How To Use Clickers Effectively
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0:01 - 0:04Clickers in the Science Classroom: How to Use Clickers Effectively
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0:06 - 0:07Getting your students to talk to each other
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0:07 - 0:09about the things they are learning
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0:09 - 0:12can completely change the atmosphere in your classroom.
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0:12 - 0:15Tools like these clickers can help get your students excited
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0:15 - 0:19and engaged like you've never seen before.
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0:19 - 0:20Student: I love clickers.
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0:20 - 0:23Student: I definitely feel more involved when a class uses clickers.
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0:23 - 0:25Narrator: But this isn't automatic.
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0:25 - 0:27Clickers won't promote class participation on their own.
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0:27 - 0:33In this video, we take a closer look at how an instructor can use a clicker effectively.
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0:33 - 0:34You might be wondering...
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0:34 - 0:38(Asking the Question) How do you write a good, challenging, and conceptual question?
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0:38 - 0:40(Peer Discussion) A question that will spur peer discussion?
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0:40 - 0:44(The Vote) Then, how long do you let students chat before stopping the vote?
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0:44 - 0:46(Wrap-up Discussion) How do we go about guiding students
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0:46 - 0:48to understand the rationale behind an answer?
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0:48 - 0:50(Moving On) And then what?
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0:50 - 0:54How do we use this information to help guide our teaching?
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0:54 - 0:56We're going to zoom in on each of these steps in this video.
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0:56 - 1:00After all, it's not the clickers themselves, it's the "how" and "why"
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1:00 - 1:02they're used that makes them effective.
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1:02 - 1:05First and foremost, don't leave your students in the dark
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1:05 - 1:07as to why you're using clickers.
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1:07 - 1:09Margaret Asirvatham: The most important thing for a successful
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1:09 - 1:13experience for both the students and the instructor
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1:13 - 1:16is that everybody should buy into it.
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1:16 - 1:19Douglas Duncan: So if you want your students to hate your use of clickers,
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1:19 - 1:23fail to explain that it's a device to improve learning.
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1:23 - 1:26They will assume that it's a device to track them,
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1:26 - 1:30or to test them, and they will resent that.
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1:30 - 1:33Narrator: OK, but how do you use clickers to help your students learn?
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1:33 - 1:35Asking the Question
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1:35 - 1:36The best questions aren't about simple recall.
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1:36 - 1:40They're challenging and conceptual, and they'll help drive the lecture.
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1:40 - 1:42Asirvatham: I think the greatest challenge for the instructor
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1:42 - 1:44is to write meaningful questions.
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1:44 - 1:48Duncan: There's a tendency to use questions which are not challenging enough.
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1:48 - 1:52Maybe that's because we all feel good when 80 percent
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1:52 - 1:54of the students give the right answer.
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1:54 - 1:57Asirvatham: My personal philosophy is; the higher the level
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1:57 - 2:00at which you challenge your students, they will
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2:00 - 2:01rise to the occasion.
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2:01 - 2:03Steven Pollock: It seems to make the class
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2:03 - 2:05"hook" together much more nicely when the
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2:05 - 2:07clicker questions are part of the lecture, rather than,
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2:07 - 2:11"I'm done with something, let's see if you got it."
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2:11 - 2:13It's not a quiz, it's part of the class.
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2:13 - 2:16Maggie Hoffman: Clicker questions aren't helpful when I'm just
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2:16 - 2:18repeating what the teacher has just given me.
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2:18 - 2:21I like to have the questions progress the class,
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2:21 - 2:24rather than just sort of regurgitation of what I've been told.
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2:24 - 2:27Duncan: The best questions that I have to ask for peer discussion
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2:27 - 2:31are questions that have come from the students themselves.
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2:31 - 2:34Pollock: That's really where you want to zoom the clickers in on;
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2:34 - 2:38something where it's not trivial, it's not memorization,
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2:38 - 2:41it's an idea that they're struggling with.
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2:41 - 2:42Carrie Weidner: A well-formulated clicker question
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2:42 - 2:44should make you think, and it should
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2:44 - 2:47make you address the concept at hand,
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2:47 - 2:51but it shouldn't be too tedious or laughably simple,
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2:51 - 2:54because that's just a waste of time.
