Improve your Teaching by Assessing Student Learning During Every Class Session

1. Improve your Teaching by Assessing Student Learning During Every Class Session AMATYC Conference Anaheim, California October/November 2013 Dr. Kim Tsai Granger Kgranger@stlcc.edu

2. CATs:Classroom Assessment Techniques

3. Thomas A. Angelo & K. Patricia Cross

4. “Classroom Assessment helps individual college teachers obtain useful feedback on what, how much and how well their students are learning. Faculty can then use this information to refocus their teaching to help students make their learning more efficient and more effective.” Angelo & Cross, page 3 What is “classroom Assessment”?

5. What is “classroom Assessment”? • How will it improve student learning if mathematics faculty monitor student learning throughout the semester? • How much of this monitoring is enough monitoring? • What is the Purpose of each of the following assessments: • Module/Unit Exams (3-6 per semester) • Weekly, Graded Quiz • By-Weekly, Graded Quiz

6. What is “classroom Assessment”? An approach designed to help teachers find out what students are learning and how well they are learning it. • Learner-Centered • Teacher-Directed • Mutually Beneficial • Formative • Context –Specific • Ongoing • Rooted in Good Teaching Practice Angelo & Cross, pages 4-6

7. What is “classroom Assessment”? CATs are simple tools for collecting data on student learning in order to improve it. Angelo & Cross, page 25

8. What is “classroom Assessment”? CATs are NOT graded, nor are they intended to replace traditional means of evaluation.

9. Why Should I Use CATs? • Fewer “surprises” at Midterm and Final…or even at the time of a unit test! • Gives students the opportunity to improve before a graded assignment, such as a test or exam. • Improves rapport with students.

10. Plan • What do you want to assess? • Choose a CAT that provides this feedback, is consistent with your teaching style, and can be easily implemented in your class. • Implement • Explain the purpose of the activity to students, then conduct it. • Respond • After class, review the results and decide what changes, if any, to make. • Let your students know what you learned from the CAT and how you will use this information. How Do I Use CATs?

11. Close the Loop! How Do I Use CATs?

12. If a CAT doesn’t appeal to your intuition and professional judgment, don't use it. Don't ask your students to do a CAT you haven't tried on yourself. Allow for more time than you think you will need CLOSE THE LOOP - Let students know what you learn from their feedback and how you and they can use that information to improve learning. Tips for Success Using CATs

13. Sometimes it is like Herding Cats! Beware…sometimes it’s like herding cats!

14. SOME EXAMPLES

15. In 1-3 clear, concise sentences, please write your definition of _______________, or at least what you think it should be. Construct a definition that would make sense to your fellow students regardless of their academic major. DIRECTED PARAPHRASING

16. In 1-3 clear, concise sentences, please write your definition of _______________. Ideas to Fill in the Blank? DIRECTED PARAPHRASING

17. What has been the "muddiest" point so far in this session? That is, what topic remains the least clear to you?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MUDDIEST POINT

18. What has been the "muddiest" point so far in this session? That is, what topic remains the least clear to you? Ideas on how to use this? MUDDIEST POINT

19. 1. What are the two [three, four, five] most significant [central, useful, meaningful, surprising, disturbing] things you have learned during this session?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. What question(s) remain uppermost in your mind?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MINUTE PAPER

20. TRANSFER & APPLY • Write some intriguing ideas, techniques, strategies, and tactics from this session.___________________________________________________ • Write a related application problem. ____________________________________________________________________

21. Students pass around an envelope on which the teacher has written one question about the class. When the envelope reaches a student he/she spends a moment to respond to the question and then places the response in the envelope. CHAIN NOTES

22. Ask student to divide a paper into two columns (+ / -). Plus means that students believe something worked well and helped them learn and minus describes how students would make changes to improve their learning. Pluses and minuses can address class activities, instructor performance, texts, and classroom environment. PLUS / MINUS

23. Ask students the following questions • The most effective thing we have done in this class that helps me learn is . . . • The least effective thing we have done in this class which keeps me from learning is . . . • One thing I wish you would change . . . • List three things that other teachers have done that really helped me learn more I LEARN BEST WHEN . . .

24. Kim Granger St. Louis Community College—Wildwood Campus KGranger@stlcc.edu Questions?