. I think it is SO important for students to gain experience visualizing and interpreting real-life environmental data. By using both think-pair-share and gallery walks, I can not only expose students to real data, but it will also give me the opportunity to pose important socio-economic questions related to these environmental issues. By doing so, I hope to stimulate healthy discussions and garner a variety of thought-provoking answers from all of my students.

Question #3: Describe something that you do well with your teaching

I have always been devoted to developing positive emotional connections with my students. On the first day of
class, students will find a notecard on their desks (or a discussion board for online courses) and I ask them to
write their name, major, one ‘fun fact’ about themselves and the most interesting place they’ve
traveled. When introducing myself, I share the same information with them. Rather than conduct
attendance via roll call, I walk around to collect the notecards and engage in discussion with each
student regarding their responses and I am pleasantly surprised by their willingness to share a
piece of themselves with me. I have found that this “icebreaker” technique is a great way of
establishing a personal connection with my students as it provides me with insight into their
backgrounds and personal interests. Moreover, this activity often stimulates discussion and
positive social interactions among students, leading to the creation of an environment in which
diversity and individuality are valued. I also try to be as inclusive as possible by integrating culturally diverse and relevant examples in my teaching. For example, when teaching Biology for Non-Majors, I spent a good amount of time on the importance of Henrietta Lacks when covering cells and bioethics, and I also used climate change data from NOAA to engage critical thinking skills. I hope to continue incorporating these practices in the new courses I create.

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Q1: After going through the materials, I noticed I am familiar with and utilize some variation of most of the active learning techniques in my classroom. I think most science courses (specially in labs) are structured in such a way that discussion and cooperation is both fostered and an integral part of the learning process. Although specific methodologies may vary from instructor to instructor the basic tools are still used and encouraged.

Q2: Although I value consistency in the classroom format, specially in my online sections, I would like to try some of the active learning techniques discussed in the poster, videos, and paper. I have not tried the wrapper and minute paper and I think these two techniques would be very easy and valuable to incorporate into my teaching. After watching the video on group work, it gave me a good insight as to how valuable it can be to students to discuss the "big picture" take away in a written format or as a class summary.

Q3: Group work is a part of my teaching in all of my face to face classes and in some of my online classes. In my face to face classes. If I think back to my evolution as an instructor in the last 20 years, I have drastically shifted from lecture-based to active learning student-based. I see my role more as a facilitator and actively engage students in the process itself. Active leaning in my classroom gives students more than the basic scientific knowledge of concepts, it provides students with the necessary skills that students need to be successful in academia and beyond.

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Question #1
Posters - First, I was impressed at how many different ideas there are for group work! One of my main fears of tackling student centered learning, is I was unsure that assignments I would generate would truly hit the learning objective that I was trying to attain. However, I was not getting any further than thinking about a thin-pair-share exercise. The other methods presented in the posters really showed me that I can take complex topics and trust the students to explore them in greater detail, with guidance, and hit those learning objectives just fine. There are a few of these methods, such as jigsaw and wrapper, that I am going to employ in my classroom to see how well received they are.

Video - There were many great parts to this video, but it really stood out to me when it was mentioned that students are not conditioned to group work, and then again at the end where it was mentioned that this type of group work is truly preparing students to work in their field of choice. It made me realize how much of a learning disservice we are giving our students by doing nothing more than traditional lecture. In a world that is so interconnected, it is truly important that we teach students these skills, and not just so they can master material, but so they are more comfortable working together in the future.

Article - The self-assessment was actually a helpful tool. I recognize that each instructor is going to pick and choose which methods they would like to try in their classroom based on personality and teaching styles. Seeing those different styles is incredibly evident when you see each teaching strategy laid out. There were a few that stood out to me that could be applied instantly without much change in teaching styles, such as giving a longer wait time for answers, or letting students know that I will only accept an answer when several students have their hands raised. Other methods were more long-term and require a bit more thought. I appreciated the sort of step-wise implementation in the assessment.

Question #2
There are certainly a few methods that I can employ right away in my classroom. One that really stood out to me was the minute paper. My students tend to be so focused on exam material and how to study for exams that they panic about that instead of staying engaged in the material. Doing a minute paper might alleviate some of those stressors from them and help them focus. They could be relaying to me their concerns, which could be enough to take the stress off.
I also really love the collaborative documents. I already use a lot of lecture tutorials in my classroom, and this would take it to the next level of understanding. My students always enjoy this type of group work. What I really find useful about the collaborative documents is when you are covering a concept that has many parts, such as minerals, you can essentially take all the mineral groups and assign them to different working groups for presentation. Instead of me standing up there teaching about each, the student groups get to become experts on their given topic. As shown in the video, students (and us too!) learn deeper by teaching to their peers. This would give them that opportunity.

I am certainly going to utilize both of these in my classroom, however, I would love to see how these could be effectively utilized in an online setting. A vast majority of our courses at Fletcher are taught online, and it would be great if I could get students to work together and form a community instead of learning in a bubble.

Question #3
One thing I do well in my classroom are the worksheet activities. It takes quite a bit of preparation and forethought on my end, but I enjoy designing questions and worksheets for my students to complete in class. My philosophy is that geology is just Earth CSI, and we have to determine the why and the how from all the clues. I tend to design my worksheets with this in mind. I present the clue to them in a way that it will lead them to the answer, but only if they understand the material. This tends to lead to a lot of good discussion in class, and we all know that is truly where the learning happens. Letting students "discover" the lessons I want them to learn is more meaningful than if I teach them myself.

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1. What are one or more things you learned from looking at the posters, watching the video, and reading the article?

The posters were excellent models for explaining the active learning concepts. I have attended a presentation on Think-Pair-Share, but there was still more to learn from the posters and videos. Minute Papers, ConcepTest, and Jig Saw stood out amongst the others. I have not figured out how I would possibly incorporate Jig Saw into a Chemistry Lab but I think it can be done with proper planning. Greg Hancock’s video was an excellent interpretation of active learning and it provided a working model for incorporating Think-Pair-Share. I found the posters and videos to be great resources, but the article’s self assessment was the most useful to me. It was a friendly reminder that there is always room for improvement.

2. Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement? How might you apply this in your teaching? What is something you will do differently / what will you think about implementing?

I have actually been trying this semester to implement Think-Share-Pair, but getting my students to work together is like pulling teeth. (Does anyone else have this problem?) It appears as though they’d like to work together but only after each can confirm their answer is correct. I have to find a way to make them comfortable enough to share their work and ideas. Most times I excuse myself from the room and then I can hear the students buzzing about the work.

I want to incorporate Minute Papers for two reasons: 1) to gauge how well the students understand the concept and 2) to determine how well I’ve explained it. There are some lectures where students don’t ask questions because they are not sure what they don’t understand. Regretfully, I’ve misinterpreted those lack of questions as a thorough understanding of the concepts. Only to see the low scores on assessments. When explaining topics like quantum numbers and electron configurations, I want to believe that I’ve done a great job. This is not always true and Minute Papers would be a good indicator of that. Students don’t get to assess instructors until the semester is over. If I can collect anonymous feedback on whether or not students are understanding throughout the semester, the benefits would be awesome for everyone.

The ConcepTest stood out because of its simplicity to incorporate into my courses. I already have ideas to use this for topics such as phase diagrams and heating/cooling curves. It will also be a good prep for test questions and another way to get students to share their ideas.

After attending a meeting on Friday, I did question if I was doing too much in my courses. I’m glad the topic came up in the article and provided support for how to manage. I have decided to start explicitly writing goals and teaching topics instead of being concerned with complete chapter coverage.

3. Briefly describe something that you do well in your teaching. For example, you might briefly describe an activity, assignment, or approach you use that is an example of a teaching strategy addressed in one or more of the posters, videos, or article.

In my face-to-face chemistry courses, I have packets that correspond to each chapter which are referred to as modules. These were originally intended for students to copy their lecture notes in an organized fashion with some definitions and problems already typed in to reduce the time required for the student to copy the information from my lecture presentation. A few years ago I switched from writing on the white board to writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil and presenting my lecture notes on screen via Apple TV and a projector. I found that students were more comfortable with note-taking as their notes mirrored mine.