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2:54 - 2:55Peer Discussion
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2:55 - 2:57Narrator: The power of clickers is that they can get students
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2:57 - 2:59to articulate their reasoning, which in turn can help them
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2:59 - 3:01make sense of the material.
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3:01 - 3:02Ryan Freedle: I think I learn better when I talk
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3:02 - 3:04to other people around me.
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3:04 - 3:06There's something about debating, and in a sense,
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3:06 - 3:09teaching other people when you think you've got the right answer
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3:09 - 3:11or learning from other people when they've got the right answer
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3:11 - 3:14that's really helpful in that learning process.
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3:14 - 3:17Duncan: Students are learning more, and more deeply
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3:17 - 3:19when they're figuring things out for themselves.
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3:19 - 3:21Narrator: But what if students are reluctant to talk to each other?
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3:21 - 3:24Many students aren't used to participating in class
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3:24 - 3:27and you may have to show them that you're serious about this process.
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3:27 - 3:29I often wander around my lecture halls,
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3:29 - 3:31listening to student ideas, and asking questions.
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3:31 - 3:34I let students know that this is what we do in class;
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3:34 - 3:37discuss and debate ideas.
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3:37 - 3:40Having your students talk to each other doesn't just help them learn,
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3:40 - 3:42it also helps you as an instructor,
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3:42 - 3:44to see how they're thinking about the material.
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3:44 - 3:48Duncan: And I was never able to see inside my students' heads before.
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3:48 - 3:51Peer discussion and clickers make your students' reasoning
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3:51 - 3:53accessible to you.
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3:53 - 3:57(Student discussion) "... gas and dust, to me, those signal new stars..." "Right."
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3:57 - 3:59Narrator: Now you've got them all talking,
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3:59 - 4:01so what do YOU do during this time?
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4:01 - 4:05Duncan: One of the initial barriers to being comfortable
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4:05 - 4:07with peer instruction is the strange feeling of
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4:07 - 4:11standing in front of a classroom and not saying anything.
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4:11 - 4:13Janet Casagrande: I think that circulating around
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4:13 - 4:16the class and listening to what's going on can help
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4:16 - 4:18you feel that, yes, they are on topic,
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4:18 - 4:22and you haven't really given over the class.
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4:22 - 4:26It's a different way of the students learning the information.
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4:26 - 4:28Narrator: So, giving students the chance to talk to each other
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4:28 - 4:31helps them learn, and gives you the opportunity to see
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4:31 - 4:32how they're really thinking.
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4:32 - 4:34The Vote
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4:34 - 4:35Now you've got the room buzzing with debate.
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4:35 - 4:37How long do you let them talk?
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4:40 - 4:43Pollock: So, with the system that we're using, we get a count
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4:43 - 4:45of how many students have clicked in.
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4:45 - 4:50So, typically, when approximately 3/4 of the class
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4:50 - 4:52has clicked in, to me, that's a bit of a signal to
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4:52 - 4:53start wrapping things up.
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4:53 - 4:56And I also say, "well, let's wrap this one up."
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4:56 - 4:58(Classroom audio): "So, let's pull this together, and
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4:58 - 5:00have a little discussion."
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5:00 - 5:02Narrator: Typically, it's best to allow between two and five minutes
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5:02 - 5:05for student discussion.
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5:05 - 5:07Pollock: Sometimes it's the noise level in the room
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5:07 - 5:09that's gone down, and it's clear the conversation is over.
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5:09 - 5:11They have nothing left to say to each other,
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5:11 - 5:13and I might as well end it.
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5:13 - 5:14Wrap Up Discussion
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5:14 - 5:16Narrator: All right, so the results are in.
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5:16 - 5:18So how do you go about talking with the whole class about the question?
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5:18 - 5:20Jonathan Greany: I think the more that a teacher will
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5:20 - 5:24facilitate conversation after the clicker question has ended,
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5:24 - 5:26the more effective it is.
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5:26 - 5:28Christina Jones: After all the votes are in for a clicker question,
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5:28 - 5:32I really like it when professors ask people to
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5:32 - 5:34defend certain answers. So, they don't reveal
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5:34 - 5:37what people voted on yet, and they don't
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5:37 - 5:39say the right answer. It's really useful because
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5:39 - 5:42you get to follow the thought process all the way through.
