The readings for this week were chapter 7 (Assessing, Testing, and Evaluating: Grading is Not the Most Important Function), 8 (Testing: The Details), and 9 (Tests from the Students' Perspective) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips, and an excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do. There were several aspects of this week's readings that were interesting and could be implemented in my own teaching.
In both chapter 7 of McKeachie's Teaching Tips and the excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do, the authors suggest that testing should be about both learning and evaluation. For example, McKeachie advocates that "taking a test in a group situation is a good learning experience...students learn a lot from one another and from having to explain their own answers." I wonder whether learning and evaluation should always be sought simultaneously. If students work together on all tests, it may not be possible to ever truly assess learning among individual students. As I illustrated in a previous post, I agree that working in groups should facilitate learning. In my own teaching, I will incorporate group work to facilitate such learning. However, for tests, I intend to require students to take tests individually so that I can assess their individual learning. Below, interested readers can find a link to a website that includes several group activities for social psychology courses.
On a related note, McKeachie gives several useful tips regarding returning tests to students. If students are to learn from tests, I believe the best time for this is following the test. McKeachie advocates reviewing test answers so that students can learn from their mistakes. I intend to review the answers to test questions that students are unsure about. For example, I may ask students which questions they would like to review and/or focus on questions that few students got correct. I found McKeachie's tips for grading essay questions very useful. As an undergraduate, I often had difficulty determining how instructors graded essay questions. Scoring of essay questions always seemed very subjective, and in a way it is. However, there are numerous techniques instructors can adopt to assess essay responses more objectively. There are three techniques that I find especially useful. The first is to read several essays before beginning to grade. The second is to read and comment on all essays, and then assign grades last. The third is to develop a grading rubric. I feel that these techniques should reduce the likelihood that an instructor will be unduly influenced by essays that were read before the one being graded. For example, an instructor may perceive an essay as poorly written if it follows an essay that was written very well (or vice-versa). In my own teaching, I would like students to be able to apply the knowledge that they develop. Including at least some essay questions will be necessary for accomplishing this goal. Using some of the techniques that McKeachie presents, I will seek to be as objective as possible in grading essay questions.
Lastly, I also found the excerpt from What the Best College Teachers Do very interesting. Specifically, I enjoyed the discussion regarding student evaluation of instructors. I think it is easy for instructors to discount the validity of these assessments. For example, instructors who receive low ratings may rationalize their ratings by arguing that students were not up for the challenges presented to them. However, I feel that student evaluations should be taken seriously by instructors. If instructors are to develop their teaching abilities, they should take into consideration what students find helpful and harmful. Nonetheless, I acknowledge limitations of such instructor evaluations. Below, I provide a link to a sample teaching evaluation form.
Additional Resources
1. Group activities for social psychology courses
2. Sample teaching evaluation form
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Blog Entry #4
This week's readings were chapter 8 (Grading) in First Day to Final Grade, and chapter 10 (What to Do About Cheating) and 11 (The ABC's of Assigning Grades) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips. There were several useful tips in this week's readings that I can apply in my own teaching. Here, I focus on a few of the most useful ideas.
In chapter 8 of First Day to Final Grade, Curzan and Damour provide tips for maintaining control of the time it takes to grade assignments (p. 147). For example, they suggest that grading most undergraduate papers should only take 20 to 30 minutes. I was very surprised by this suggestion. As an undergraduate, writing a good paper can take several weeks. For an instructor to determine a grade so quickly seems alarming. However, I understand the reasons behind the authors' suggestion. I am anticipating up to 70 students in the course I am teaching in the Spring and I intend to assign a 5-8 page paper due near the end of the semester. If I take 30 minutes to read and grade each paper, I will have taken 35 hours. 35 hours is a lot of time near the end of a semester! Consequently, I will need to set a time limit on the amount of time I devote to grading papers and other assignments.