Last fall, I added in worksheets that serve as ice breakers when starting a new chapter. I try to choose a difficult concept and create a worksheet that relates the information to something students can understand by removing the chemical terms. Before we begin stoichiometric calculations and balancing equations I use a worksheet that talks about building model cars. Simple questions such as, “If four tires are required for each car, then how many tires are required to make four complete cars?” Students can visualize this and then translate it to the worksheet. Drawing the cars brings in a fun and relaxed aspect of the course. I find that activities such as these build confidence in the students and helps them to open up to the more difficult problems in chemistry.

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Melanie-
As someone who has tried most (almost all) of the techniques described, I wonder if you have any suggestions for those who are less experienced. Are here any that you have found particularly beneficial? Are there any that you would steer someone away from (at least initially)? Which techniques have you tried and then not continued using and why? Your wealth of experience is such an asset!
-Eric

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Diondra - I had the exact same problem with the think-pair-share in one of my classes last quarter. They would do the think, but when I tried to get them to pair with someone and talk about their response, I couldn't even get them to turn to the person next to them sometimes! A colleague suggested that I have them stand up and talk to a person not right next to them. The act of getting them on their feet was really, really helpful. It did take a bit more time, but it broke through this issue. I would typically ask them to first stand up and then find someone from a different row or table to share with. Other times I would ask them to find someone that they hadn't yet talked to... anything to break them out of the comfort of sitting in the seat passively! -Eric

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The posters provided such a wide variety of formative assessment tools that can be implemented immediately, which is where I tend to have trouble providing feedback in courses. Projects, papers, and exams take a while to grade and provide relevant feedback much later than when it is needed, so having this ‘toolbox’ of activities to pull from is really exciting. The videos were amazing, mainly because of the implementation of the activities. My hesitation in using new (to me) teaching tools tends to stem from not understanding best practices or not really being able to visualize use of the tools in my classes. The article provides a lot of valuable advice on what the instructor can do to improve teaching and learning from a student-centric approach. I enjoyed the discussions on allowing time in the classroom; it gives students a chance to process information. Also, learning when not to speak from an instructor standpoint (or allowing students the opportunity to work through problems) is an important part of the learning process. I know I tend to rush through Q&A sessions in class and in student meetings, so I know I need to slow down and give time to others.

I am considering use of the Wrapper activity for a new course I’m teaching. I think this would provide valuable feedback to me on what the students are getting out of the course and where I need to improve my teaching. I’m also interested in the cooperative exam. I teach a couple of upper level courses, and I think that implementing this activity with short answer, knowledge and understanding content presented at the individual level, and allowing the cooperative time to work through challenge problems for applying what they’ve learned.

One thing I do well in my teaching is ask for feedback from the students. I’m okay with modifying and changing the way I present things or the direction of the course based on their feedback. I learned about an activity, similar to the minute papers, for research focused courses, called the Muddiest Point. At the end of each week, students write out the concepts they’re still a little ‘muddy’ on, and I discuss them at the start of the next week. Students are also asked to provide a materials list for the next class periods with an explanation of what they will do with the materials (protocols, with fail-safes for experiments that don’t go as planned). This also serves as an avenue for clarification on why we do certain protocols.

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1. What are one or more things you learned from looking at the posters, watching the video, and reading the article?

I found myself realizing I was at least vaguely aware of many of the methods discussed and have implemented, in some shape or form, some of these techniques, especially the Think-Pair-Share approach to problem solving. Over the past couple of activities I have become more informed on the Wrapper method and the Gallery Walk idea is a nice idea that might work in my classes. I also recognized that I can better structure my classes by paying more attention to “Encouraging, Demanding, And Actively Managing The Participation Of All Students” per the article by Tanner. And I can certainly do a better job of “Teaching All The Students In Your Classroom”, in particular point 20 : Teach Them from the Moment They Arrive. However, one common feature that has been brought up over the past two Activities is the idea that to implement these techniques one must sacrifice lecture material. I discussed this with one of the Peer Leaders (Sean Tvelia) from Activity 2 and is something I am still struggling to let go of, especially as a detail-oriented physics instructor.

2. Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement? How might you apply this in your teaching? What is something you will do differently / what will you think about implementing?

Given my comments above, I know that I can better implement the techniques I already use, that happen rather ad-hoc and sporadically throughout the semester. I will definitely continue to develop the Think-Pair-Share approach and work on my version of the Collaborative Exam for weekly quizzes. Although this will require some changes to make these activities more inclusive to ensure that the same ‘good’ students don’t always work together in the same groups week in week out.

3. Briefly describe something that you do well in your teaching. For example, you might briefly describe an activity, assignment, or approach you use that is an example of a teaching strategy addressed in one or more of the posters, videos, or article.

I think I am good at getting students to participate in classroom activities, in particular student-led demonstrations. I have found that students enjoy these sessions and remember the activities throughout the semester, hopefully reinforcing the ideas and concepts presented.

Cheers
Leo

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Originally Posted by Adriana Perez


Q1: After going through the materials, I noticed I am familiar with and utilize some variation of most of the active learning techniques in my classroom. I think most science courses (specially in labs) are structured in such a way that discussion and cooperation is both fostered and an integral part of the learning process. Although specific methodologies may vary from instructor to instructor the basic tools are still used and encouraged.

Q2: Although I value consistency in the classroom format, specially in my online sections, I would like to try some of the active learning techniques discussed in the poster, videos, and paper. I have not tried the wrapper and minute paper and I think these two techniques would be very easy and valuable to incorporate into my teaching. After watching the video on group work, it gave me a good insight as to how valuable it can be to students to discuss the "big picture" take away in a written format or as a class summary.

Q3: Group work is a part of my teaching in all of my face to face classes and in some of my online classes. In my face to face classes. If I think back to my evolution as an instructor in the last 20 years, I have drastically shifted from lecture-based to active learning student-based. I see my role more as a facilitator and actively engage students in the process itself. Active leaning in my classroom gives students more than the basic scientific knowledge of concepts, it provides students with the necessary skills that students need to be successful in academia and beyond.



I also teach online classes and would love to hear any ideas you may have about implementing active learning strategies in an online setting (in addition to more traditional discussion posts).

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Hi Eric,

Thanks for the feedback. I also got the idea today to head to the classroom before students arrive and move desks together. I will start there and see how it pans out. As I was reading some of the comments above, it appeared that some classrooms actually have tables instead of individual desks.
I also have a feeling that there will be much more group work and studying when I return the first graded tests.

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Originally Posted by Holly Kilvitis


I also teach online classes and would love to hear any ideas you may have about implementing active learning strategies in an online setting (in addition to more traditional discussion posts).



A simple active learning tool that I use in my online courses is embedding thought questions right into my recorded lectures (much like what I would do in an in-person course). I talk about a topic, then pose a question. I direct them to pause the lecture and think about their answer before hitting "play" again where they then hear the answer along with further explanation. Some of these questions posed also end up in a Module Activity or Exam as well. If the questions posed are thought provoking, I encourage them to share their thoughts to our discussion board for further discussion as a group.

Bridget James
Peer Leader - Cohort 1 - Northern California

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Originally Posted by Bridget James


[quote=Holly Kilvitis]
I also teach online classes and would love to hear any ideas you may have about implementing active learning strategies in an online setting (in addition to more traditional discussion posts).
[/quote]

A simple active learning tool that I use in my online courses is embedding thought questions right into my recorded lectures (much like what I would do in an in-person course). I talk about a topic, then pose a question. I direct them to pause the lecture and think about their answer before hitting "play" again where they then hear the answer along with further explanation. Some of these questions posed also end up in a Module Activity or Exam as well. If the questions posed are thought provoking, I encourage them to share their thoughts to our discussion board for further discussion as a group.

