Suggestion 86. Call on students to paraphrase or to summarize

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Know if the class is understanding you or not

• Know if students are bored or confused

• Summarize major points before moving on to another topic

• Emphasize conceptual understanding

• Teach students to be active listeners

Calling on students to paraphrase or summarize what you have just said.

Asking students if they understand gets you only so far," one history teacher explains. "Asking Ms. Jones to summarize the main things to remember about X, and then asking other students to help out if she is having difficulty is a far better check on students' understanding."

Asking questions of specific students has other benefits too. For example, because students know that they may be called upon, they listen more attentively for the main ideas and that in turn helps them to organize their notes better. Getting students to summarize periodically also breaks the monotony of a 50-minute lecture.

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  None
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  None

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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