CTD Sp14 Weekly Workshop: Getting feedback from your students

GETTING FEEDBACK

FROM YOUR STUDENTS Peter Newbury

Center for Teaching Development,

University of California, San Diego

[email protected] @polarisdotca

ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd

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

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

12:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall, Room 316

please sign in

The Lament of the Instructor/TA…

Getting feedback from your students 2

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

They just sit there!”

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

are the ones who understood it best. Why don’t

the ones who are lost SAY something?”

“Is what I am doing helping them?”

“Why don’t they ask any questions?!”

How people learn:


Students need a chance to

try,

fail,

receive feedback,

and try again

before a summative evaluation.

(Bain (2004))

The same applies to instructors

learning how to teach!

Solution: Get Feedback


1. Set expectations

2. Enable and encourage

honest communication

3. React to student challenges

and requests

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

1. Set Expectations


On the first day of classes,

Be enthusiastic

about content of course

about your desire to help them learn

Set expectations

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

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

TAs: Have discussion section the FIRST WEEK

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

1. The First Day: Be Enthusiastic


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

so excited to be able to help you get the most you can

out of this course.”

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

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

will be asking you to tell me what you need and what

you’d like me to do.”

2. Enable/encourage honest communication


Provide a private channel

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

email policy)

Googleform

surveymonkey

Provide a public channel

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

forum – TA’s job?)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on TED

Piazza: Crowd-sourced questions and answers

How do you communicate

with your students?


piazza

facebook groups


Getting feedback

in class or Section

Muddiest Point Card /Minute Paper


Index cards you hand out in lecture

hand out index cards every day as students enter the

room

ask them to write down things when they’re confused

collect during class (esp if break) or at end

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

ask students to write down what most confused about at

end of lecture

Drop in boxes on way out

Can also be done before/in/after discussion section

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

Two-Minute Pause


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

2. Ask students to talk with a neighbor for 2 minutes (use

your phone to time it): “Review what was just lectured:

explain to each other, check notes, formulate a

question to ask.”

3. return from two-minute pause w/ class-wide discussion

Why does it work?

reduces cognitive load

provides opportunity for metacognition

put in own words helps clarify/deepen understanding

increases short- and long-term recall [2]

CAPES for Prof in Dept.

Getting feedback from your students

12

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

SP10 SP11 FA11 SP13

Recommend Class

RecommendInstructor

started using

two-minute

pause

Two-Minute Pause PRO™


Provide a question in case they

don’t have anything to talk about

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

Examples:

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

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

Two-Minute Pause PRO+™


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

talk about and provide conversation starters to direct

their discussions.

Melt chocolate over low heat. Remove the chocolate

from the heat. What will happen to the chocolate?

A) It will condense.

B) It will evaporate.

C) It will freeze.

(Question: Sujatha Raghu from Braincandy via LearningCatalytics)

(Image: CIM9926 by number657 on flickr CC)

“Any questions?”


NEVER ask this.

Instead:

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

if you understand or to come up with a question.”

2. Wait 1-2 minutes: walk around listening in,

encourage “good questions”

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

sure, need time to prepare a good explanations

(and get back to them!)

What have you tried?


TAs: keep, quit, start

“I’m interrupt-driven – feel free to ask questions,

don’t wait until the end.”

watch out for talkative student

Enable/encourage honest communication


Reward participation and question-asking:

Verbally

“Thanks”

“That’s important”

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

participation points

candy (yes, really) Learning your students’

names, not just the ones in

the front, makes HUGE

positive impact on

“community” in classroom!

3. React to student challenges/requests


For TAs in discussion section or instructor running review

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

board (Get these from attending lecture and ½

listening or TED forums or index cards)

2. Ask students if they have other topics to add

3. Take vote on what students want to cover

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

KQS – Keep Quit Start cards


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

class but soon enough you can make changes)

“Please write down one thing I should

KEEP, QUIT, and START doing.”

2. Review cards before next class

3. Report back (selectively is OK)

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

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

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

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

to have to quit

How to Get Feedback


1. Set expectations



How to Get Feedback


1. Set expectations



Concept: Martha Stacklin, UCSD-CTD

Images: Action in Lane 20 by djking on flickr CC

Ping Pong by MugurM on flickr CC

References


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

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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

Procedure to Enhance Lecture Recall. Teacher Education and

Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education

Division of the Council for Exceptional Children January. Vol.

10 no. 1 p 14-18.

CTD Sp14 Weekly Workshop: Getting feedback from your students

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