Zachary Goodell & Jeffrey Nugent Center for Teaching Excellence

Virginia Commonwealth University

Making Student Thinking Visible: Teaching with Audience Response Systems

How do you know what your students are thinking?

“Too rarely is the individual teacher so free from the dictation of authoritative supervisor, textbook on methods, prescribed course of study, etc., that he can let his mind come to close quarters with the pupil’s mind and the subject matter.”

~John Dewey, Democracy and Education

Session Overview

• Discuss rationale for making thinking visible

• How can Audience Response Systems (ARS) support engaged learning?

• Teaching with ARS: teaching vignettes

• Student perspectives

Making Student Thinking Visible

• How do you know what cognitive “baggage” your students bring with them?

• How do you know if your students are paying attention to your lecture?

• How do you know if your students understand your lecture?

• How do you know if your students can apply the lecture material to novel contexts?

Key Questions

• What can you do in the classroom that you can’t do anywhere else?

• What is the difference between talking for 90 minutes and teaching for 90 minutes?

How Do People Learn?

Key findings from over 40 years of research on learning (cognitive science, neuroscience, developmental psychology)

1. Understanding results from knowledge construction not memorization.

2. Knowledge construction is the result of trial / error / feedback / retrial = Active Learning

3. Knowledge construction is a communal activity

4. Pre-existing knowledge can either support or undermine knowledge retention

Using ARS to Promote Interactivity & Engaged Learning

• Gain insight into what and how students are learning

• Generate opportunities for Active Learning (e.g. whole class & small group discussions)

• Assess student prior knowledge • Expose misconceptions through metacognition• Connect with students in large enrollment courses• Reduce fear of answering (anonymity)

Examples: General Polling• How many of you did the reading last

night?

• Demographic questions (data slicing)– Men vs. women– Freshmen, sophomores, etc.– Religious, racial, ethnic affiliations

• Beliefs and opinion polling

• Learn about your students

• Admin stuff (study sessions, etc.)

Reading Comprehension

Experts vs. Novices

Graccomine is a highly fractile compound found in the mountains of Gorbonzola. The Gorbonzolans mine graccomine using frenzate in order to prevent graccomine from bubbulating. Frenzate is a synthetic compound that must be carpaxilled in order for it to prevent graccomine from bubbulating. If frenzate is not carpaxilled, graccomine will fractilize and become inert. What process prevents graccomine from fractilizing?

A. Gorbonzolans mining graccomine with fenzate

B. Graccomine must be carpaxilled before it is mined

C. Frenzate must be carpaxilled before it is used

D. Carpaxile must be bubbulated into frenzate

Linking personal experience with research

If you have followed a crush of yours or conspired to meet them, did you do that alone or with a close friend?

A. Males - Alone

B. Males - With Friend

C. Females - Alone

D. Females - with Friend

Open-ended Questions & Brainstorming Activities

• What is civilization?

• What makes us social?

• How many racial categories are there?

• What is Intelligence and how can it be measured?

Promote Active Learning

Two identical beakers are filled to the same level with water. One of the two glasses has ice cubes floating in it. When the ice cubes melt, in which glass is the level of the water higher?

A)The glass with the ice cubes.

B)The glass without the ice cubes.

C)It is the same in both.

How confident are you that your answer is correct?

A)I’d bet the farm on it.

B)I’m on the fence.

C)No clue…I guessed.

Two identical beakers are filled to the same level with water. One of the two glasses has ice cubes floating in it. When the ice cubes melt, in which glass is the level of the water higher?

A)The glass with the ice cubes.

B)The glass without the ice cubes.

C)It is the same in both.

Histogram of Student Responses

Majority of responses indicate lack of understanding

•Limited opportunity for in-class discussion

•Re-teach concept / material

•Ask clarifying questions

Wide distribution of student responses

•Good opportunity for in-class discussion

•Peer instruction / active learning technique (e.g., convince classmate of your view)

•Poll students again post-discussion

Majority of responses indicate desired understanding / sharedviewpoint

•Consensus understanding provides limited discussion opportunity

•Ask extension question

•Re-poll students

Peer Instruction Model• Question posed

• Students given time to think

• Students record individual answers

• Students attempt to convince peers

• Students record revised answers

• Explanation of correct response

Eric Mazur, Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual

Expose and Confront Misconceptions

What percentage of collegiate athletes are African American?

A. 15%

B. 25%

C. 40%

D. 65%

What did you base your answer on in the previous question?

