Instructional Strategy Tuesday - Pre- Assessments

Giving formative pre-assessments prior to learning has benefits for both the learner and the instructor.   Asking knowledge and comprehension questions will help students prepare for the a new unit or chapter of study.  

By completing a pre-assessment students are exposed to content in a way that tells them these concepts are important, that they should be looking to understand the content covered in the assessment as the instructor has identified it as important.  It is a way for students to self-assess their progress.   It also helps them focus on the content they will need to spend the most time learning.  If they are successful in one area, but struggled in another, they know they should focus their studies there.

Pre-assessments are also beneficial to the instructor.   They indicate to an instructor what the strengths and weakness of a class might be and can help plan instructional activities accordingly.   They also indicate which students will be successful and which might need more support.   This can be helpful in a classroom situation.  Calling on students when you know they already know the answer can help build student's self-efficacy.  It can also help you avoid putting student's on the spot by calling on them when they do not have that knowledge or skill.

Pre-assessments can be in the form of simple multiple choice or true false tests.  Other forms can include responses in forums, quick writes, or journal entries.

Instructional Tuesday - Daily Experts

An instructional tool called Daily Experts utilizes students in your class as experts for a day.  These experts are used to review content from the previous class session, ask opinions about content, and give students a chance to share their relevant experiences.

Read about one instructors experience and success in using Daily Experts:

"I get to know my students' names and I am more likely to remember them outside of class as well. Indirectly, my use of daily experts encourages class attendance. Students want to be there when their name appears on the PowerPoint. They don't want to hear from their classmates, "You missed being a daily expert today" or have me say, "I missed you in class today; you were one of my daily experts." I also benefit because using daily experts forces me to teach in another way—a way that gets me focused on individuals. "
 
http://www.magnapubs.com/blog/teaching-and-learning/daily-experts-a-technique-to-encourage-student-participation/?track=email&utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Mar%2026%20TP%20Content%20Based