Also related to time management and grading papers, I found Curzan and Damour's suggestion to point out problems but not solve them important (p. 150). The authors argue that it is the instructors job to identify problems in student assignments, and it is the students job to solve those problems. I feel that this is a good time management strategy. However, I wonder how many students are capable of identifying appropriate solutions to the problems that their instructors pose. In my own teaching, I intend to follow the suggestion of the authors, but I also intend to be available to students who are unable to identify appropriate solutions to the problems I pose.
I also found McKeachie's perspective (p. 127) and Curzan and Damour's perspective (p. 162) on late work interesting. McKeachie suggests that penalizing students for late work influences grades so that they no longer exclusively represent knowledge and understanding, but rather are diluted by assessment of responsibility, maturity, and other factors. Curzan and Damour suggest that penalizing students for late work does not account for real emergencies. They provide the example of a student whose assignment is 1 hour late due to a power failure. I agree with these suggestions. As an undergraduate, I wrote a paper in my social psychology course suggesting that grades were a better measure of conformity than intelligence. I used many of the same arguments that McKeachie presents. Of course, it is also important that aside from special circumstances, students regularly turn assignments in on time. In my own teaching, I do not intend to mark students down for turning in assignments late. However, I do intend to schedule deadlines for assignments and express the importance of these deadlines to my students.
Below are a couple additional resources that relate to this blog. The first link provides techniques for managing time more effectively, and includes a printable to-do list. The second link is a forum discussion regarding penalizing late work.
http://www.glencoe.com/ps/teachingtoday/weeklytips.phtml/27
http://www.teach-nology.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-975.html
In chapter 8 of First Day to Final Grade, Curzan and Damour provide tips for maintaining control of the time it takes to grade assignments (p. 147). For example, they suggest that grading most undergraduate papers should only take 20 to 30 minutes. I was very surprised by this suggestion. As an undergraduate, writing a good paper can take several weeks. For an instructor to determine a grade so quickly seems alarming. However, I understand the reasons behind the authors' suggestion. I am anticipating up to 70 students in the course I am teaching in the Spring and I intend to assign a 5-8 page paper due near the end of the semester. If I take 30 minutes to read and grade each paper, I will have taken 35 hours. 35 hours is a lot of time near the end of a semester! Consequently, I will need to set a time limit on the amount of time I devote to grading papers and other assignments.
Also related to time management and grading papers, I found Curzan and Damour's suggestion to point out problems but not solve them important (p. 150). The authors argue that it is the instructors job to identify problems in student assignments, and it is the students job to solve those problems. I feel that this is a good time management strategy. However, I wonder how many students are capable of identifying appropriate solutions to the problems that their instructors pose. In my own teaching, I intend to follow the suggestion of the authors, but I also intend to be available to students who are unable to identify appropriate solutions to the problems I pose.
I also found McKeachie's perspective (p. 127) and Curzan and Damour's perspective (p. 162) on late work interesting. McKeachie suggests that penalizing students for late work influences grades so that they no longer exclusively represent knowledge and understanding, but rather are diluted by assessment of responsibility, maturity, and other factors. Curzan and Damour suggest that penalizing students for late work does not account for real emergencies. They provide the example of a student whose assignment is 1 hour late due to a power failure. I agree with these suggestions. As an undergraduate, I wrote a paper in my social psychology course suggesting that grades were a better measure of conformity than intelligence. I used many of the same arguments that McKeachie presents. Of course, it is also important that aside from special circumstances, students regularly turn assignments in on time. In my own teaching, I do not intend to mark students down for turning in assignments late. However, I do intend to schedule deadlines for assignments and express the importance of these deadlines to my students.
Below are a couple additional resources that relate to this blog. The first link provides techniques for managing time more effectively, and includes a printable to-do list. The second link is a forum discussion regarding penalizing late work.
http://www.glencoe.com/ps/teachingtoday/weeklytips.phtml/27
http://www.teach-nology.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-975.html
Monday, September 14, 2009
Blog Entry #3
This week's readings were chapter 4 (Reading as Active Learning), 5 (Facilitating Discussion: Posing Problems, Listening, Questioning), and 6 (How to Make Lectures More Effective) in McKeachie's Teaching Tips. I found several aspects of this week's readings interesting.
