I just read Make it Stick, about research-based results in how people learn and the implications for education. I loved it; it is filled with simple, straightforward ideas that will be useful in the classroom. For example, it is better to do many low-stakes quizzes than a few high-stakes exams. For another, it isn't useful for students to re-read the textbook, and it is useful for the lectures and the textbook to be misaligned. For another, students' perception of their learning is often wrong and misguided. For another, it is useful to interleave topics and not just do “massed practice”. It points out that it is very adaptive for learners to believe that their brains are plastic and their abilities are not innately limited. Luckily this also appears to be true. All of these things will come into my next pre-health (or other big) class. And I will explicitly explain to the students why.
My quibbles with the book are few. One is that they slag off unschooling, and then immediately follow with a long profile of a Bruce Hendry, who is a perfect example of the power of unschooling (he is entirely self-taught through self-directed projects of great importance to himself!). I also found the writing repetitive and a bit slow. But the book is filled with good ideas. Also, it is not just informative, it is responsible: The authors clearly differentiate between research findings and speculations or over-generalizations of them. This is a great contribution to the literature on teaching and learning.
"it is better to do many low-stakes quizzes than a few high-stakes exams."
ReplyDeleteat the beginning of every class i give a tiny quizz, 5ish easy questions on the material from the previous class, one word answer, or even multiple choice, which normally i am allergic to. it serves multiple purposes: 1) encourages the students to cover the material from the previous class, even if the homework is not due, or they are not turning it in. 2) it makes them come in online: they only have about 5 minutes into the beginning of the class 3) it gives me feedback on understanding and (short term) retention. 4) encourages attendance. i did this in the astro class i taught, and i am doing it in the class i am teaching at CUSP. it counts for a few percent of their final grade but it helps them and me a lot i think.