slides on writing clicker questions dr. stephanie v. chasteen physics department & science ed....

Slides on Writing Clicker Questions

Dr. Stephanie V. Chasteen Physics Department & Science Ed. InitiativeUniversity of Colorado – Boulderhttp://[email protected]

Co-presenters have included Steven Pollock, Jenny Knight, Trish Loeblein, and Kathy Perkins.

Creative Commons – Attribution. Please attribute Stephanie Chasteen / Scince Education Initiative/ CU-Boulder

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Credit should be given to: Stephanie Chasteen and the Science Education Initiative at the University of Colorado, http://colorado.edu/sei

About these slides

We have created a variety of workshops on clickers and Peer Instruction for faculty and K12 teachers. These slides represent the presentations and activities that we have produced through this work. You are free to use this material with proper attribution (see previous slide).

Not all slides or activities were used in every workshop.

Activities are designated with a peach background to the slide

You can find the full handouts and activity descriptions under Workshop Materials at http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu

Creative Commons – Attribution. Please attribute Stephanie Chasteen / Science Education Initiative/ CU-Boulder

T hese me t a -s l i des p rov ide a l i t t l e b i t o f i n f o rma t i on f o r you abou t ou r p resen t e r and

wha t we a re t r y i ng t o do w i t h ou r p ro f ess iona l deve lopmen t wo rkshops .

Overview

Introducing Me5

Applying scientific principles to improve science education – What are students learning, and which instructional approaches improve learning?

Science Education Initiative

Physics Education Research Group

One of largest PER groups in nation, studying technology, attitudes, classroom practice, & institutional change.

http://colorado.edu/SEI

http://PER.colorado.edu

Blogger & Consultant

http://sciencegeekgirl.comCreative Commons – Attribution. Please attribute Stephanie Chasteen / Science Education Initiative/ CU-Boulder

U. Colorado clicker resources…6

Videos of effective use of clickers

http://STEMclickers.colorado.eduClicker resource page

http://STEMvideos.colorado.edu

2-5 mins long

• Instructor’s Guide• Question banks• Workshops• Literature / Articles


“Clickers” are really just a focal point

We aim to help instructors:Use student-centered, interactive teaching

techniquesBy the use of a tool (clickers) which makes a

transition to that pedagogy easier

Our talks are “how people learn” talks in disguise.

Bransford, Brown, Cocking (1999), How People Learn


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The typical pattern of professional development for faculty…

(we) Tell them how to do it (they) Try it (they) Fail or fade (we) Repeat (louder!)

In physics, half of faculty only use Peer Instruction for a single semester

What’s missing? We need to help faculty anticipate challenges and difficulties with

implementing peer instruction. Lose the rose-colored glasses! We also need to provide less prescriptive “do this, don’t do that”

recommendations, which are hard to remember, and instead provide a pedagogical strategy which will naturally lead to those “best practices”

These workshop materials are intended to help overcome some of the challenges to sustainable improvements in teaching, as based on the research on instructional change.


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How we try to accomplish goals:

Give a clear introduction to peer instruction. What does it really look like?

Give experience in peer instruction. How does it feel as a student? As an instructor?

Provide disciplinary experience. Give examples from multiple disciplines; have instructors sit next to others who teach in their subject area

Why does it work? The research.Respect their experience. Answer their

questions/challenges, rather than being gung-ho salesman.Provide opportunity for practice and feedback. Especially

in writing questions and facilitation.Practice what we preach. Do all this in a student-centered,

interactive environment. Don’t lecture about how not to lecture.


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T hese s l i des a re used i n wo rkshops whe re we a re f ocus ing on t he sk i l l s and p rocess o f w r i t i ng good c l i c ke r ques t i ons .

I n a wo rkshop t ha t i s t r y i ng t o g i ve an ove rv i ew, we m igh t on l y do a b r i e f “ bes t p rac t i ces i n w r i t i ng ques t i ons ” s l i de . I n

a l onge r wo rkshop f ocused on w r i t i ng ques t i ons

Writing Questions

Writing Questions Activity

Following are two possible activities where participants write a draft question

They have a chance to revisit and revise the question after additional workshop material is presented, later

Writing Questions #1: Pedagogical Goal

Choose one of the pedagogical goals from the “Question Cycle”

Write a draft clicker question that aims to achieve this goal.