In chapter 4, McKeachie argues that students learn more from reading than they do from lectures. This is an interesting point. As an undergraduate, I often felt that attending lectures did not add much to the knowledge I acquired from reading the textbook. Although I still feel this way at times, I think that lecturing can sometimes be valuable. For example, lecturors may be able to supplement reading materials by generating enthusiam about the topic, providing a check on author biases, and adding additional material. In my own teaching, I intend to cover reading material in classes, but also add to this material with new information and examples.
In chapter 5, McKeachie emphasizes the importance of discussion for learning. Information learned by listening to a lecture or reading a textbook may not be retained as well as information that is actively discussed. My advisor and I are currently working on an article concerning collaborative group memory. As part of this article, we review evidence suggesting that members of collaborative groups tend to remember information better than individuals at later points in time. When recalling information, collaborative groups are able to discuss their recall. This discussion seems to facilitate recall in group members at later points in time. In my own teaching, I intend to encourage student participation by creating a comfortable atmosphere for discussion.
In chapter 6, McKeachie provides suggestions for how to make lectures more effective. I thought he provided many interesting ideas for accomplishing this. For example, motivating attention with phrases like "This will be on the test" may be worth considering. In my own teaching, I may consider changing this phrase slightly to "This may be on the test." This is because anything may be on the test. As long as this phrase is not used to frequently, it should help encourage student attention when needed.
Below are a couple links to additional resources. The first link compares collaborative learning and lecture/discussion. The second link provides techniques for improving lecture effectiveness.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3886/is_200101/ai_n8935939/
http://www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/6read/6training/lecture/delivering_lecture.htm
In chapter 4, McKeachie argues that students learn more from reading than they do from lectures. This is an interesting point. As an undergraduate, I often felt that attending lectures did not add much to the knowledge I acquired from reading the textbook. Although I still feel this way at times, I think that lecturing can sometimes be valuable. For example, lecturors may be able to supplement reading materials by generating enthusiam about the topic, providing a check on author biases, and adding additional material. In my own teaching, I intend to cover reading material in classes, but also add to this material with new information and examples.
In chapter 5, McKeachie emphasizes the importance of discussion for learning. Information learned by listening to a lecture or reading a textbook may not be retained as well as information that is actively discussed. My advisor and I are currently working on an article concerning collaborative group memory. As part of this article, we review evidence suggesting that members of collaborative groups tend to remember information better than individuals at later points in time. When recalling information, collaborative groups are able to discuss their recall. This discussion seems to facilitate recall in group members at later points in time. In my own teaching, I intend to encourage student participation by creating a comfortable atmosphere for discussion.
In chapter 6, McKeachie provides suggestions for how to make lectures more effective. I thought he provided many interesting ideas for accomplishing this. For example, motivating attention with phrases like "This will be on the test" may be worth considering. In my own teaching, I may consider changing this phrase slightly to "This may be on the test." This is because anything may be on the test. As long as this phrase is not used to frequently, it should help encourage student attention when needed.
Below are a couple links to additional resources. The first link compares collaborative learning and lecture/discussion. The second link provides techniques for improving lecture effectiveness.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3886/is_200101/ai_n8935939/
http://www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/6read/6training/lecture/delivering_lecture.htm
Monday, September 7, 2009
Blog Entry #2
This week’s readings were chapter 3 (Weekly Class Preparation), 4 (Running a Discussion), and 6 (Trusty Class Plans) in First Day to Final Grade. I found several aspects of this week’s readings useful, and I intend to incorporate them into my own teaching.
I enjoyed the discussion about facilitating student notes in chapter 3. College teaching often requires that the instructor speak slowly and occasionally pause to facilitate note taking. This is much different from a professional presentation (e.g., at a conference), where the audience tends to only take notes that relate to their own interests. In my own course, I intend to be aware of the audience and talk at a pace that allows for note taking and learning, even if it requires that I cover less material. For example, if students are furiously taking notes, I will talk slower and incorporate pauses between topics.
