Make large classes interactive

It seems that the larger classes get, the more distant our students can seem. On today’s episode, Dr. Chrissy Spencer helps us discover how to make large classes interactive.

Even if you teach classes of 20, the resources she uses in her classes as large as 200+ will be of benefit.

Podcast notes

Guest: Dr. Chrissy Spencer, teaches at Georgia Tech

Ph.D., Genetics, University of Georgia

Active learning video: Turning students into chili peppers

The interactive classroom

• Learning Catalytics
• Prepared in advance a few slides that help clarify commonly misunderstood concepts
• Allowing students to fail or struggle with an answer

Interrupted case studies

• Traditionally a set of materials where there are specific stopping points built in
• Powerful, because students need to have their progress monitored and milestones achieved
• Bonni’s case studies rubric
• Forming groups
• Catme team maker

Team-based, low stakes assessments

• Georgia Tech Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning  workshop on team based learning
• Don’t try team based learning half way
• Start small

Switching from clickers to Learning Catalytics

• Pearson’s Learning Catalytics
• Strength in the types of questions that can be asked
• Bonni uses PollEverywhere

Flipped classroom

• Khan Academy
• Reinforce that reading ahead and reading in a particular way is important to making the class time in interesting ways
• Process called team based learning
• Lesson learned/ ignored: “start small and do things in a small and measured way”
• Evernote
• TopHat audience response system

Service learning

The way that students could apply learning from a content area in the real world and also give back to the community in some way (Chrissy)

• Identified project partners that met certain criteria
• Outside in the field
• CATME tool helped to determine who had cars

Recommendations

• The Dip (Bonni)
• Find something that you love and bring it in to the classroom (Chrissy)

Closing Credits

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