A. What you have read.

B. What you have heard.

C. What you have seen on TV.

D. What you have experienced as an athlete yourself.

Write down as many collegiate sports as you can.

Now circle the ones that are nationally televised sports.

Now circle the ones that African Americans tend to

participate in the most.

What percentage of collegiate athletes are African American?

A. 15%

B. 25%

C. 40%

D. 65%

Who is more likely to die from heart disease?

A. Men

B. Women

• Shortness of breath• Fatigue• Aches in chest or

shoulder

• Dizziness, nausea• Indigestion-like pain• Mood swings (sense

of impending doom)

Which of the following columns lists the typical symptoms of a

cardiac arrest due to heart disease?

A B

If a 55 year old woman complains to a doctor that she is experiencing

symptoms from the B list (hot flashes, indigestion-like pain, mood swings), what might be the initial diagnosis?

A. Menopause

B. Heart disease

C. The flu

Who is more likely to die from heart disease?

A. Men

B. Women

Question / Activity Debrief• Debrief the students after every activity…

even if you have to cut the activity short.

• The first Q should serve the function of forcing a decision based on limited information in order to elicit misconceptions

• Additional Qs serve the function of adding complexity, context.

• Scaffolding questions attempt to encourage metacognition

Application and Transfer:Using Cases

Scenario #1:Head and Neck Examination

A patient enters your general practice with a mass on the left side of the face just below the

angle of the Jaw…

What questions would you want to ask this patient?

• Is it painful?

• How long has it been there?

• Has it grown quickly or slowly?

• What does it feel like on palpation?

If the patient claims that the mass has grown very quickly and it is very painful to the touch, what would you

conclude about this mass?

A. It is malignant

B. It is benign

C. I need more information

Now let’s suppose this mass is on the hard palate. Which of

the following becomes a more likely diagnosis?

A. The mass might be a Lipoma tumorB. The mass might be the result of a neural

tumorC. The mass is likely a salivary gland tumor or

obstruction of the salivary glandD. The patient has the Mumps

Scenario #2:Cariology Examination

A teenager enters your office for an initial oral exam. The

exam reveals multiple carious teeth.

What questions would you need answered in order to properly treat this patient ?

• How long has it been since their last exam?

• Are there other filled teeth?

• What are the patients dietary habits?

• What does it feel like on palpation?

• What preventative measures are practiced?

The frequency of brushing has little to do with the number and

frequency of carious teeth.

A. True

B. False

If we are to select restorative materials for this patient, how will we decide which ones to

use?

List the variables that are important to consider

What should be done if the patient has high sugar intake, and the effected teeth are located in the front of the mouth?

Student Perspectives

Feedback from students…

Feedback from students…

Feedback from students…

Feedback from students…

Feedback from students…

“I think the CPS system should be used in all of the large classes at VCU, it's great for immediate feedback and it allows me to get a better understanding of the material. The CPS system allows me to see if I'm on the right track- or not- at that minute rather than waiting for the test and realizing I don't.”

Feedback from students…

“I think that the CPS system is a great tool to evaluate where each student is and what they are learning from each lesson. I really wish that all of the classes that I am taking were using the system, and I think that it is a great way to understand what sort of questions may be asked on the up coming test.”

Feedback from students…

“All we do is take mini quizzes to check attendance and answer questions about the text we are reading. They never lead into any discussion and sometimes the details are so minor, you can't even get the answers out of reading the text one time. I think it helps people attend class, but for paying attention, no. We had to start spreading out the quizzes over the class period because students would come in and take the quiz and leave. Overall its just a pain.”

Suggestions for Best Practice

• Focus on making student thinking visible through formative assessment

• Keep an intermediate level of difficulty for questions (trivial or overly complicated questions are not useful)

• Provide more opportunity for feedback, reflection, and revision of ideas

• Frequent low-stakes assessments support student learning

• Use the system (CPS) regularly• Avoid using the technology exclusively as a classroom

management tool (attendance, etc.)

Discipline-based Question Development

• Identify a challenging concept in your discipline that students often have misconceptions about

• Question sequencing to model discipline-based thinking

• Give students ample practice and ample opportunities for feedback

Personal Response Systems at VCU

• Using CPS from eInstruction• Implemented and supported by the CTE• Initially identified for use in large enrollment

classes• Early adopters primarily from math and sciences• Has diffused to HAS, Business, Art and the

Medical Campus• Currently 10,000+ students using ARS

technology, over 100 faculty and 80 classes per semester

Thanks for Coming!