Bridget James
Peer Leader - Cohort 1 - Northern California



Hi Holly,
I second Bridget's suggestion here - I'm starting to teach hybrid courses and have students do a lot of pre-instructional work primarily using videos, and several students have commented how useful they find these embedded questions. I use clicker questions in face-to-face classes, and students tell me its a similar experience for them.

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Originally Posted by Melanie Will-Cole



I also viewed Carl Weiman’s video “Group work in the college classroom”. A lot of the material presented was a nice review for me as I have read most all of Carl Weiman's papers on science education. However, one technique I did learn about was the use of individual white boards to help students learn a particular science concept, create a graph or perform a derivation. I learned that simply having students address questions or concept problems via writing their work on a sheet of paper usually causes them to be fearful of writing something down - fear of their answer being permeant, i.e. inability to modify/change their answer. Alternatively, using a white board allows them the ability to erase/remove and/or to change answers, i.e., if they create drawings, graphs, explanations or ideas incorrectly the white board enables them to fix their work later as the class discusses the problem and/or the instructor provides a deeper explanation to the problem at hand.

Question #2: Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement?

MWC Answer:
As I highlighted in Q#1 above I will probably try the white board method presented in Carl Weiman’s video “Group work in the college classroom” to help students learn a particular science concept, create a graph or perform a derivation. This video emphasized that using a white board allows students the ability to erase/remove and/or to change answers, i.e., if they create drawings, graphs, explanations or ideas incorrectly the white board enables them to fix their work later as the class discusses the problem and/or the instructor provides a deeper explanation to the problem at hand. (Note use of the white boards serves to help mitigate the students fear related to writing something down because of it being permeant). However, since CNM does not possess individual white boards for each student I will probably need to implement this in a different manner with respect to what was shown in the video. Since my classes are fairly small I believe that I can put students into groups of three and provide each group with a “designated space” on the classrooms large white boards. In this manner each small group of students can create their solutions together using a media that is easily modified as discussions take place. Might be fun to try this when we discuss Bowen’s reaction series.



Hi Melanie,
I think your description of why using white boards can be less intimidating to students because they don't see it as "permanent" and can make edits is very well-stated, and I have encountered the same response from students wanting to be right the first time. Sometimes it seems just impossible to get students past that hang-up, despite telling them that it's okay to be wrong or incomplete in their thoughts as they are learning! Your solution to not having individual white boards but instead using group "designated space" on the classroom boards seems like it should work very well to me. I hope you share how it goes!

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Hi Miguel,

Are the Power Point animations that you use in your course your own original content? I also use a tablet in my face-to-face courses. I upload the .docx file and write in with my Apple Pencil. Students enjoy this because it sets the classroom up for me talking with them instead of always talking to them. Sometimes I draw charts, diagrams, and pictures. However, there is no action, but students are enthused when I use the pencil with animation strokes. I've tried to use an app to do live screen recordings for my online courses but they take forever to upload and some were just not compatible with Canvas. However, I'd like to use animations that I can replay to emphasis certain concepts. I am not super tech savvy, but please share any tips you may have.

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Originally Posted by Miguel Vasquez


1) I love the idea from the two-stage quiz video about administering collaborative group tests especially if we already have them collaborating in small groups for activities such as think-pair-and-share. I never thought that a tool such as this could be used as a way for students to build their confidence in being able to speak out and convey the information they are learning in class in a small group discussion. Many students need this self-reassurance that they are capable of discussion with their peers about any topic and what better way to give them that experience then through an exam. With each exam being such a huge portion of their grade each student may feel more compelled to speak out. As it’s not just a classroom activity but it’s an actual exam grade on the line. I believe this will naturally increase course participation as the students become more and more comfortable answering our questions and not worrying about what their peers may think about their answer. Utilizing this strategy along with others I learned through the posters such as the lecture and exam wrappers would help students to adapt to college faster and allow them to work on their abilities as a speaker as well which is rarely exercised by the average undergraduate student.

2) Based on the excellent resources that SAGE2YC has offered I will be changing many things about my biology classroom in the near future beginning with the lecture and exam wrappers. I will embed the lecture wrappers into my lecture slides for the beginning of each lecture and will include the exam wrapper questions on the last page of their exam. I’ve practiced think-pair-and-share before but after watching the video I feel I should be using it more often especially if I’m ever going to try out the collaborative group tests.



Hi Miguel,
Sounds like you're thinking of making some big changes that seem well-aligned with each other and with the end goal (or bonus effect!) of students being able to work more confidently and effectively with peers! So many students aren't really willing to speak out in front of the whole class, but will engage (with prompting, support and practice to "normalize" it in your classroom) with more private discussions in smaller groups. I've done versions of two-stage exams for a while, and while I dont' think I implement them perfectly, they seem to really help students get feedback on their thinking and their ability to avoid common mistakes on their exams. And that it helps out their grade a bit is a definite bonus! Pairing the two-stage exams with exam wrappers seems to have additional benefit to students in their ability to better judge their own understanding, improve their ability to correctly judge their exam performance, and seek out more effective study strategies (that's a big part of my exam wrapper experience.) Looking forward to hearing more about how these changes go in your classes!

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Originally Posted by Tina Carrick


Good afternoon all,

In answering the first question - one or more things I learned from the posters, video(s) and the reading.....I surprised myself at how many active learning strategies I am using. It seems I am using active learning but just didn't put a specific name to the exercise...

Something else.....in the article - "Use Praise with Caution". What an eye opener. I have to say I learned a lot!

The second question posed - Implementation - Two things I hope to implement into my own personal teaching are the Gallery Walks and as I stated above using praise with a lot more caution. The Gallery Walks are a 3 time win - 1) they are able to get up and out of their seats; 2) they respond to the prompt in written format and 3) they may also respond....I know students get fidgety sitting. Most of my classes are 2 hour and 20 minutes. This is along time to remain seated and learn. Being able to get up and be productive is excellent.



Hi Tina,
So great to hear that you discovered you are actually doing a lot of the active learning strategies but didn't realize they have specific names! I have many colleagues who have had a similar reaction, so I know you're not alone! For me, learning about some of the strategies (that I also didn't know specific names for at first) helped me be more deliberate and thoughtful about how I could use them and why I should use them. I'm curious if you have a similar response when using them now you know strategy names and more about their benefits.

Seems like since I heard about "Use Praise with Caution" that I am always thinking about how I respond to student answers...and trying to praise hard work and willingness to revise as learning happens more than getting the correct answer!

I also teach courses that meet about 2.5 hours at a stretch, and really liked how you noted that there's really 3 wins with Gallery Walks (or as some call them, Gallery Tours as a more inclusive term) for such course meetings.

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Originally Posted by Karen Menge


I am very interested in implementing worksheets (lecture tutorials). I have developed study notes in the past, but I like the way the lecture tutorials were explained in the link given on the poster. I will definitely be looking to create some lecture tutorials. After reading the paper, I would also like to incorporate more group work into my lectures. I believe geology is a great topic in which to do so. I do a little group work now in my lectures and I do see how beneficial it is to students. I also would like to investigate implementing the collaborative documents. I do see the learning curve in my classes increase when students work together.



Hi Karen,
I have used pre-written lecture tutorials in my intro physical geology courses, and find them really useful for bringing out misconceptions and common students errors and questions. They are also great at sparking useful discussion between student pairs or small groups. I havent' managed to write many of my own (just a couple embedded in other assignments, like labs), but wish I could find time to do more! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with and hope you are willing to share!

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Originally Posted by Holly Kilvitis


With regards to the reading, I found it really interesting to learn about strategies to allow students adequate time to actually think about biology. For instance, I had an "aha!" moment when the author suggested not trying to do too much within the allotted class time and to instead use class time to address particularly difficult topics. The author suggested using assignments outside of class (e.g. case studies) to bolster their understanding of additional topics of importance...

Some of the ideas that I really liked and hope to implement in the courses that I am creating are the use of think-pair-share activities and the use of gallery walks. For example, I think it would be beneficial for students if I used think-pair-share activities in every class by using a topically relevant graph to initiate discussions about environmental issues. I think it is SO important for students to gain experience visualizing and interpreting real-life environmental data.



