| I cannot
imagine to whom I should attribute this simple means of checking in with
students, because it has been around forever, but it is maybe even more
effective today than when I first came across it years ago. When I teach,
particularly in a compressed format, I am always doing a balancing act
between the academic demands of the course and the various needs of my
students (i.e. it’s Friday night and we’re all tired!). Nonverbal
messages can become blurred by the circumstances, and it can become
difficult to determine if we are on track. Thus, the "two-minute
assessment" has become a standard practice for me.
It’s very simple. I bring a stack of 3x5 cards into class, and at the end of the session I ask the students to take two minutes to answer two questions. The first question: What was the most important thing that you learned or did in class tonight/today? The second question: What is one thing (knowledge or skill) that is not clear to you? I can review their responses in a few minutes, and the information is invaluable. Trends become apparent; their comments point me to information on which I thought I had been very clear. On more than a few occasions I have made overnight changes in my lesson plan to accommodate student needs, and the value is apparent both in satisfaction (me and my students’) and final grades. But perhaps the most valuable aspect of this little exercise is that it communicates to students that we are in a partnership, and they are responsible for being active participants in our endeavor. They appreciate the effort, and I am rewarded with a more satisfying experience. In the words of that famous poet: Try it, you’ll like it! |