3 minutes

Question Cycle: Before/During/After

Credit: Rosie Piller and Ian Beatty.

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BEFORESetting up instruction

MotivateDiscoverPredict outcomeProvoke thinkingAssess prior knowledge

DURINGDeveloping knowledge

Check knowledgeApplicationAnalysisEvaluationSynthesisExercise skillElicit misconception

AFTER Assessing learning

Relate to big pictureDemonstrate successReview or recapExit poll

Writing Questions #2: Content Goal

Choose a content learning goal that relates to your discipline

Write a draft clicker question that aims to help students achieve this learning goal

3 minutes

Learning Goals

Biology: Recognize the components of a cell and describe why each is necessary for the function of a cell

Physics: Identify the different ways that light can interact with an object (i.e., transmitted, absorbed, reflected).

Chemistry: Explain trends in boiling points in terms of intermolecular interactions

Earth science: Understand the formation of the three major types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) and the processes by which they form, relating them by the rock cycle.

Math: Solve a system of linear equations in two variables using algebra or graphing.

Writing Questions #3: Revise Existing Question

A. The change in the earth’s distance from the sun during the year

B. The tilt of the earths axisC. Changes in the sun’s brightnessD. Changes in cloudsE. None of the above

What causes the seasons?

Consider the following question. How might you improve upon this question, or write it differently? What is the pedagogical goal of this question?



Bad question. Students can

answer by memorizing a word (“tilt”)

Can we make a better question on the SAME topic? Yes…


Writing Questions #3: Revise Existing Question

What would happen to the seasons if the earth’s orbit around the sun was made a perfect circle (but

nothing else changed) ?

A. There would be no seasonsB. The seasons would remain pretty much as

they are todayC. Winter to spring would differ much less

than nowD. Winter to spring would differ much more

than nowMuch better question. Requires reasoning!

Better seasons example

Question-writing tips

Move away from simple quizzesUse questions that prompt discussionUse questions that emphasize reasoning or

processUse clear wordingUse tempting distractersUse questions for a variety of instructional

goalsUse questions at a mixture of cognitive depthAsk challenging questions – don’t just test

memorized factsSee handout

Effective multiple-choice questions have believable “distracters.”

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1)Talking with other instructors that have taught the course in the past.

2)Talking with your students one-on-one before class, after class, during office hours.

3)Using student responses to open-ended questions that you include in HW and exams.

4)Asking your students to come up with answers that will be used as the choices.

5)Use researched and documented student misconceptions.

D. Duncan, Univ. of Colorado

Remember the Question Cycle (pedagogical goals)

Credit: Rosie Piller and Ian Beatty.

21

BEFORESetting up instruction

E.g.:MotivateAssess prior knowledge… (handout!)

DURINGDeveloping knowledge

ApplicationElicit misconception…

AFTER Assessing learning

Relate to big pictureDemonstrate success…

Use questions at a variety of cognitive depth22

Do the questions you

use intellectually

challenge your students

or simply assess their

factual knowledge?

Higher order

----------------

Lower order

handout

Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain

Writing Questions (follow-up): Revise your question

Use what we’ve just talked about, and the “tips” in your handouts, to revise your question

If you wish, swap with your neighbor and discuss.

5 minutes

Writing Questions#4: Rate and swap

Use the Bloom’s Taxonomy worksheet to rate the Bloom’s level of your question

Swap your question with a neighbor. Do you agree on the Bloom’s level of your question?

Use the verbs on the detailed Bloom’s handout to “Bloomify up” the level of your question.

5 minutes

Writing Questions #4 (variation): Rate and Bloom it up

Use the Bloom’s Taxonomy worksheet to rate the Bloom’s level of this question

Use the verbs on the detailed Bloom’s handout to “Bloomify up” the level of this question

5 minutes




Share out

What did you learn in this process?What worked well, what was challenging?How might you go about writing questions in

your class?

But…

The perfect question doesn’t solve all problems!

Action Plan

Take a few minutes to write down your action plan to implement ideas you heard about in the workshop

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slides on writing clicker questions dr. stephanie v. chasteen physics department & science ed....

Documents

creative commons licenses

colorado copresenters

proper attribution

variety of workshops

tool clickers

eduthese metaslides

clicker resource pagehttp

peer instruction f