Hi Holly,
Seems like most of us try to avoid quiet lulls in the classroom by packing in too many things, at least when we start out (and I seem to keep needing reminding of this)! My shift to focusing class time on what students find challenging seems long in coming, and has taken time to get a feel for what those things are likely to be, but it's been a very positive change. One strategy I use to do this is give students short textbook or video tutorial assignments they complete prior to instruction on those topics/concepts in class. I make the assignments due at the start of class time, which lets me check in a couple times to mold my activities to what students seem to have the most trouble with. Sometimes I only check right at the start of class, or ask students what they'd like to go over, and tailor our lecture time to that. Sometimes this strategy is lumped in with "flipping the classroom" or "Just in time teaching." Curious as to your thoughts on how you will try to prioritize your class time with students!

I think your idea for helping students interpret graphs in think-pair-shares is a great one! Most of us have had so much practice interpreting graphs in our specialties that its easy to forget that it's really something students need guidance, practice, and support to learn how to do appropriately.

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Originally Posted by Adriana Perez


I have not tried the wrapper and minute paper and I think these two techniques would be very easy and valuable to incorporate into my teaching. After watching the video on group work, it gave me a good insight as to how valuable it can be to students to discuss the "big picture" take away in a written format or as a class summary.



Hi Adriana,
The minute paper and wrappers are strategies I find super useful, and as you say, are pretty easy to incorporate into most of our teaching. I only started doing minute papers fairly recently, and student responses are so enlightening as to what they are getting out of everything we do! (sometimes a ton, other times I'm finding they fixate on what I meant as a fairly minor point!) Usually I find I'm learning at least as much as the students seem to be! Like you I feel that our small lab-oriented courses can really foster great opportunities for discussion, and these strategies seem to help make sure all students' voices are heard and can give feedback. I'll be curious to hear how these strategies work for you and how you implement them.

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Originally Posted by Jacqueline Richard



Video - There were many great parts to this video, but it really stood out to me when it was mentioned that students are not conditioned to group work, and then again at the end where it was mentioned that this type of group work is truly preparing students to work in their field of choice. It made me realize how much of a learning disservice we are giving our students by doing nothing more than traditional lecture. In a world that is so interconnected, it is truly important that we teach students these skills, and not just so they can master material, but so they are more comfortable working together in the future...

There are certainly a few methods that I can employ right away in my classroom. One that really stood out to me was the minute paper. My students tend to be so focused on exam material and how to study for exams that they panic about that instead of staying engaged in the material. Doing a minute paper might alleviate some of those stressors from them and help them focus. They could be relaying to me their concerns, which could be enough to take the stress off.



Hi Jacqueline,
Wow, your comment about the importance of students doing group work not just for learning in our classes but for their future, and also that they are just not conditioned to do it, really hit home for me right now. Although most students seem to be getting the group work support aspect, I find that in my non-lab courses, in which students meet fewer hours, and have less intense group work, some students are really struggling with it. I have been thinking about how I need to emphasize that teamwork is a key skill in almost all careers and that they can/should practice it in our class.

I also hadn't thought about minute papers potentially helping students feel more confident about exams specifically, but your explanation made a lot of sense, espeically if you can strongly link what they will be doing on their exam with the topic of the minute paper. I really like how minute papers can be a "check-in" communication between student and instructor.

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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This post was edited by Sean Tvelia on Feb, 2020
Melanie

I’ve often wondered if it is the potential omission of content that often leads faculty to steer away from incorporating active learning methods. I totally get the feeling of reaffirmation—that's why I love the SAGE group. It is definitely ok to omit—or reprioritize—teaching topics. As you point out the deeper learning gained through a well designed active learning exercise provides students the skills they need to potentially respond to the omitted material in a more meaningful way later in the course—In that manner the other topics are not omitted they are simple taught differently.

I just started using whiteboards this semester and it is definitely a keeper. In the past I would have students use chalk on the desks but that never reached the same level of activity as the whiteboards do. I think you are correct regarding the impermanence of a whiteboard. Even chalk doesn’t erase easily. With the whiteboards students are constantly changing and adapting while they are discussing the task and potential variables. If you or someone you know has access to a skill saw I recently discovered that Home Depot carries 2’X4’ Whiteboards that can be cut to smaller sizes.

Do you see using the whiteboards as a way to improve a current activity or do you plan on adding it to the class activities? Would you have students discuss their group’s work?

Sean Tvelia
Peer Leader-Cohort 1

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Originally Posted by Diondra DeMolle



I have actually been trying this semester to implement Think-Share-Pair, but getting my students to work together is like pulling teeth. (Does anyone else have this problem?) It appears as though they’d like to work together but only after each can confirm their answer is correct. I have to find a way to make them comfortable enough to share their work and ideas. Most times I excuse myself from the room and then I can hear the students buzzing about the work...

I want to incorporate Minute Papers for two reasons: 1) to gauge how well the students understand the concept and 2) to determine how well I’ve explained it. There are some lectures where students don’t ask questions because they are not sure what they don’t understand. Regretfully, I’ve misinterpreted those lack of questions as a thorough understanding of the concepts. Only to see the low scores on assessments. When explaining topics like quantum numbers and electron configurations, I want to believe that I’ve done a great job. This is not always true and Minute Papers would be a good indicator of that. Students don’t get to assess instructors until the semester is over. If I can collect anonymous feedback on whether or not students are understanding throughout the semester, the benefits would be awesome for everyone...


After attending a meeting on Friday, I did question if I was doing too much in my courses. I’m glad the topic came up in the article and provided support for how to manage. I have decided to start explicitly writing goals and teaching topics instead of being concerned with complete chapter coverage.



Hi Diondra,
Absolutely, to your first point here (question really) - I find it often takes a few weeks of Think-Pair-Share to get students to really work together, and get at least somewhat comfortable with the possibility of "being wrong" at first...and sometimes its pulling teeth for most of the semester! Love your strategy of leaving the room, and Eric's of getting students to stand up and walk to converse. I don't have any additional suggestions, but in my own experience and subject (geology) it seems making sure the explanation of "why" something is correct somewhat helps shift the focus on the right answer only.

I find Minute Papers to be useful for exactly the reasons you describe. We hope that we're explaning things so well that students can take the next step and really make sense of it, but so often its way less about what we do and more about what we ask them to do...its not that we give a bad explanation, but just that listening only isn't a very good way to learn most of the time. Minute papers give then a chance to give us feedback on their understanding before the big exam, just as you say.

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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This post was edited by Sean Tvelia on Feb, 2020
Miguel

Group exams are quite possible the best thing I have done to support student confidence. They have completely changed exam days—-I never thought I would hear students say they look forward to exams but it happened. If you do add collaborative exams would you have the groups self assemble or would you create the group?

With respect to the lecture wrapper. Do you think you would be able to use the wrapper to also get students to begin exploring the new lecture material? Being able to use the previous knowledge to inform their understanding of the next topic could also help improve student confidence in their scientific ability.

Sean Tvelia
Peer Leader-Cohort 1- New York

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Originally Posted by Christie Landry


The posters provided such a wide variety of formative assessment tools that can be implemented immediately, which is where I tend to have trouble providing feedback in courses. Projects, papers, and exams take a while to grade and provide relevant feedback much later than when it is needed, so having this ‘toolbox’ of activities to pull from is really exciting. The videos were amazing, mainly because of the implementation of the activities. My hesitation in using new (to me) teaching tools tends to stem from not understanding best practices or not really being able to visualize use of the tools in my classes. The article provides a lot of valuable advice on what the instructor can do to improve teaching and learning from a student-centric approach.



