Writing Clicker Questions
Stephanie V. Chasteen
University of Colorado at Boulder
Have you ever written any clicker questions?
A)Never used clickers
B)Yes, many times
Take a clicker & turn it on
If the green light flashes,
your vote has been counted
C)Yes, and tried them in class a few times
D)No, but I’ve used ones others wrote
E)No, I use the ones from question banks
Today’s agenda
•
•
•
Discussion of clicker questions
Practice writing and revising clicker
questions
If there’s time… discussion of ways to
implement peer discussion and question
wrap-up
2
The clicker
question
cycle
1.Learning goals
2.Ask question
3.Peer discussion
4.Vote
5.Whole class discussion
6.Interpret & use results
3
Quick video break
4
Benefits of clickers
“Anonymous” responses
Instant feedback to teacher and students
Focuses class on a question and forces
them to commit to answer
Catalyzes discussion
Makes your student’s thinking visible
Models reasoning and oral presentation
5
I teach...
A)Elementary School
B)Middle School
C)High school
D)College or University
E)Other/I don’t teach
6
I primarily teach...
A)Biology
B)Physics
C)Math
D)Chemistry
E)Other
7
Basic use of clickers...
•Only for quizzes or testing
•Only occasionally or at set times
•To check for basic comprehension
Better use of clickers...
•Frequent and integrated into class
•Require or encourage peer discussion
•Mix of difficulty
•Use results to direct instruction
8
Writing questions video
•
2:00-3:10
9
A note on the “wrong” answers
•
•
•
Distractors should be tempting
And based on common student
misunderstandings
Don’t forget options like “more than one”
or “none of these”
What does each answer tell you about student thinking?
This is important part of formative assessment.
10
Take a stab…
Use the pink handout as a guide
•
•
On your own, take a few minutes to try
writing a question for a topic you will be
teaching this month.
If you have brought a question, either
work on revising it, or try a new approach
to that same material.
11
I think it’s hardest to…
A. Figure out when in class (or why) to use a
question
B. Decide what type of question to ask
C. Write the question itself
D. Come up with the “wrong” answers (distractors)
E. More than one / something else
12
E.g. Communications
You are an editor at the Washington Post, and the
Unabomber has demanded that you print his
manifesto or he will continue sending mail bombs.
As Post editor, which would you value most?
•
Upholding 1st Amendment independence from gov’t
•
Increased readership
•
Maintaining credibility
•
Possibly help save lives
•
Informing readers
13
E.g. Chemistry
•
Demonstration predictions. For example,
show that a lightbulb is lit when running a
current through a weak acid solution.
“Will a 100% acid solution make the
light bulb brighter or dimmer?”
14
E.g. Psychology
Play students the “Jaws” theme after a break.
Is this an example of classical or
instrumental conditioning?
15
E.g. Biology
Which of the following are alive (can be more than
one)?
•
A seed
•
A leaf on a tree
•
A leaf that has just fallen
•
A tree in spring (no leaves)
•
A tree in summer (lots of leaves)
•
A tree in fall (leaves not green)
•
A tree in winter
16
E.g. Law
Application
Based on the facts of problem 7 in the textbook, in the lawsuit
by the student against Mountain Law School, a court will
likely find in favor of the:
Student, if the court finds that the terms of the catalogue are
complete, definite, and certain
Student, since catalogues are usually considered ads, and ads are
always offers
Law school, since catalogues can never include all the necessary
terms to be deemed definite and complete offers
Law school, since the student could not have been expected to be
taught all the terms in the catalogue
17
•
•
•
•
•
•
One best
E.g.,
Medicine
answer
RR is a 22 year old Mexican american
newly diagnosed with type I diabetes. He
weighs 68 kg. He has no insurance and
speaks limited english. What is the best
insulin regimen to start him on?
Gliargine 15 units at bedtime
NPH 30 units twice daily
Mixed insulin 70/30, 20 units in the
morning and 10 units at bedtime
Glargine 15 units at bedtime and lispro 5
units with meals
Levemir 15 units twice daily
18
You’re on a cart,
at rest, throwing
E.g.initially
Physics
balls at a partition that is rigidly mounted on
the front ofBALL
the cart.
