FIVE QUICK AND EASY ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES <=
o:p>
FOR THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM
(adapted from Classroom Assessment Techniques-<=
/o:p>
A Handbook for College Instructors=
by
T. Angelo and K. Cross, Jos=
sey-Bass,
1993)
- The Minute Paper. Stop class=
two
or three minutes early and ask students to respond briefly to some
variation on the following two questions: “What was the most
important thing you learned during class?” or “What import=
ant
question remains unanswered?” Students write their responses o i=
ndex
cards or half-sheets of scrap paper and hand them in. Minute papers
provide manageable amounts of timely and useful feedback for a minimal
investment of time. The Minute Paper helps ensure students’
questions will be raised, and in many cases answered, in time to facil=
itate
further learning. They also help students learn how to distinguish the
major points from the details.
- The Muddiest Point. This is =
about
the simplest classroom activity imaginable. Ask the student to jot dow=
n a
quick response to one question: “What was the muddiest point in
____________?” The focus of the activity might be a lecture, a
discussion, a homework assignment, a play or film, etc. Faculty can use
the feedback to discover which points are most difficult for students =
to
learn and to guide their teaching decisions about which topics to
emphasize.
- The One Sentence Summary. Th=
is
simple technique challenges students to answer the questions “Who
does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?” about a given top=
ic,
and then to synthesize those answers into a single, grammatical, and l=
ong
summary sentence. The One Sentence Summary enables teachers to find out
how concisely, completely, and creatively students can summarize a lar=
ge
amount of information on a given topic. The teacher generally stipulat=
es
the subject (Who) of the sentence. This assessment technique can provi=
de
feedback on students’ grasp of just about any information that c=
an
be represented in declarative form.
- Directed Paraphrasing. In this activity, students are
directed to paraphrase (in a few minutes using their own words) a part=
of
a lesson for a specified audience and purpose. Example 1 from Computer Science: In plain language, paraph=
rase
what you have read about computer viruses for a vice president of a la=
rge
insurance firm who is ultimately responsible for database security. Example 2 from Nursing: In on=
e or
two sentences, paraphrase what you have learned about hospice care to
inform a dying, but still lucid, patient of it possible advantages over
hospital or home care.
- Application Cards. After stu=
dents
have heard or read about an important principle, generalization, theor=
y,
or procedure, the instructor hands out an index card and asks them to
write down at least one possible practical or “real-world”
application for what they have just learned (allowing three to five
minutes). Example 1 from Stati=
stics:
After the class had studied significance testing, the professor asked =
her
students to provide “three possible applications of statistical
significance testing to issues currently in the news.” Example 2 from Political Science<=
/i>:
“All politics is local” is an oft-repeated saying in Ameri=
can
political life. Suggest two practical applications of this generalizat=
ion
to the politics of presidential campaigning. Imagine you are giving ad=
vice
to a candidate.