Hi Christie,
I think you are in good company here with trying to balance giving feedback on big assignments and making sure there are opportunities for earlier, formative assignments with faster feedback. Hopefully the videos and other resources are helping you feel more comfortable with trying some strategies for more immediate feedback. I also don't like trying new to me things that I don't have a clear idea about how it should work. Seeing lots of examples, getting feedback from peers, and keeping in mind that almost anything students are actively doing to learn is likely to be helpful has helped me be braver! Your ideas about using wrappers and group exams sound like good ones. I personally always need to hear the "do not try to do too much" advice when thinking about changes - it's totally okay to make small changes to try things out!

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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This post was edited by Sean Tvelia on Feb, 2020
Tina

I'm so glad you wrote about goals with respect to the activity. I think many of us had a similar experiences to what you described and redesigning an activity that we already do from a backward (goal/objective oriented) design can completely change the outcomes--especially when those goals are explained to the students and it the skills gained by the activity are transferable to other aspect of their life/education.

Starting a lecture with think-pair-share is wonderful way to prime students’ mind and get them ready for deeper analysis of the topic. It also helps students realize that they may know more about a topic than they give themselves credit for.

Have you given any thought to which topics or how you might introduce gallery walks? Based on your post it seems like you might use them to break-up the class time and therefore it could be a good bridge between topics and/or a formative assessment to correct any potential misconceptions of presented material.

Sean Tvelia
Peer Leader-Cohort 1- New York

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Originally Posted by Leo Silbert


However, one common feature that has been brought up over the past two Activities is the idea that to implement these techniques one must sacrifice lecture material. I discussed this with one of the Peer Leaders (Sean Tvelia) from Activity 2 and is something I am still struggling to let go of, especially as a detail-oriented physics instructor.



Hi Leo,
I'm glad you were willing to share that you're struggling with potential trade-offs in terms of coverage or breadth and implementing more learning-centered or student-centered strategies. I think this is much more common than not, although it's not something everyone talks about. I've definitely struggled with this myself (geologist, not physicist, but my SO is a physicist and I know he does too). I started with implementing small strategies for getting students to answer questions and provide feedback on their learning during class, including clicker questions, minute papers, etc. The more I found out what they were NOT getting, the more it sunk in that what I was doing in class was way less important that what students were doing, and that if students weren't learning it effectively, then covering all the material really wasn't helpful anyway. Perhaps this seems like a trivial or obvious result, but for me it made a huge difference in how I approached planning class time. I started assigning pre-instructional homework that students turn in just at the start of class time, and I modified my direct instruction to focus on what they struggled with on their own. I added more clicker questions and other short in-class activities to focus on areas that are persistently difficult, and learned that students can indeed learn some things on their own (I didn't have to cover everything, at least not introduce everything in class!) My physicist partner also teaches at the same CC as I do, and has shifted his class time towards a ton of problem-solving clicker questions that lead students towards conceptual learning as well as solving those problems, so he tends to elicit student difficulties and can spend more time on the "hard" questions, feeling more confident that students showed they can do the "easier" ones.

I don't know if these perspectives and approaches help you in thinking about how you might proceed in your courses, but you're definitely not alone in the struggle!

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan

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Hi Holly,

I’m jealous that you had your “aha!” moment so soon and glad that as a “relatively new instructor” you are able to be part of this group.

Think-pair-share and gallery walks are excellent activities for environmental science courses for exactly the reasons you provided. Both activities allow students to offer their understanding of concepts while also bringing other perspectives to the conversations that are crucial to policy decisions. Gallery walks also allow students to see and understand that there isn’t always a clear right or wrong approach to policy. Each semester I lead think-pair-share activities with respect to a number of environmental policy issues. Inevitably most students begin the activity in favor of policies that they perceive will produce an economic gain to the public. It is amazing how quickly their belief changes when they are forced to consider how the policy might impact their own neighborhood or region. This conversation then allows us to discuss the importance of community voices and the factors that may influence our ability to hear those voices.

I look forward to hearing about the courses you develop and how you use your experiences with the group to guide that process.

Sean Tvelia
Peer Leader-Cohort 1- New York

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Originally Posted by Adriana Perez


Q1: After going through the materials, I noticed I am familiar with and utilize some variation of most of the active learning techniques in my classroom. I think most science courses (specially in labs) are structured in such a way that discussion and cooperation is both fostered and an integral part of the learning process. Although specific methodologies may vary from instructor to instructor the basic tools are still used and encouraged.

Q2: Although I value consistency in the classroom format, specially in my online sections, I would like to try some of the active learning techniques discussed in the poster, videos, and paper. I have not tried the wrapper and minute paper and I think these two techniques would be very easy and valuable to incorporate into my teaching. After watching the video on group work, it gave me a good insight as to how valuable it can be to students to discuss the "big picture" take away in a written format or as a class summary.

Q3: Group work is a part of my teaching in all of my face to face classes and in some of my online classes. In my face to face classes. If I think back to my evolution as an instructor in the last 20 years, I have drastically shifted from lecture-based to active learning student-based. I see my role more as a facilitator and actively engage students in the process itself. Active leaning in my classroom gives students more than the basic scientific knowledge of concepts, it provides students with the necessary skills that students need to be successful in academia and beyond.



Hi Adriana

We are definitely fortunate in the sciences to have labs--it's hard to not engage in discussion during lab activities and I agree that many science courses incorporate and foster discussion/and cooperation but those activities are not always structured in ways that allow students to create deeper meaning and or context.

The wrapper and minute paper is definitely easy to incorporate and when done as a regular in-class activity can not only allow you to quickly assess the depth of student knowledge but can also help students stay focused on class material, the bigger-picture context, and improve their written communication skills. Have you thought about how or if you might provide feedback? In my experience providing substantive feedback to minute paper responses based on both factual content and grammar/structure greatly improved student performance--often students possessed the knowledge but struggled to explain concepts in writing.

Sean Tvelia
Peer Leader-Cohort 1- New York

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Hi Jacqueline,

I think you touched on an important concept with respect to understanding our students. When I first started in this project I was incredibly worried that my students were going to struggle with the complexity of activities based on my own preconceived notion of their ability. Now, I am continually amazed at my students work product—in fact my course is technically more difficult than it was but the success rates have dramatically improved. The challenges of the activities has made the course fun for students and because they actively experience the concepts they have a much better conceptual model of the topics.

With respect to your observation regarding group work I couldn’t agree more. When it comes to the skills required by employers, being able to work and communicate with a team is always far ahead of factual knowledge of the discipline. Unfortunately many parts of our society make seclusion very easy and the hardest part of my semester is the first couple of days where I struggle to get students to work in groups and in some cases just to acknowledge the person sitting next to them. Fortunately the regular consistent group work and positive reinforcement from me pays off and I am always amazed at how all the students transform.

I like the concept of using the minute paper to alleviate stress and refocus the students attention. If you're able to respond with substantive positive feedback and resources that could be a tremendous source of encouragement to unsure student.

Sean Tvelia
Peer Leader- Cohort 1-New York

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Originally Posted by Sean Tvelia


Melanie

I’ve often wondered if it is the potential omission of content that often leads faculty to steer away from incorporating active learning methods. I totally get the feeling of reaffirmation—that's why I love the SAGE group. It is definitely ok to omit—or reprioritize—teaching topics. As you point out the deeper learning gained through a well designed active learning exercise provides students the skills they need to potentially respond to the omitted material in a more meaningful way later in the course—In that manner the other topics are not omitted they are simple taught differently.

I just started using whiteboards this semester and it is definitely a keeper. In the past I would have students use chalk on the desks but that never reached the same level of activity as the whiteboards do. I think you are correct regarding the impermanence of a whiteboard. Even chalk doesn’t erase easily. With the whiteboards students are constantly changing and adapting while they are discussing the task and potential variables. If you or someone you know has access to a skill saw I recently discovered that Home Depot carries 2’X4’ Whiteboards that can be cut to smaller sizes.

Do you see using the whiteboards as a way to improve a current activity or do you plan on adding it to the class activities? Would you have students discuss their group’s work?

