WRITING GREAT CLICKER QUESTIONS

The Gentle Art of Questioning

Dr. Stephanie V. Chasteen Physics Department

& Science Education InitiativeUniv. of Colorado at Boulder

http://colorado.edu/sei

Web and blog: http://sciencegeekgirl.com

Email: stephanie.chasteen@colorado.edu

Who are you?

A. STEM faculty B. AdministratorC. Teacher educator D. Education researcherE. Graduate student or post-docF. Other

Show of hands

What is your primary role?

Have you used response systems (clickers) in your teaching?

A. Not at all, and I haven’t seen them usedB. Not at all, but I’ve observed their use

somewhatC. I’ve used them a littleD. I’ve used them a lotE. I could be (should be?) giving this workshop

Take a clicker & turn it on If the green light flashes,

your vote has been counted

How familiar are you with Mazur’s “Peer Instruction”

A. Fairly familiar, and I like itB. Fairly familiar, but I’m not sure that I like itC. I’ve heard of it but only have a vague idea

what it isD. Not familiar at allE. Not sure

Colored cards

Introducing Me

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

Science Education Initiative

http://colorado.edu/SEI

Physics Education Research Group

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

http://PER.colorado.edu

Blogger

http://blog.sciencegeekgirl.com

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Why question?

whiteboardCredit: Rosie Piller

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Agenda

1. When and how we can ask questions2. About clickers as a way to ask questions,

including some common challenges3. Writing good questions. Example

questions, writing our own.4. Action plan

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Learning goals: Participants will be able to….A. Explain several benefits of questioning and of using clickers to

questionB. Defend the use of best practices in questioning to overcome

common challengesC. Formulate and revise clicker questions to target student

learning goals

Exercise #1: Question brainstorm

What questions could you ask to help students achieve your assigned learning goal -- to test mastery and stimulate learning?

Brainstorm as a group

whiteboard

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5 minutes

When can we ask questions?

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

We can ask questions in lots of ways

Ask rhetoricallyTarget the class (how?)Target someone in particular (in what order?)Answer your own questionLeave the question unanswered

Or ask out of classBlogsDiscussion boardsHomework…

Credit: Rosie Piller

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Why use clickers to target the class? An outline of Peer Instruction.

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But not a magic bullet!

Clickers are a tool for questioning

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Ask Question

Peer Discussion

Vote

Class Discussion

…Lecture… (Maybe vote)

* See also: Peer Instruction, A User’s Manual. E. Mazur.

Anatomy of Peer Instruction

How is a clicker question the same or different?*

Similar in terms of goalsMultiple choiceAnonymous (to peers)Every student has a voice –

the loud ones and the shy ones

Forced wait timeYou can withhold the answer

until everyone has had time to think (choose when to show the histogram)

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* From other types of in-class questions

What does this tool help us to do?

U. Colorado clicker resources…17

Videos of effective use of clickers

http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu

Clicker resource page

http://STEMvideos.colorado.edu

2-5 mins long

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

Which of these could be clicker questions?

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

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Let’s try it

Which superpower would you rather have? The ability to…

A. Change the mass of thingsB. Change the charge of thingsC. Change the magnetization of thingsD. Change the boiling point of things

Question: Ian Beatty, UNC Greensboro Image: Thibault fr on Wikimedia

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Example question: Math

Your sister in law calls to say that she’s having twins. Which of the following is the most likely? (Assume she’s having fraternal, not identical, twins)

A.Twin boysB.Twin girlsC.One girl and one boyD.All are equally likely

Derek Bruff, Vanderbilt

Example Question: Survey

Which of the following are you least comfortable using to solve problems?

A. KinematicsB. Newton’s LawsC. Work-Energy TheoremD. Momentum-Impulse TheoremE. Angular Momentum-Angular Impulse Theorem

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Ian Beatty, UMass Amherst

Let’s try it

A. Writing good questionsB. Getting students to really think about themC. Getting students to discuss the questionsD. Getting students to share their ideas in the

class discussionE. It takes too long / I have a lot of content to

cover

I think the toughest thing about using clickers and peer instruction in class will be:

Or something else? Write it on your handout!What are some *solutions* to some of these challenges?

Some “best practices” and solutions

Underlying philosophy to most of these “best practices” are:

“It is important for students to discuss their ideas, to feel safe doing so, and for the teacher to be aware of those ideas”

We’ll do these quicklyThese are repeated in handouts

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1. Ask Question

What are some challenges/ things to consider when posing a clicker question?

Handout/worksheet / whiteboard

•Ask several times during lecture•Ask challenging, meaningful questions•Don’t post until ready•Give time to read (read silently)•Don’t read question out loud

2. Peer Discussion27

Why is peer discussion important?

• Students learn more deeply by teaching each other• Makes them articulate answer• Lets you see inside their heads

•Make it clear why you’re doing this• Circulate and ask questions / model•Use questions they want to discuss•Allow enough time (2-5 mins)•Focus on reasoning in wrap-up

What are challenges / how can you help make it work?

Student buy-in is key!

3. Wrap-Up Discussion29

Challenges?What might you do to facilitate an effective wrap-up discussion?

•Establish culture of respect•Consider whether to show the histogram immediately• Ask multiple students to defend their answers• Why are wrong answers wrong and why right answer is right

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Giving the answer stops student thinking!

Preparing to Write Questions

Read briefly over the “tips for writing clicker questions” handout. Which is going to be most challenging for you?

Then, in groups of 2-3, choose one of the questions that you brainstormed at the beginning of the workshop. You will write a multiple choice version of this question (but not yet!)

3 minutes

Gallery Walk

As a table, look at the “example questions” trio that I have given you. What’s a common theme(s)?

Write the themes you find down on the sheet so that other groups will be able to read it.

After 5 minutes, circulate to see the themes of questions on other tables.Shop for ideas for your own questions!See handouts for a place to jot your notes.

10 minutes

Question brainstorm

Exercise #3: Writing Questions35

Using ideas you’ve learned, write a multiple choice version of your question in groups of 2-3.

Look on the “Sample Questions” handout for some examples.

Show your question to another group (and to me) for suggestions on revising it.

If you have time, write another question from another part of the questioning cycle.

10 minutes

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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References & Resources

Clicker Resource Page from the Science Education Initiative: http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu. Has clicker question banks (in the sciences), an instructors’ guide, and videos of classroom use. Useful books (such as Eric Mazur’s Peer Instruction are cited there.

Workshop handouts will be uploaded to the above website, or email me.

Many materials in this workshop (particularly the questioning cycle and the participant exercises)

were adapted from Rosie Piller, Making Students Think: The Art of Questioning. Short papers published in: Computer Training & Support Conference, 1995; ISPI International Conferences, 1991 and 1996; ASTD National Conference on Technical & Skills Training, 1990. Related workshop description at http://www.educationexperts.net/nstworkshop.html

Other materials (particularly sample clicker questions and goals of clicker questions) adapted from

Ian Beatty’s Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment (TEFA) program. http://ianbeatty.com/crs

My upcoming travel: Chicago, West Virginia, Pittsburgh. Need a speaker?

Upcoming free webinar for K12. See flyer.

Web and blog: http://sciencegeekgirl.com

Email: stephanie.chasteen@colorado.edu

Thanks!

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.

What Do I do if…?

What can you do if you ask questions and..There is no responseThe same people keep raising their handsThe answers are called out before everyone

has a chance to thinkThe answers take too longSomeone gives a wrong answerOnly some students are prepared?

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We’ll discuss in Workshop #2.

For now: Many of these challenges are addressed by clickers