I also found the discussion about incorporating writing interesting (chapter 3). The authors state, “By writing, students move immediately from passively receiving information to actively synthesizing ideas and creating original arguments.” I strongly agree with this statement, and I intend to incorporate writing into my own course. For example, I will likely require a 5-7 page application-focused paper, as well as several in-class writing assignments.
In chapter 4, the authors suggest several types of effective and ineffective discussion questions. One type of ineffective question is a “talking down” question (e.g., who is the author?). In my own view, “talking down” questions could be equated with “very easy” questions (e.g., asking students to define a very simple concept). Although it may seem to be a minor point, I think the consequences of asking too many of these types of questions can be dramatic. For example, if students perceive the instructor as condescending, students may not volunteer to answer other questions. In my own teaching, I intend to incorporate few, if any, very easy questions. Rather, I will seek to ask questions that at least minimally challenge students.
I found the discussion about handling sensitive material in Chapter 4 interesting as well. In the example on page 56, the author’s state, “…we must remember that we are evaluating arguments, not the people who raise them.” This is something I have discussed with my advisor on many occasions. Both of us believe that it is the ideas that are important for the progression of the psychological sciences rather than the names associated with those ideas. Nonetheless, it is important to realize that both researchers and students identify with the ideas that they generated. Consequently, it may be difficult to critique an idea without the generator of that idea feeling slighted. One potential solution to this dilemma may include acknowledging the value of how the student arrived at the idea (e.g., “You are on the right track, but…”) before critiquing the end result.
Below are a couple links that relate to the readings for this week. The first link provides techniques for facilitating student participation, and the second link provides techniques for facilitating effective group activities in the classroom.
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ltas/intro/teachingAdvice/documentation/Facilitating_Student_Participation.pdf
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/collaborative.html
I enjoyed the discussion about facilitating student notes in chapter 3. College teaching often requires that the instructor speak slowly and occasionally pause to facilitate note taking. This is much different from a professional presentation (e.g., at a conference), where the audience tends to only take notes that relate to their own interests. In my own course, I intend to be aware of the audience and talk at a pace that allows for note taking and learning, even if it requires that I cover less material. For example, if students are furiously taking notes, I will talk slower and incorporate pauses between topics.
I also found the discussion about incorporating writing interesting (chapter 3). The authors state, “By writing, students move immediately from passively receiving information to actively synthesizing ideas and creating original arguments.” I strongly agree with this statement, and I intend to incorporate writing into my own course. For example, I will likely require a 5-7 page application-focused paper, as well as several in-class writing assignments.
In chapter 4, the authors suggest several types of effective and ineffective discussion questions. One type of ineffective question is a “talking down” question (e.g., who is the author?). In my own view, “talking down” questions could be equated with “very easy” questions (e.g., asking students to define a very simple concept). Although it may seem to be a minor point, I think the consequences of asking too many of these types of questions can be dramatic. For example, if students perceive the instructor as condescending, students may not volunteer to answer other questions. In my own teaching, I intend to incorporate few, if any, very easy questions. Rather, I will seek to ask questions that at least minimally challenge students.
I found the discussion about handling sensitive material in Chapter 4 interesting as well. In the example on page 56, the author’s state, “…we must remember that we are evaluating arguments, not the people who raise them.” This is something I have discussed with my advisor on many occasions. Both of us believe that it is the ideas that are important for the progression of the psychological sciences rather than the names associated with those ideas. Nonetheless, it is important to realize that both researchers and students identify with the ideas that they generated. Consequently, it may be difficult to critique an idea without the generator of that idea feeling slighted. One potential solution to this dilemma may include acknowledging the value of how the student arrived at the idea (e.g., “You are on the right track, but…”) before critiquing the end result.
Below are a couple links that relate to the readings for this week. The first link provides techniques for facilitating student participation, and the second link provides techniques for facilitating effective group activities in the classroom.
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ltas/intro/teachingAdvice/documentation/Facilitating_Student_Participation.pdf
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/collaborative.html
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