Sean Tvelia
Peer Leader-Cohort 1



MWC Response: Sean Tvelia provided comments to me with respect to white boards and how he found them to be useful, notably that whiteboards were useful as students are constantly changing and adapting while they are discussing the task and potential variables. I appreciated Sean’s comments and I also appreciate the information that Home Depot carries 2’X4’ Whiteboards which can be cut to smaller sizes. I also spoke to my Dean and asked about purchasing ~20 small white boards for student use in class, he was very receptive now I must find the proper vendor. Sean also asked if I would use the white boards for new or current class activities. I plan to use white boards to improve the current activities which involve students in writing answers to questions and/or construction of graphs, formulation of mathematical relationships etc. I think it will be most helpful to my students. Sean, Thank you for your insights and help.

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Originally Posted by Andrea Bair


[quote=Leo Silbert]
However, one common feature that has been brought up over the past two Activities is the idea that to implement these techniques one must sacrifice lecture material. I discussed this with one of the Peer Leaders (Sean Tvelia) from Activity 2 and is something I am still struggling to let go of, especially as a detail-oriented physics instructor.

[/quote]

Hi Leo,
I'm glad you were willing to share that you're struggling with potential trade-offs in terms of coverage or breadth and implementing more learning-centered or student-centered strategies. I think this is much more common than not, although it's not something everyone talks about. I've definitely struggled with this myself (geologist, not physicist, but my SO is a physicist and I know he does too). I started with implementing small strategies for getting students to answer questions and provide feedback on their learning during class, including clicker questions, minute papers, etc. The more I found out what they were NOT getting, the more it sunk in that what I was doing in class was way less important that what students were doing, and that if students weren't learning it effectively, then covering all the material really wasn't helpful anyway. Perhaps this seems like a trivial or obvious result, but for me it made a huge difference in how I approached planning class time. I started assigning pre-instructional homework that students turn in just at the start of class time, and I modified my direct instruction to focus on what they struggled with on their own. I added more clicker questions and other short in-class activities to focus on areas that are persistently difficult, and learned that students can indeed learn some things on their own (I didn't have to cover everything, at least not introduce everything in class!) My physicist partner also teaches at the same CC as I do, and has shifted his class time towards a ton of problem-solving clicker questions that lead students towards conceptual learning as well as solving those problems, so he tends to elicit student difficulties and can spend more time on the "hard" questions, feeling more confident that students showed they can do the "easier" ones.

I don't know if these perspectives and approaches help you in thinking about how you might proceed in your courses, but you're definitely not alone in the struggle!

Andrea Bair
Peer Leader - Cohort 2 - Michigan



Comment from Melanie Will-Cole:
The comments that Andrea Bair posed to Leo Silbert with regard to his concern about the potential trade-offs in terms of coverage or breadth and implementing more learning-centered or student-centered strategies really helped me. Andrea Bair stated that her physicist partner has shifted his class time towards a ton of problem-solving clicker questions that lead students towards conceptual learning as well as solving those problems, so he tends to elicit student difficulties and can spend more time on the "hard" questions, feeling more confident that students showed they can do the "easier" ones. This was very helpful to me and I believe this is a good way to approach difficult geoscience problems, for example, how to utilize Bowen’s reaction series to answer questions with respect to the great variety of Igneous rocks on the Earth. I have found that students typically memorize Bowen’s reaction series and do not really know how to apply it. Analogous to how chemists utilize the periodic table, it is important for students to understand how to use Bowen’s reaction series as a tool to answer geoscience problems. This term I have to created questions (not using clickers, simply in-class questions to students) whereby students must actually use Bowen’s reaction series as a tool to explain difficult geoscience problems, e.g., “Suppose you find quartz in a olivine basalt, using Bowen’s reaction series the student should be able to explain how this may or may not be possible”. During the in-class discussion of the question I try to encourage the students to not only use Bowens Reaction Series, but to also connect their prior learnings and construct a science-based reason of how quartz may be included in an olivine basalt. This method provided conceptual learning while reinforcing the students’ problem solving abilities. I did spend quite a bit of class time on this (at the expense of other content), however as Andrea's physics partner eluded to perhaps the class time spent on the more difficult concepts is justified, as through this more difficult in-class activity the students may have gained confidence to address the less complex questions. At least this is my hope! Andrea and Leo, Thank you both for your insights and help.

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Originally Posted by Eric Baer


Melanie-
As someone who has tried most (almost all) of the techniques described, I wonder if you have any suggestions for those who are less experienced. Are here any that you have found particularly beneficial? Are there any that you would steer someone away from (at least initially)? Which techniques have you tried and then not continued using and why? Your wealth of experience is such an asset!
-Eric



response from Melanie Will-Cole:
Eric, Thanks for reading my reflections and posting the comments. While I appreciate your kind comments with respect to my experience-level, please note I am still learning a great deal from what others have posted and the comments posted by you and the peer leaders. I have tried a lot of teaching techniques and most of the “active learning” strategies work well. Although, given the student demographics of CNM, the flipped class room techniques do not work well. You see most of our students are not the typical college student, most are older (>30 yrs. old), often hold down 2 or 3 jobs, are single parents with very little family support, and/or are in situations where they have virtually no time at home to do extra class work. Thus, a flipped class-room, which is centered on students performing classwork at home followed by in-class activities which expand on what they learned at home does not work well for CNM’s student demographics. Our student’s simply do not have the time to do the required prep. work to support the flipped classroom technique. However, I have found that most all of the "active learning" techniques work beautifully with our student demographics. The students appreciate in-class problem-based learning activities and celebrate this 180 degree switch from traditional lecture methods. I am still experimenting with new evidence-based active learning methods and I am excited to implement some new things that I learned from reading the SAGE team members posts. So much to learn! Eric, thank you for your comments and help!

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Originally Posted by Karen Menge


Good Afternoon Everyone,
Question 1: After reviewing the posters, I discovered I do incorporate a number of the active learning strategies into my classes even though I have not put a label on them. I particularly use the think-pair-share when studying minerals and rock types. The posters opened my eyes to other strategies that I could incorporate in my classroom. I also learned about some valuable strategies that I can use that were discussed in the paper.

Question 2: As I said in question 1, I do use the think-pair share strategy. I am very interested in implementing worksheets (lecture tutorials). I have developed study notes in the past, but I like the way the lecture tutorials were explained in the link given on the poster. I will definitely be looking to create some lecture tutorials. After reading the paper, I would also like to incorporate more group work into my lectures. I believe geology is a great topic in which to do so. I do a little group work now in my lectures and I do see how beneficial it is to students. I also would like to investigate implementing the collaborative documents. I do see the learning curve in my classes increase when students work together.

Question 3: I think the best things I do in my classrooms are the think-pair-share activities. I will typically ask a question at the beginning of class and then give the students time to work on the answers and then discuss them. I also like to end class this way as it is a natural summary to everything that we have been discussing during class.



Comment from Melanie-Will-Cole:
Karen Menge commented that she ends class as she begins it, i.e., by asking a question (as a think-share-pair). Karen stated that ending class this way is a natural summary to the class lesson. I begin my class with a question but after Karen’s comments on concluding the class with such a question I plan to do this as well. I believe that this would provide more continuity to the mechanics of the lesson. For example, at the end of the lesson I review what we discussed in the lesson and now implementing an engaging question at the end (as a think pair share) would serve to solidify one of the more complex concepts that was discussed in the lesson. Unfortunately, now I struggle with how to create an extra 10 minutes to implement this. Karen, thank you for your insight.

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Originally Posted by Diondra DeMolle


1. What are one or more things you learned from looking at the posters, watching the video, and reading the article?

The posters were excellent models for explaining the active learning concepts. I have attended a presentation on Think-Pair-Share, but there was still more to learn from the posters and videos. Minute Papers, ConcepTest, and Jig Saw stood out amongst the others. I have not figured out how I would possibly incorporate Jig Saw into a Chemistry Lab but I think it can be done with proper planning. Greg Hancock’s video was an excellent interpretation of active learning and it provided a working model for incorporating Think-Pair-Share. I found the posters and videos to be great resources, but the article’s self assessment was the most useful to me. It was a friendly reminder that there is always room for improvement.

2. Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement? How might you apply this in your teaching? What is something you will do differently / what will you think about implementing?

I have actually been trying this semester to implement Think-Share-Pair, but getting my students to work together is like pulling teeth. (Does anyone else have this problem?) It appears as though they’d like to work together but only after each can confirm their answer is correct. I have to find a way to make them comfortable enough to share their work and ideas. Most times I excuse myself from the room and then I can hear the students buzzing about the work.

I want to incorporate Minute Papers for two reasons: 1) to gauge how well the students understand the concept and 2) to determine how well I’ve explained it. There are some lectures where students don’t ask questions because they are not sure what they don’t understand. Regretfully, I’ve misinterpreted those lack of questions as a thorough understanding of the concepts. Only to see the low scores on assessments. When explaining topics like quantum numbers and electron configurations, I want to believe that I’ve done a great job. This is not always true and Minute Papers would be a good indicator of that. Students don’t get to assess instructors until the semester is over. If I can collect anonymous feedback on whether or not students are understanding throughout the semester, the benefits would be awesome for everyone.

The ConcepTest stood out because of its simplicity to incorporate into my courses. I already have ideas to use this for topics such as phase diagrams and heating/cooling curves. It will also be a good prep for test questions and another way to get students to share their ideas.

After attending a meeting on Friday, I did question if I was doing too much in my courses. I’m glad the topic came up in the article and provided support for how to manage. I have decided to start explicitly writing goals and teaching topics instead of being concerned with complete chapter coverage.

3. Briefly describe something that you do well in your teaching. For example, you might briefly describe an activity, assignment, or approach you use that is an example of a teaching strategy addressed in one or more of the posters, videos, or article.

In my face-to-face chemistry courses, I have packets that correspond to each chapter which are referred to as modules. These were originally intended for students to copy their lecture notes in an organized fashion with some definitions and problems already typed in to reduce the time required for the student to copy the information from my lecture presentation. A few years ago I switched from writing on the white board to writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil and presenting my lecture notes on screen via Apple TV and a projector. I found that students were more comfortable with note-taking as their notes mirrored mine.

Last fall, I added in worksheets that serve as ice breakers when starting a new chapter. I try to choose a difficult concept and create a worksheet that relates the information to something students can understand by removing the chemical terms. Before we begin stoichiometric calculations and balancing equations I use a worksheet that talks about building model cars. Simple questions such as, “If four tires are required for each car, then how many tires are required to make four complete cars?” Students can visualize this and then translate it to the worksheet. Drawing the cars brings in a fun and relaxed aspect of the course. I find that activities such as these build confidence in the students and helps them to open up to the more difficult problems in chemistry.



Comment from Melanie-Will-Cole:
Diondra DeMolle stated that she incorporates Minute Papers for two reasons: 1) to gauge how well the students understand the concept and 2) to determine how well I’ve explained it. She also stated that there are some lectures where students don’t ask questions because they are not sure what they don’t understand. She mentioned that this lack of understanding was translational to incorrect answers to specific questions on the exam. I have also noticed this translational mode in some of my courses too. I like the idea of minute papers however I do not use them enough, I believe that it would be beneficial for me to incorporate Minute Papers more thoughtfully (and maybe more frequently as well), esp. for the concepts that are confusing and/or cognitively deep. I believe that this would be an excellent indicator to see what is understood and what is not understood prior to the exam. Diondra, Thank you for your insights and help.

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Originally Posted by Melanie Will-Cole


Specifically, this video re-affirmed to me that a symmetric consequence of incorporating active learning into lectures was that in order to create the in-class time required to perform the “active learning” component one usually needs to omit other course elements within that particular lesson topic. This video reaffirmed to me that it is absolutely fine to omit one/some elements within a lesson topic to enable the students to gain a deeper understanding of one of the more important and/or unifying concepts within that particular lesson. The student learning-gain via “deeper learning” is highly beneficial to the students understanding, hence would serve to enable the learner to apply the concept to other variants within that topic and encourage critical thinking.



Hi Melanie!
What you said here is really important! I struggle with the idea of taking out material for the gain of group work. I inherently know that having students "discover" the concepts on their own gives the lesson more meaning and value.But there is always that worry in the back of my mind that the students will somehow miss the big idea that I want them to grasp. I'm really glad you brought this up and affirmed my thought process too! Sometimes it is just tough to give up that small bit of control, but we need to trust the students and our own guided activities!

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Originally Posted by Miguel Vasquez


3) One thing I do well in the biology classroom is to teach complex biology mechanisms with illustrations and animations using a tablet rather than a whiteboard/chalkboard. The animations are made myself using the animation features in PowerPoint. I began doing this as an action research project to address the issue of student memory retention and my studies all led me to using images and illustrations as a better way for students to retain the lecture material over traditional lecture.



Hi Miguel! I just wanted to say - this is awesome!! I would love to see what you are doing sometime, mostly out of curiosity! I think it is important that we meet the students where they are. Their generation is different than ours, and it is critically important for us to develop teaching methods that reflect that. I love that you are going that extra mile!

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Originally Posted by Sean Tvelia


I am continually amazed at my students work product—in fact my course is technically more difficult than it was but the success rates have dramatically improved. The challenges of the activities has made the course fun for students and because they actively experience the concepts they have a much better conceptual model of the topics.



Hello Sean!
This is incredible! I know I worried about similar issues when I first started incorporating student centered learning activities in my classroom. I was worried that I would spend too much time explaining concepts or waiting for them to catch on, and that simply wasn't the case. Sometimes we do a disservice to the students making those assumptions, but seeing those results with your own eyes makes a big difference. It also helps keep *us* engaged too, which is equally as important!

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Originally Posted by Leo Silbert


1. What are one or more things you learned from looking at the posters, watching the video, and reading the article?

I found myself realizing I was at least vaguely aware of many of the methods discussed and have implemented, in some shape or form, some of these techniques, especially the Think-Pair-Share approach to problem solving. Over the past couple of activities I have become more informed on the Wrapper method and the Gallery Walk idea is a nice idea that might work in my classes. I also recognized that I can better structure my classes by paying more attention to “Encouraging, Demanding, And Actively Managing The Participation Of All Students” per the article by Tanner. And I can certainly do a better job of “Teaching All The Students In Your Classroom”, in particular point 20 : Teach Them from the Moment They Arrive. However, one common feature that has been brought up over the past two Activities is the idea that to implement these techniques one must sacrifice lecture material. I discussed this with one of the Peer Leaders (Sean Tvelia) from Activity 2 and is something I am still struggling to let go of, especially as a detail-oriented physics instructor.

2. Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement? How might you apply this in your teaching? What is something you will do differently / what will you think about implementing?

Given my comments above, I know that I can better implement the techniques I already use, that happen rather ad-hoc and sporadically throughout the semester. I will definitely continue to develop the Think-Pair-Share approach and work on my version of the Collaborative Exam for weekly quizzes. Although this will require some changes to make these activities more inclusive to ensure that the same ‘good’ students don’t always work together in the same groups week in week out.

3. Briefly describe something that you do well in your teaching. For example, you might briefly describe an activity, assignment, or approach you use that is an example of a teaching strategy addressed in one or more of the posters, videos, or article.

I think I am good at getting students to participate in classroom activities, in particular student-led demonstrations. I have found that students enjoy these sessions and remember the activities throughout the semester, hopefully reinforcing the ideas and concepts presented.

Cheers
Leo




Hi Leo,

Think of it as sacrificing the presentation style not the content. I observed one physics professor who integrated think pair share (or better described as discuss, develop, share)very nicely into their class. Throughout the presentation she had students work in groups to develop point diagrams and conceptual models as in any typical physics course but she did it in a way that consistently modeled problem solving concepts and allowed students to discover their own faults within the model. During each example she deliberately led groups through each step where they would discuss-develop-share. During the share students often realized mistakes they made as they were speaking and it allowed the professor to address the mistake in a positive fashion. As they moved through the activity each group was able to add to the overall model and the class eventually solve the problem as a whole. In reality the only difference between this and other traditional lectures was the focus on the students and the process--it definitely took longer but by the end it was clear all students understood the topic in much greater detail than I previously observed. With respect to sacrificed material, because the students had a better grasp of the content, the "sacrificed" material was presented at a different more exploratory level where student first analyzed natural patterns and then using think-pair-share explained how the previous material influenced the next topic.

