Using clickers to improve student understandi ng A mini grant project Karen Helgers and Hope Windle
Using clickers to improve student understanding
A mini grant projectKaren Helgers and Hope Windle
A BIG thank you to Hope WindleFor encouraging me to do this
For doing a good deal of the applicationFor helping with the research on how to
use clickersFor providing assistance every step of the
way
The Problem
Physical Geography:
The students– Education majors
– Science-phobic
– Will need to teach some science
– Few science class requirements
The Problem, continuedThe Class
– Little participation and engagement
– How to measure understanding BEFORE exam? (this does NOT happen!)
Potential Solution• Individual Student Response Devices
• “CLICKERS”
How it Works
What’s the primary way you’d measure student understanding while lecturing?
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0%
0%
0%
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0% 1. Waiting for questions2. Searching for puzzled looks3. Pop Quiz4. “Show of hands” poll5. Other6. All of the above
In college, if a teacher took a poll, did you raise your hand?
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0%
0%
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0% 1. Always2. Only if I was very sure of the answer3. Sometimes4. Rarely5. Never
If you didn’t answer “always,” why not?
1 2 3
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1. I was asleep2. I was busy talking to
my friends and resented the interruption
3. I was unsure of the answer and would be embarrassed if I was wrong
My Plan
• Get 100% participation
• Use to measure student understanding
• Revise teaching accordingly
My Hope
From this
To this
Research
• What do other professors do?– Individual answers– Group interaction– Students helping students
• Used by other Science classes
• Testing helps learning
What types of questions work best?My Findings:
• Questions to figure things out
• Review questions
• Breaking a concept down into smaller steps
Air that decreases in temperature will
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0%1. Increase in volume
2. Decrease in volume
My Findings
• Students LOVE clickers!• 100% participation
• Students willing to share their reasoning with class, WRONG or RIGHT– Wrong reasoning and misconceptions revealed
and corrected
• ASTOUNDING findings of understanding!!
Future Possibilities
• More questions in the PowerPoints
• Incorporate this into group work and other activities
• Use for quizzes
• Track individual progress (not anonymous)