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.
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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
Creative Commons – Attribution. Please attribute Stephanie Chasteen / Science Education Initiative/ CU-Boulder
“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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Creative Commons – Attribution. Please attribute Stephanie Chasteen / Science Education Initiative/ CU-Boulder
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?
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
Bad question. Students can
answer by memorizing a word (“tilt”)
Can we make a better question on the SAME topic? Yes…
What causes the seasons?
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.
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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
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?
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?