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This post was edited by Kristie Bradford on Feb, 2020
Question #2: Based on the posters, video, and/or article, what are your ideas for what you might implement?
MWC Answer:
As I highlighted in Q#1 above I will probably try the white board method presented in Carl Weiman’s video “Group work in the college classroom” to help students learn a particular science concept, create a graph or perform a derivation. This video emphasized that using a white board allows students the ability to erase/remove and/or to change answers, i.e., if they create drawings, graphs, explanations or ideas incorrectly the white board enables them to fix their work later as the class discusses the problem and/or the instructor provides a deeper explanation to the problem at hand. (Note use of the white boards serves to help mitigate the students fear related to writing something down because of it being permeant). However, since CNM does not possess individual white boards for each student I will probably need to implement this in a different manner with respect to what was shown in the video. Since my classes are fairly small I believe that I can put students into groups of three and provide each group with a “designated space” on the classrooms large white boards. In this manner each small group of students can create their solutions together using a media that is easily modified as discussions take place. Might be fun to try this when we discuss Bowen’s reaction series.

Hi Melanie - That is awesome that you are already using so many active learning techniques. Your experience will help others as you share your successes and failures. I know that I have greatly benefitted from the work of others. As for the white boards, I agree that they do give the students a chance to try, fail, try again with little risk. It is a great learning tool. Since you don't have individual boards, using the classroom boards is a great idea. If that does not end up being ideal, you might try what I have done. I have created 2'x2' whiteboards for my class from a 4'x8' whiteboard sheet I got from Lowe's (~ per sheet). I got them to cut the large sheet in half lengthwise and then in quarters to yield roughly 2'x2' pieces for free on their large saw. I only needed eight individual boards so I only needed to buy one sheet. Keep up the great work!

Kristie Bradford - peer leader - cohort 1 Texas Team

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This post was edited by Kristie Bradford on Feb, 2020
Hi Miguel
Q1: Group exams are indeed a great learning tool. I have tried them a few times but I did not plan them very well so I dropped them until I work out the kinks. Two of the many things I learned that need to be addressed before implementing group tests is: 1. group formation- it is best to be deliberate in creating the groups for students to get the most out of the exercise, and 2. accommodations and missed exams- working through how to handle students with accommodations and those who miss exams and make the policies transparent to the students will prevent last minute scrambles and feelings of unfairness. It is definitely a tool worth pursuing!

Q2: This semester (as a result of participation in a SAGE2YC workshop run by the author of the paper you all read) I built in a 5-min reflection time for each class. I even put an alarm on my phone so I don't forget to prompt the students. The feedback from students has been positive so far. I have used exam wrappers for years and I coach the students to use it to reflect on their preparation so they can better prepare for the next exam. Not all students take advantage of the offer unfortunately. Those that do take it to heart have told me that they find it useful.

Q3: I like your animations idea! I will have to think about that one for the future. In my geology classes I also use many images to help students see what we are learning about. Powerpoint is a powerful tool to share images these days. I agree, traditional lecture is not a great method for teaching and learning. Keep up the good work!

Kristie Bradford - peer leader - cohort 1 Texas Team

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This post was edited by Kristie Bradford on Feb, 2020
Hi Tina,
Q1: Isn't that fun to learn that what you were already doing is considered best practices! I certainly give me a boost of confidence. I agree, keeping a goal in mind is a fantastic way to plan and execute active learning exercises. I too found it eye opening that giving praise is not always helpful and can actually be counterproductive if not done properly.

Q2: Gallery Walks are a fun activity and I agree, getting the students moving around is a way to focus them on the material in a novel way. It also gives you a chance to see what they are thinking and for them to have the chance to see what others are thinking. I am still working on perfecting the ones that I do. If a question is not open ended enough, I find the students don't really have anything to discuss. As is everything in our profession, it is a work in progress!

Q3: You sound just like me! I use T/P/S often for the same reasons. It is so easy for me to implement, change up, and use when needed.

Keep up the good work!

Kristie Bradford - peer leader - cohort 1 Texas Team

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Hi Karen,
Q1: It is always confidence-building to find that what we do in our classes is actually a documented best practice. I also found the posters to be a valuable reference. If you haven't downloaded them and saved them in an easily accessible location, I recommend you do so that they are available to you when you need some inspiration.

Q2: Yes! Group activities are a great fit for geology classrooms! I am continually working to spend less and less time lecturing. One strategy I am fortunate enough to be able to implement is rearranging the furniture in the classroom. Instead of the students sitting at their tables in rows facing the front of the classroom, I put two tables together to form 8 larger tables where they are facing each other rather than the front. I am keenly aware that they are not facing me so I work even harder to implement a do-talk-do model rather than straight lecturing and they are keenly aware that they are facing a fellow student so collaboration and discussion seems natural rather than contrived. I have much better participation with my new classroom set up.

Q3: I find T/P/S to be a valuable tool as well. Keep up the good work!

Kristie Bradford - peer leader - cohort 1 Texas Team

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Originally Posted by Holly Kilvitis


Question #1: What is one or more things you learned from the posters, videos, and reading?

As a relatively new instructor right out of grad school, I learned a LOT from the posters, videos, and reading. Specifically, I learned about many different active learning strategies that I had never heard of before (i.e. gallery walks, jigsaw, wrappers). With regards to the reading, I found it really interesting to learn about strategies to allow students adequate time to actually think about biology. For instance, I had an "aha!" moment when the author suggested not trying to do too much within the allotted class time and to instead use class time to address particularly difficult topics. The author suggested using assignments outside of class (e.g. case studies) to bolster their understanding of additional topics of importance.

Question #2: What ideas did you have and which might you want to implement in your classes? What is something you might do differently in the future?

I am currently developing curriculum for some new Environmental Science courses at my college. Some of the ideas that I really liked and hope to implement in the courses that I am creating are the use of think-pair-share activities and the use of gallery walks. For example, I think it would be beneficial for students if I used think-pair-share activities in every class by using a topically relevant graph to initiate discussions about environmental issues. I think it is SO important for students to gain experience visualizing and interpreting real-life environmental data. By using both think-pair-share and gallery walks, I can not only expose students to real data, but it will also give me the opportunity to pose important socio-economic questions related to these environmental issues. By doing so, I hope to stimulate healthy discussions and garner a variety of thought-provoking answers from all of my students.

Question #3: Describe something that you do well with your teaching

I have always been devoted to developing positive emotional connections with my students. On the first day of
class, students will find a notecard on their desks (or a discussion board for online courses) and I ask them to
write their name, major, one ‘fun fact’ about themselves and the most interesting place they’ve
traveled. When introducing myself, I share the same information with them. Rather than conduct
attendance via roll call, I walk around to collect the notecards and engage in discussion with each
student regarding their responses and I am pleasantly surprised by their willingness to share a
piece of themselves with me. I have found that this “icebreaker” technique is a great way of
establishing a personal connection with my students as it provides me with insight into their
backgrounds and personal interests. Moreover, this activity often stimulates discussion and
positive social interactions among students, leading to the creation of an environment in which
diversity and individuality are valued. I also try to be as inclusive as possible by integrating culturally diverse and relevant examples in my teaching. For example, when teaching Biology for Non-Majors, I spent a good amount of time on the importance of Henrietta Lacks when covering cells and bioethics, and I also used climate change data from NOAA to engage critical thinking skills. I hope to continue incorporating these practices in the new courses I create.



Holly, I am also teaching an environmental science class online and I struggle with having students participate actively in the class. I am trying to incorporate some of the methods covered in the posters. I look forward to hearing different ways you are teaching the course you are developing.

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