IF YOU WANT TO:
Asking students to give definitions, associations, and applications for difficult concepts or ideas.
Instead of waiting until the midterm or final to find out how many students understand the material, try handing out a short question- naire or quiz on the basic concepts covered that day and give the students time (10 to 20 minutes) to complete them at the end of the hour.
An example of a questionnaire or quiz covering concepts for the week might read:
A. Concept Definition. As I understand it, the main idea (concept, point, etc.) of today's lecture (or discussion) was:
B. Concept Applications. A good example of an application of this idea (concept, point, etc.) is:
C: Concept Associations. In my mind the main point of today's lecture is most closely related to the following concepts, ideas, people, places processes, events, or things. (Have students list several items)."
This suggestion was taken and adopted from Otis Ewing Lancaster, Effective Teaching and Learning, N.Y.: Gordon and Breach, 1974, pp. 70-71. One variation on this is to give the questions as take home quizzes in which case you may want to insist that the students choose different words (in giving definitions) and examples from those presented in lectures or assigned readings. Another variation is to call on particular students to answer each question orally at the end of the hour.
Limitations on Use of Suggestion
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