Active Learning Sessions H5p

It's a natural tendency to answer questions that are asked, but this strategy requires you to suppress that tendency and redirect questions back to the group. There are three levels of redirection: Student to Self, Student to Notes/Text, Student to Group/External Resources.

Example: Student to Self

Student: I don't know how to do this problem.

Leader: Do you know how to get started? What step comes first? What part(s) of the problem do you understand?

Example: Student to Notes/Text

Student: What is the derivative of a constant?

Leader: What chapter of the text talks about that concept? 

Example: Student to Group/External Resources

Student: I understand how to get the derivative, but I don't know what to do next.

Leader: Does anyone know what the next step would be?

 

Additional Sample Phrases:

What is this question asking? 

Why are you thinking of it in that way? 

Give an example of that. 

Can you summarize the discussion up to this point? 

Can you think of another way to think about this? 

How is your answer (point of view) different from _____? 

Let’s rephrase it on the board and figure out what information we will need to answer it. Can you be more specific? 

How does your response tie into ____? 

Let’s look that up in the text. 

Let’s write down everything we know about this topic/problem/theory. 

How can you relate this to everyday life? 

Okay, that’s the book definition, but how do we define that (i.e. in your own words)?

 

Source: The International Center for Supplemental Instruction at the University of Missouri-Kansas City

Wait time is the time that elapses between an Active Learning Leader-initiated questions and the next behavior (student response or leader talking again). There are two kinds of wait time:

Wait-time 1: The time the Leader waits after asking a question

Wait-time 2: The time the Leader waits after a response is provided, regardless of the accuracy

Extensive research has demonstrated  that the quality and quantity of students’ verbal responses increases significantly if Leaders  regularly utilize at least 15-20 seconds of wait-time. Wait-time 2 seems to be even more  significant than Wait-time 1. If you resist the natural temptation to jump in too quickly  to answer or rephrase, student learning improves. Increased wait-time allows the brain more  opportunity to consolidate information, which allows for deeper processing.

Benefits of wait time for students:

1. More students answer 
2. More accurate answers 
3. Answers are more elaborate, reasoned, and supported 
4. Students listen to each other more 
5. More speculative responses 
6. More questions asked 
7. Increased participation by all students 
8. Increase in use of logical consistency in responses

Leaders may worry about what to do if no one responds. After waiting 15-20 seconds with no  responses, they may want to try one of the following: 

• Repeat the question
• Rephrase the question
• Simplify the question
• Ask a student to attempt to rephrase the question
• Break down the question into its component parts
• Make the question more specific
• Ask students what it is about the question they do not understand.  

After each alternative, wait 5-10 seconds.

 

Source: The International Center for Supplemental Instruction at the University of Missouri-Kansas City

Checking for understanding means ensuring that students have learned the content. The learning  strategies that Active Learning Leaders use in their sessions are designed to promote student-to-student  interactions. We cannot automatically assume, however, that the students are gaining  understanding from their interactions. We must provide opportunities, through checking for  understanding, for students to demonstrate their learning. 

A common method of checking understanding is to ask the students a closed-ended question like,  “Do you understand?” This question can be answered with a simple yes or no. This is not  effective because students are sometimes uncomfortable admitting that they still do not  understand a concept, especially if considerable time has just been spent on it during the session.  Instead, questions that check for understanding should be open-ended and require higher-order  thinking skills. 

It is essential that students be able to explain the discussed topic in their own words so the Leader knows that students understand before proceeding to the next topic. If there is any doubt  that the students did not “get” it, the concept should be discussed again. The Leader should make sure that the students have an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding and ensure that checks for understanding are integrated into every active learning session. This will improve student  preparation and learning. 

Possible Ways to Check for Understanding: 

1. Maintain eye contact with the students during the session. By making eye  contact, you will likely see when a student is confused. 
2. Ask a student to summarize the concept just covered. If s/he struggles, ask the group  to help him/her. 
3. Ask for a volunteer to write the main points of the discussion on the board.
4. Ask a question that requires the student to understand the concept in order to answer  correctly. For example, if you just reviewed the difference between the logical rules  of inference, disjunctive syllogism and modus ponens, ask the group, “So I can use  Disjunctive Syllogism on this argument, right?” when you cannot, based on the  discussion. When they reply, “No, of course not,” ask them why not. 
5. Once in a while, intentionally make mistakes on the board or verbally. The students  will catch you if they understand. If no one notices, probe the group about the  content on the board until they discover the mistake. (Note: Frequent use of this  strategy may confuse students.) 
6. Ask the students to rephrase the question you asked originally or to rephrase the  summary another student provided. 
7. Ask for real-life examples or applications of the concept. 
8. Ask for a similar problem, metaphor, or analogy.

Source: The International Center for Supplemental Instruction at the University of Missouri-Kansas City