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5:42 - 5:43Pollock: I might say to the class,
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5:43 - 5:45(Classroom audio) "So, irrespective of whether you voted this,
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5:45 - 5:48I would really like to know WHY you think somebody might
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5:48 - 5:49reasonably vote 'E'".
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5:49 - 5:53And this has changed what it means to respond.
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5:53 - 5:56It doesn't mean you believe it, it means
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5:56 - 6:00that you're actually a good student for coming up with an incorrect reason.
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6:00 - 6:02Caryn Burnett: The best part, I think, is when they go over
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6:02 - 6:05why the wrong answers are wrong.
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6:05 - 6:07You know, you think it's answer 'A', you really think
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6:07 - 6:11that that's why... you've got a reason why you chose answer 'A,'
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6:11 - 6:15and they're like "Oh, OK, so the answer is 'C'. Moving on..."
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6:15 - 6:18And you're like, well, I don't understand why my answer was wrong.
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6:18 - 6:21One of the best ways to learn is making a mistake or
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6:21 - 6:23doing the wrong thing and learning why that was wrong.
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6:23 - 6:26Narrator: Well, what about the histogram of student responses?
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6:26 - 6:29Asirvatham: For the students, I think what is most rewarding
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6:29 - 6:32is the feedback that they receive when the histogram
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6:32 - 6:35is projected in real-time.
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6:35 - 6:37Narrator: But when do you show this to the students?
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6:37 - 6:39This prompt feedback helps students learn from their mistakes.
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6:39 - 6:41But you can choose whether to show the histogram
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6:41 - 6:43to the students immediately, or wait until after
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6:43 - 6:45you talk about the question.
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6:45 - 6:47This is an important part of the clicker question,
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6:47 - 6:49and it depends on how the students voted.
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6:49 - 6:52Pollock: So when I have the histogram,
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6:52 - 6:53there's many different outcomes.
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6:53 - 6:56And the most common one is, it's 90% correct.
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6:56 - 6:58Narrator: In this case, there are pros and cons to
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6:58 - 7:01showing the histogram before having a whole-class discussion.
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7:01 - 7:06Either way, it's important to discuss the answer before moving on.
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7:06 - 7:07(In-class audio): "Let's take a look at this,
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7:07 - 7:12so there's a pretty strong agreement on 'E', 'None of the above,'
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7:12 - 7:16but I got some B's and C's, umm...
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7:16 - 7:21'B' is very tempting. I like 'B'.
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7:21 - 7:25What's wrong with 'B'?" (inaudible) "Pardon?"
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7:25 - 7:29(inaudible) "It's not you, its' big 'R'. It's just notational convention..."
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7:29 - 7:32Asirvatham: As I've talked to students, they always come back
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7:32 - 7:35and tell me they appreciate the fact that we still
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7:35 - 7:40talk about the correct process, even when over 90% of the
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7:40 - 7:41students got the right answer.
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7:41 - 7:45I think that's important for instructors to know.
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7:45 - 7:47Narrator: What if about 70% of the students got it right?
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7:47 - 7:49What might you do then?
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7:49 - 7:53Pollock: If it's 70/30, you know, you look at that histogram
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7:53 - 7:55and you sort of think, "Oh, they all got it."
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7:55 - 7:56But they sure as heck didn't.
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7:56 - 7:59A third of the class did not get that question.
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7:59 - 8:02That would probably be a time when I might not show the histogram.
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8:02 - 8:04Keeping it hidden allows you to say,
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8:04 - 8:06Who can tell me a reason for 'B'?"
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8:06 - 8:09And if you're voting 'B', and it's wrong, you don't know
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8:09 - 8:12that you're in the minority yet, and so you might get that voice.
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8:12 - 8:14Narrator: So the histogram is particularly important
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8:14 - 8:16when the student votes are NOT unanimous.
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8:16 - 8:19Sometimes the class will be really divided on a question.
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8:19 - 8:20(Classroom audio) "There is a mixed vote."
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8:20 - 8:23Narrator: Showing the histogram here can be really powerful,
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8:23 - 8:26as long as you don't take the first right answer, and move on.
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8:26 - 8:28Pollock: If it's 50/50, it's brilliant.
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8:28 - 8:30You show the histogram, because that gets everybody excited.
