Hearing the Silent Student

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Hearing the Silent Student
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Wouldnt it be nice if

• at any time during a class you could poll all of
  your students?
• you could test their comprehension immediately?
• you could always tell if you and your students
  were on the same page?

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A solution

• Clickers (or Classroom Response Systems)
• Students respond to questions using simple
  devices like TV remotes.

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Students learn best when

1. they have a test coming up
2. they are engaged in class
3. they memorize facts
4. they can hide in class
5. they read the book instead of coming to class

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You know your class is bestengaged when

1. no-one asks any questions
2. no-one answers your questions
3. students wait until the test to answer questions
4. you dont ask them any questions
5. everyone answers your questions

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If you assign homework reading material, it is
best to

1. assume everyone has donethe reading
2. assume no-one has done the reading
3. use the first 5 minutes of class to ask everyone
   a few questions to assess their comprehension of
   the material
4. lecture on the material

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When introducing a new topic, it is best to

1. ask a question at the start of class to assess
   their (prior) knowledge of the material
2. ask a question at the end of the class to test
   their comprehension
3. both of the above
4. none of the above

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Simple Probability
If you are dealt a single card from a shuffled
deck of playing cards, what is the probability
that your card is a Jack or a Heart?

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Classical Probability
Assume that a given experiment has n different
simple events (outcomes), each of which has an
equal chance of occurring. If an event A can
occur in s of these n ways, then the probability
of A occurring is given by
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Classical Probability
When you deal a single card from a well-shuffled
deck of 52 cards, each card has an equal chance
of being dealt. So,
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Classical Probability
To find the probability of a Jack or a Heart, we
have to be careful not to count the Jack of
Hearts twice.
4 (Jacks) 13 (Hearts) 1 (Jack of Hearts)
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Simple Probability Revisited
If you are dealt a single card from a shuffled
deck of playing cards, what is the probability
that your card is an Ace or a red card?

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Considerations Best Practices

• Before using clickers for the first time, find
  some way to practice.
• Observe a peers class where clickers are being
  used.
• Make your first clicker class a simple practice
  session.

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Considerations Best Practices

• Before using clickers for the first time, explain
  to the students why you are using them and what
  you hope to achieve.
• Remember, its all for the students benefit.

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Considerations Best Practices

1. Be prepared to spend extra time developing good
   multiple choice questions.Test for concepts
   rather than facts.

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Considerations Best Practices

1. Be prepared for things that can go wrong
   students forgot their clickers batteries are
   dead receiver doesnt work.Loaners on hand
   spare batteries patience.

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Considerations Best Practices

1. Plan on having some small group discussion time
   to respond/react to clicker answers.Be ready to
   apply some Just-In-Time teaching if too many
   students get the wrong answer.

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Considerations Best Practices

• When using clickers to engage the students, make
  sure credit is given to those who use their
  clickers.
• You can even give a little bit extra for getting
  the right answer.

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Considerations Best Practices

1. Use clickers for short quizzes but never for
   actual tests. for a variety of reasons.

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Considerations Best Practices

1. Never use clickers only to track attendance. Is
   this a good use of such an investment?

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Considerations Best Practices

1. Be prepared to ask questions on the fly. You
   cant think of everything beforehand. An
   unexpected topic may crop up in class. Be ready
   to ask questions about it.