Michael Johnson, Brigham Young University
Not all students in a class will master material at the same rate. This tip discusses techniques for verifying that your class is prepared to learn new concepts, as well as ideas for helping those who fall behind.
Even though everyone’s learning journey is very personal, much of the university learning experience takes place in the context of a community and within the constraints of a semester or term schedules. At times, some members of that learning community may not be ready to move on to the next stage of learning. As teachers we sometimes move on, leaving learners behind, and sometimes these learners never catch up. Without stifling those who are ready to move forward, it is possible to pause and verify that everyone is prepared to move on.
What can we do to ensure that each learner is ready to proceed on the learning journey? Here are several ideas to consider:
How do you identify who is being left behind? Simply ask the students what they understand
Approach 1: Invite students to do a think-pair-share
Ask students a question.
- Give students appropriate time to formulate a response.
- Have each student turn to another to share his/her response.
- Randomly call on various students to share their responses with the entire class.
- From a sampling of responses, determine if the students are ready to move on.
Approach 2: Conduct class instant polling
- For instant in-class polling, use a classroom response system like i>clickers, Top Hot, TurningPoint, or other tools available at your institution.
- For outside-of-class polling or surveys use tools like Survey Monkey or Qualtrics, etc.
Approach 3: Invite students to complete one-minute papers
- At the end of each class period, invite learners to answer questions about the experience (e.g., “What is the most significant thing you learned in class today?” or “What is still confusing about what was covered in class today?”)
- Collect and review the responses to determine who is ready to move on and who needs additional instruction.
Once you’ve identified who is being left behind, what can be done to help them? Provide additional learning opportunities
Approach 1: Use low stake quizzes
- Low stake quizzes are worth few or no points.
- Low stake quizzes can provide opportunities for students to demonstrate learning.
- Significantly, electronic quizzes have the advantage of automatic grading and automatic feedback.
Approach 2: Model and practice
- Explain a concept or model a process that students need to master.
- Then break students into teams to practice, following your example.
- When the class comes together, select a sampling of students to demonstrate what was learned.
- Provide immediate constructive and confirming feedback.
Everyone has the potential to learn, even though he may represent the proverbial “last wagon.” Teachers can use a few simple practices to help each student make steady progress in their learning.
Additional Resources
Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993)
Davis, Barbara Gross. Tools for Teaching 2nd edition (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009)
McKeachie, Wilbert J. Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers 10th edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999)
Michael Johnson is from the Center for Teaching & Learning at Brigham Young University
This article is released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
