Developing Interactive Lectures

Robyn Wright DunbarStanford University

Katryn WieseCity College of San Francisco

Preparing for an Academic Career WorkshopJune 2011

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/index.html (or http://serc.carleton.edu/ in general)

Students taught key concepts using one of four methods. Student learning assessed by proportion of correct answers to open ended questions on same concepts on final exam

Crouch, C.H., Fagen, A.P., Callan, J.P., & Mazur, E., 2004. American Journal of Physics, v.72 #6, p. 835-838.

No demonstration

Observation of demonstration w/explanation

Prediction prior to demo with a conceptest

Prediction prior to demonstration using discussion & a later conceptest

% correct answers

61

70*

77*

82*

Teaching method

n = 158-297; * = statistically significant result vs. no demonstration

Slide from David Steer

Why make lectures interactive?

Group brainstorm: What indicators would you observe/measure to determine if a lecture is successfully interactive?

• Students are talking with each other and teaching one another• Students are offering up answers and ideas• Students are engaged in thinking through concepts• Students are getting hands-on experiences with concepts• Students are collaborating with each other – brainstorming• Students are engaging with the material in multiple ways and

instructors are assessing understanding in multiple ways at multiple levels.

What is some evidence that a lecture is “Interactive”?

Interactive Lecture Toolbox• Think-pair-share• Concept Tests• Demonstrations, predictive demonstrations,

interactive demonstrations• One-minute papers

• Muddiest point, most important point

• Wall walk• Small group work

• Discussions, gallery walks, jigsaws

• Big group brainstorming• Other

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/index.html

• Instructor asks a question related to an image, graph, or prediction

• Students think (write, calculate) a response

Think-Pair-Share

• In pairs (or small groups), students discuss their responses

• Solicit pair or group response• Instructor can use to guide

instructionSatellite measurements of ozone concentration above Antarctica, 1979-1992

Think-Pair-Share

EXAMPLE• Individuals think about

a THINK-PAIR-SHARE question you would ask a group of students about this picture.

• Discuss your example with a partner

• Share ideas with larger group

McConnell, D.A., Steer, D.N., & Owens, K., 2003, Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 51, #2, p. 174-183.

Concept TestsMultiple choice questions embedded in the lecture

• Focus attention on key concepts

• Frequently include peer instruction

• Formative exercises during class used to assess student understanding and progress

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/conctest.html

Frequently used with an electronic Personal Response System (PRS) “clicker”

Slide from David Steer

Which of these

sedimentary textures tell us the rocks were

formed originally as

sand dunes?

E

D

C

B

A

Concept Tests:An Example

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/conctest.html

Demonstrations• Ask first: What do you expect? Why?• RUN DEMONSTRATION / ACTIVTY• Review: Did it occur as you expected? Why or

why not? Do you want to run any follow-up experiments?

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/demonstrations/index.html

Which is denser: Pepsi or Diet Pepsi?

Why?

Which is denser: Orange or Peeled

Orange?Why?

DemonstrationsExample

Photo by Howard Edin, American Meteor Society

Interactive Demonstration Example:

The heat of accretion that caused early Earth to melt…

JigsawSmall group work where students work on related

concepts and teach one another.

• Each team prepares a different assignment.• Teach information to others in mixed groups.• Mixed group addresses a more complex

problem that is best, or only, solvable with input from each member.

From B. Tewksbury at: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/coursedesign/tutorial/jigsaw.html

Jigsaw Example – Mineral propertiesEveryone gets one of 5 minerals.

Your goal: find all the other people in the room with the same mineral and group yourselves together.

Once everyone has found each other – review in your group all the things that make your mineral samples the same (is it color? shape? etc.)

One person from each group takes mineral and joins a mixed group to teach their mineral – explaining its special traits and answering questions.

Finally, the mixed group solves a challenge only solvable using their combined expertise (e.g. identify which unknown rocks contain their minerals, etc.)

• Focus attention on key concepts• Used to stimulate class discussions• On 4 walls of the class, place signs: Agree, Disagree,

Strongly Agree, Strongly Disagree• Do not let students stand in the middle (make them “take a

stand”)• Establish rules (can change where you are standing, be

courteous, raise hand, will be called upon, etc…)• Project a (controversial) statement about a class topic

Wall Walk

From Steer and Trujillo

Set up posters around the room with different prompts. Teams circulate to each poster for review, discussion, and note making.

Every ~5 minutes, teams move to the next poster, engaging the pre-existing comments and enriching the “discussion,” until back at

original location.

Final groups review comments, discuss, and then choose spokesperson to report out key points to larger group.

SUGGEST

E(A modified Gallery Walk would do this by circulating papers among seated groups instead of circulating the people.)

EXAMPLE PROMPTS:

Identify and briefly describe some interactive lecture strategies.

What concerns might someone have about making lectures more interactive?

What resources are available to help make interactive lectures?

Gallery Walk Example

ON YOUR OWNYOU HAVE ~5 MINUTES TO WORK ON THIS:

Think about and design an interactive demonstration, concept test, brainstorm, wall walk, jigsaw, gallery walk, or think-pair-share for one of your courses on one topic.

WITH A PARTNER

YOU HAVE ~5 MINUTES TO WORK ON THIS (each person gets 2-3 minutes):

Discuss your activity with your partner – ask questions – elicit feedback.

“One-minute” papersPaper topics

The muddiest point of today’s classThe most important point(s) you learned from today’s class

A classroom assessment technique Involves students in their own learning, promotes

metacognitionCan show class-wide trendsMakes a natural starting point for the next class

From Macdonald

For More Information…Think-Pair-Share:http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/tpshare.html

Conceptest:http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/conctest.html

Predictive/Interactive Demo:http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/demonstrations/index.html