Strategy #3 - Question Drop
On my google site I have a form that the students must fill out after every homework video that they watch. The form consists of two problems that are similar to the problems on the video and a question box. If they are confused about any part of the video or the concepts in general they should type their question into the question box. Every morning I check their solutions and read through their questions. Their answers are not graded but simply used to show their understanding or lack thereof. At the beginning of class I will go over the two problems from the previous night’s form and answer the questions that they submitted through the question drop. This is really helpful for me as a teacher because it allows me to see if the students are struggling and therefore determine if I should move on or spend another day on the concept. I also have a question drop box in the back of the classroom that my students can write down their questions and place in the box. I check the box at the end of every day. This strategy teaches the students to advocate for themselves and provides them with several writing opportunities a week. This strategy can be used daily or just once or twice a week. I have found the more frequently it is implemented the more helpful it is for both the teacher and the students. Struggling students are less likely to fall through the cracks because I can see that they are struggling before they are assessed.
The students just recently watched the Solving Equations with Variables on Both Sides video for homework. The video consisted of me working through 4 examples step by step and the students were expected to listen and take notes. At the end of the video I provided the link to my google form. The form consisted of two problems where the students were expected to solve an equation with variables on both sides and submit their answers. They could use their notes to help them if they needed to. Obviously they had just watched the video so I did not grade the questions. At the end of the form they had to submit their question in the question box. Some examples of the questions that I got were as follows:
- “Why did you divide by -1 on example #3?”
- “Does it matter which side I move the variables to?”
I checked their submissions first thing in the morning and I was able to answer their questions without any of the students having to feel embarrassed or dumb for asking them.
Renee,
ReplyDeleteI hadn't spent much time thinking about the Question Drop activity, but it sounds incredibly helpful. I've thought about doing similar things with exit slips in class; obviously, exit slips don't help for questions that students have when doing the homework at home, but what do you think of that connection? It's especially intriguing for me, as an English teacher, to see this application for a math class. Regarding the logistics, how would grading and timing work? I know that you said you intend not to grade the online problems, but my experience is that when students aren't graded on work, they tend not to do it. Will it be a completion grade or no grade at all? Also, how much time would you consider putting aside for the questions? I imagine that some days you wouldn't have any questions at all, whereas other days you might have questions which lead to a much-needed discussion. How does that play into the way you plan your class period? Thank you so much for sharing!