If the balls bounce
BOUNCE
Suppose
on a cart,
initially
rest o
straight back,
as inyou
theare
figure,
then
is theat cart
balls at a partition that is rigidly mounted on
put in motion?
bounce straight back, as shown in the figure
A.Yes,
left
1. Yes, left
B.Yes,
right
2. Yes,
right
C.No
3 . No
A.
Donʼt know
D.Don’t
know
19
E.g. Environmental Science
Students watch section of The Day After
Tomorrow. Then are asked
Global warming could lead to the shutdown of
the North Atlantic’s ocean circulation
pattern causing global cooling
•
Strongly agree
•
Moderately agree
•
Moderately disagree
•
Strongly disagree
20
Modes of clicker use
1) quiz on the reading
or homework
6)transfer/implication
2) require recall of
lecture point
7) relate different
representations
3) elicit/reveal prior
ideas
8) Help visualization
skills
4) require prediction of
demo, expt, sim.
5) test conceptual
understanding
9) do a calculation
10) survey students
11) Enter responses from
timed test
21
What makes a “good” question?
22
Work with
a buddy
Example questions
Use the “what makes a
good clicker question”
sheet (pink)
Rate some questions on
blue sheet
1=bad, 2=OK, 3=good.
ARE YOU DONE?
A)Still working
B)Nearly there
C)Done!
23
Work with
a buddy
Writing questions
Now, take the question you started before.
Take a few minutes to
make any revisions, or try
another approach.
Then work with your
neighbor to improve your
questions.
ARE YOU DONE?
A)Still working
B)Nearly there
C)Done!
24
Challenges?
“students learn better when I use (clickers),
but I don’t have time because I have to get
through so much content”
When I think learning is happening is usually
when it’s most chaotic.
When the kids behave it [question-oriented
learning] works so well… and when
they’re naughty it’s soooo frustrating.
•
Be patient, it gets easier!
25
It’s not about our teaching,
it’s about student learning.
26
The clicker
question
cycle
1.Learning goals
2.Ask question
3.Peer discussion
4.Vote
5.Whole class discussion
•Interpret & use results
27
Peer Discussion
•
•
•
•
What is its role in
the student’s
learning process?
Actively engages students in thinking about and discussing the
concept/skill/idea
Gives students an opportunity to explain and defend their
reasoning, and evaluate others reasoning (to engage in scientific
argument)
Gives the teacher a chance to hear what students are thinking
(ask students or listen to group discussion).
Gives students a chance to voice their and hear others’
questions (students are not alone in their confusion).
•
Builds a collaborative learning community
•
Others????
28
The role of talk
•
Eric Mazur Harvard U.
29
Whole class discussion:
Giving the answer stops student thinking
Do not reveal answer immediately
Understanding why wrong answers are
wrong is as important as why the right
answers are right
Value reasoning above the right answer.
(The right answer for the wrong reason is
useless).
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The message:
The answer is NOT as
important as the strategy for
getting TO the answer
31
Common problems & pitfalls
Writing good questions
Facilitating quality student participation
Concerns about time to cover curriculum
(depth vs. breadth)
Technical trouble
Student misbehavior or resistance
Clash with teaching style
32
Teacher struggles
“students learn better when I use (clickers),
but I don’t have time because I have to get
through so much content”
When I think learning is happening is usually
when it’s most chaotic.
When the kids behave it [question-oriented
learning] works so well… and when
they’re naughty it’s soooo frustrating.
33
Tips for success
Be clear (to students and yourself) why you’re
using clickers
Use them frequently
Ask questions at a variety of levels of difficulty
Encourage discussion and listen to students
Use a variety of techniques
Start small
34
It’s not about our teaching,
it’s about student learning.
35
PLEASE RETURN YOUR CLICKER!
For more information...
STEMclickers.colorado.edu has videos
and resources
Many handouts and additional resources
on TIE wiki
We are available to do workshops in your
school
Stephanie.Chasteen@Colorado.EDU