engaging students in class
Increasing student response rate and participation while working on your throwing arm
Have you ever asked a question in class and then stood by while you got that glazed look from a room full of students? Depending on your level of comfort and experience you can of course just wait them out and eventually someone will respond. This does take patience on occasion and waiting for what […]
Use of Think-Pair-Share and Problem Solving in Biomechanics
Professor Kris Billiar, Department Head in Biomedical Engineering, gives some specific examples of activities he uses in class and how he’s improved their effectiveness over the years.
Natalie Farny’s Use of Daily Minute Papers to Engage Students and Quickly Gauge Understanding
I use a twist on the typical think-pair-share exercise coupled with the minute paper exercise in my 3000-level Human Anatomy and Physiology course (~60-80 students). At the start of each lecture, I put up a short open response question that relates to the material from the previous class and ask the students to spend 1-2 […]
Active Learning Examples from Steve Kmiotek in Chemical Engineering
In an introductory chemical engineering class, I wanted to convey a visual representation of the conservation of mass in different unit operations under different conditions, including steady state, non-steady-state, separation systems, recycle streams, and concepts of concentration. To do this, I had several student volunteers serve as unit operations, processing some red and some yellow […]
Multiple Techniques from Rob Traver for Fostering Participation and Thinking in Class
Writing on index cards. To increase student engagement I sometimes distribute index cards (an electronic version will do) and ask students to write a reply to a question I ask, or to a comment a fellow student poses, or to something they are reading or examining (a chart) BEFORE I continue with the classroom discussion. […]
Stepping Up the Participation Level in In-Class Activities
I have used a variety of think-pair-share and similar activities in my introductory materials course (ES 2001), with a typical enrollment of 120 in recent years. My main goal is to have each student practice applying principles during class and leverage the power of peer instruction. In addition, I can see how well they’re understanding […]
Nancy Burnham’s Use of Pre-Lecture Quizzes and Mid-Lecture Breaks in Physics
I give pre-lecture quizzes at the beginning of class. A few questions based on previous content helps the students settle into the material for the day and motivates them to keep on top of new content. Then, once or twice during the lecture, I’ll stop to change the pace. The question(s) usually address the more […]
John Sullivan Notices Increase in Attendance and Class Spirit After Using Think-Pair-Share
In A-term 2015 I used the “think-pair-share” social learning strategy for my ES3001 Thermodynamics class with an enrollment circa 60. Traditionally, I’d ask the class if they had any questions from last lecture. If I’d get one hand raised, it would be a surprise. This A-term, I displayed on the screen a book back-of-chapter question. […]
Tricia Stapleton Using Think-Pair-Share on the First Day of Class
I use several think-pair-share activities throughout a term in my ENV1100: Introduction to Environmental Studies (~50 students), including the first day of class. I have several objectives for employing a think-pair-share activity on the first day: 1) to set the tone of an active learning classroom for the term, 2) to make students review their […]
Liz Ryder’s Use of Think-Pair-Share in Neurobiology
I use Think-Pair-Share (TPS) whenever I want students to think actively rather than simply receiving information passively. When I’m presenting something in class, I’ll often ask the class a question rather than simply making a statement, but we all know that this usually only generates responses from a small group of students. So instead of […]
