A colleague of mine related an activity that he has used to reinforce topics and get his students to be present while in class. At the end of a lecture, he provides the students with a problem for them to work on before the next class period. Then, for the first five minutes or so of the next class, he asks his students to discuss their solutions. He has found that, as a result, his students communicate their ideas with each other. Also, through the discussion students become focused on class, present (focused and attentive) and ready to learn. He has seen an increase in student retention and pass rates, which he attributes (in part) to this activity. Although this activity was designed for implementation in face-to-face classes, this method has been effective in getting students to be active learners in the remote (synchronous, online) environment, too.
While teaching remotely (synchronously, online), what are some of the ways you have effectively encouraged students to be present and to focus on class?
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Christine Mirbaha
Professor, Mathematics
CC of Baltimore County - Dundalk
Baltimore MD
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-22-2021 01:35
From: Christine Mirbaha
Subject: IMPACT in Action - Engagement #3
One of the strategies that I use to promote active learning is to use polls/surveys during class. There are several polling apps available that permit students to respond both online or with their smart phones. This is especially helpful in my remote classes because my students like seeing how well their answers align with their classmates' work. Oftentimes, the poll sparks a conversation that leads to my students gaining a deeper understanding of a concept than would have been achieved otherwise.
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Christine Mirbaha
Professor, Mathematics
CC of Baltimore County - Dundalk
Baltimore MD
Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2021 09:40
From: Christine Mirbaha
Subject: IMPACT in Action - Engagement #3
What are some effective strategies and/or activities that promote active learning? Share your thoughts here, but if you have a more detailed activity/document, feel free to share it by posting it in the All Access Public Library and then providing the link to your entry in this discussion thread.
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Christine Mirbaha
Professor, Mathematics
CC of Baltimore County - Dundalk
Baltimore MD
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