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8:30 - 8:34Now there's a debate in the room, and we have to resolve it.
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8:34 - 8:38And I try very hard not to be the "resolver."
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8:38 - 8:40So, if it's 50/50, we've gotta hear voices, and
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8:40 - 8:42we've gotta let the students decide.
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8:42 - 8:44Duncan: So, I'll typically call on someone who gave a wrong answer,
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8:44 - 8:47and let them speak first, and then
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8:47 - 8:49call on someone who gave a correct answer,
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8:49 - 8:51and let them articulate their reasoning.
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8:51 - 8:53And them maybe turn to the class and say,
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8:53 - 8:56"So, what do you think about these two arguments?"
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8:56 - 8:58And then I'll wrap the whole discussion up myself,
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8:58 - 9:02and say "This is the reason I favor the correct answer."
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9:02 - 9:05(Classroom audio): "....the Milky Way, and that's a good analogy, because, it is."
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9:05 - 9:07Narrator: So, you'll have very different kinds of
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9:07 - 9:08wrap-up discussion depending on how the students voted.
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9:08 - 9:11Then what?
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9:11 - 9:12Moving On
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9:12 - 9:16Clicker questions give valuable feedback to you, and your students.
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9:16 - 9:17Marika Meertens: What I like most is that it gives me
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9:17 - 9:20a chance to think about what I know and to test myself,
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9:20 - 9:22independent of everybody else in the class.
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9:22 - 9:24Janet Casagrande: I think the most powerful thing
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9:24 - 9:25about using clickers in the classroom is
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9:25 - 9:30the ability to instantly get feedback about what
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9:30 - 9:31the students are thinking about the material
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9:31 - 9:33and whether they're grasping the material.
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9:33 - 9:35Narrator: Great. But then what?
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9:35 - 9:38It may be tempting to use clickers as a quick check
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9:38 - 9:40to see if your students are on-board and simply
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9:40 - 9:41continue with your plans for the day.
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9:41 - 9:43But they're not just a quiz.
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9:43 - 9:45They can help you to determine how you might
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9:45 - 9:47continue with your lecture.
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9:47 - 9:48Jonathan Greany: When the histogram comes up
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9:48 - 9:51and I do see a large variation,
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9:51 - 9:54or even the majority choosing the wrong answer,
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9:54 - 9:57it lets me know that I'm not the only one that's not getting it,
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9:57 - 9:58it lets the teacher know,
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9:58 - 10:00"Maybe I need to change my approach."
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10:00 - 10:02Narrator: That's one reason why it's important to make
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10:02 - 10:04the clickers count only as a trivial amount of the
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10:04 - 10:07That helps the students take them seriously,
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10:07 - 10:10but not stress about getting the right answer.
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10:10 - 10:13Ryan Freedle: Use the clickers regularly,
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10:13 - 10:18and use them in such a way that people really have to talk about it.
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10:18 - 10:20Asirvatham: Don't ever take for granted that your
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10:20 - 10:23students learned it the first time you presented it.
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10:23 - 10:27Students need for us to go back and review concepts,
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10:27 - 10:30to integrate it, put it in context, and
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10:30 - 10:32the more we engage them as learners,
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10:32 - 10:36I think they are also active participants in the process,
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10:36 - 10:38which is what we all want.
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10:38 - 10:41Narrator: Using clickers well will take some practice, but it's worth it.
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10:41 - 10:44Be patient with yourself as you learn to use this new tool.
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10:45 - 10:48Clickers are an effective tool, but they are no magic bullet.
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10:48 - 10:55For videos on how to best use clickers, research results on clicker effectiveness, and other resources, visit http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu.
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10:55 - 10:59English Subtitles: Stephanie Chasteen
- Title:
- How To Use Clickers Effectively
- Description:
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Want to know more about just how to use clickers to best help your students learn? This video shares the best practices in clicker use, including tips on writing questions and getting students to talk about them, the finer points of running a class discussion about a question, and how long to allow for this process. VIEW THE FULL LENGTH VIDEO (12 minutes) at http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu.
This video was produced by the Science Education Initiative at the University of Colorado, at http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu. - Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 10:59
schasteen edited English subtitles for How To Use Clickers Effectively | ||
schasteen added a translation |