Report #3
FIPP Activity Report
Funded by the Basic Skills Initiative
Name T. James Noyes
Date 11/13/2009
FIPP Partner Kate McLaughlin
Section #1320
Activity /Strategy Eagle-Hawk Homework Review
Category III. Classroom Expectations
Briefly describe the activity/strategy.
1. Introduction "Eagle-Hawk Homework Review"
The students compare their answers to short homework assignments (typically
ones in which they are asked to create specific examples of how the ocean
affects humans' lives or humans affect the ocean. The homeworks are related
to the most recent class topic: climate, waves, tides, currents, algae, resource,
pollution, overfishing, tsunami, hurricanes, El Nino, etc.) Students shift from
seat to seat, sharing their answers with at least 3 other students and
generating a long list of examples. There is (almost) always a question related
to the homeworks on each exam. These homework questions are also related
to a final project and a SLO.
2. Set up & Supplies
Whiteboard and Markers
Index Cards with seat locations
3. Directions
When assigning the homework questions, state that the students must bring in
typed answers to the questions (so you can distinguish their original work from
what they wrote down during the activity, and so that students must actually do
the work at home instead of a minute before class out in the hall).
1. Deal out a card to each student, and have them go to the location specified
2. While the students are moving, write instructions on the board:
* TELL your partner about your examples and WRITE DOWN their examples
(record DETAILED examples - a word or two is not enough)
* Create a LONG LIST with many examples
3. Give students two, three, or four minutes to exchange information, then have
specified students move to specified seats (e.g., 1 desk farther back) so that
each students gets a new partner - repeat twice (or more)
4. Conclusion Call on students at random and ask them to give examples. Pay
particular attention to how detailed their answers are, and show them how to
improve their answers by adding greater details. (Their fellow students should
add these answers to their list). At some point (possibly a later class), collect
their homework and review it BRIEFLY with 2 goals: (a) to get insight into
student thinking on these topics, and (b) to slightly downgrade students who
did not give sufficiently detailed examples (and possibly give a "zero" to
students who plagiarized the textbook or one anothers' typed work).
What worked well? More students are doing their homework than usual, and they seem
to care more about doing it, perhaps because they will be embarassed if they have little
or nothing to share with their fellow students.
What would you change?
A large portion of the students who do the homework complain about "being stuck with"
students who have not done the homework, so they cannot contribute much. It is good
that these students feel that they are "missing out", but this would mean excluding the
students who have not done the homework. I suppose that I could have students who
have not done the homework work generate examples in class on their own for partial
credit, or that I could put them in groups to generate examples.
A significant number of students complained about moving around the room. (Part of
the problem is that they insist on bringing all of their belongings with them, presumably
because they have valuables in them, and do not trust other students to leave them
alone). I'm not sure that I would change this, since it is a good way to "wake them up".
However, I could have them talk to the person north of them, then south of them, then
east of them, then west of them to reduce the amount of movement necessary. I could
reduce this even further by "assigning seats" and periodically switching them around to
make new groups, but I suspect that many students would greatly dislike this - there
definitely are better and worse spots for seeing the screen and board in my classroom.
Would you use the activity/strategy again? Why or why not? Yes.
I really like the fact that more students are doing homework, and that they get feedback
without me having to do a lot of grading (which takes a lot of time, but does not provide
much feedback, at least to most students). It also encourages me to assign more
homework. The main problem is that the activity costs me significant amounts of class
time. However, it is a good way to "wake them up" during my 3-hour classes.
Please describe any student learning outcomes/changes that you observed after the
implementation of the activity/strategy.
More students are doing the homework and bringing it to class.
There may be some improvement on related questions on exams, but I have not studied
this closely enough to decide whether or not it is really true.