{"id":787,"date":"2018-04-01T15:53:11","date_gmt":"2018-04-01T19:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=787"},"modified":"2018-04-01T15:53:11","modified_gmt":"2018-04-01T19:53:11","slug":"free-easy-ways-to-increase-teaching-effectiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2018\/04\/free-easy-ways-to-increase-teaching-effectiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Free, Easy Ways to Increase Teaching Effectiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The old methods of teaching have been tossed out the window.<\/p>\n

New engaging styles of teaching are now widely used in all classrooms. This is because of increased research on and dedication to these new and innovative ways of teaching. When students can actively participate in their own learning they can build build experiences linked to knowledge, so they are able to recall those experience and therefore the knowledge. However, teaching in this engaging, active, and innovative way can be demanding on a teacher, especially when it comes to coming up with or finding such activities. That is why for this blog I have decided to provide 5 resources you can use in your classroom to ENGAGE your students.<\/p>\n

Resource 1: Entrance Slip<\/strong>s<\/p>\n

Entrance slips are something that have been studied and analyzed in depth. We have determined that formative assessment methods such as entrance and exit slips are great ways to increase student learning. This is because students are engaging in “minds-on” learning immediately, when they walk in the door of your classroom. Instead of getting settled and waiting a bit for the bell to ring, entrance slips caused your students to immediately engage in your topic and puts them under a bit of pressure. These circumstances have create these situations which student can recall to retrieve knowledge.<\/p>\n

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here is an example of an entrance slip<\/p>\n

Resource 2: TV\/Movie Clips<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7l7zJ7NsFjY<\/a><\/p>\n

Clips like this one from\u00a0The Simpsons<\/em> Season 8 Episode 1 “Treehouse of Horror VII” are great jumping off points for the introduction of new topics or any interesting talking point. This clip for me resonates because I watched this show a lot growing up, so if I participate in an academic activity relating to maybe how Lisa’s lifeforms world compares to ours, I may more inclined to recall that information at a later time. This method can be used across all subjects as long as the instructor does a good job of relating the clip to an academic activity or discussion.<\/p>\n

Resource 3: Plickers (and others)<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Plickers” as well and many other similar products are a formative assessment tool used in a wide array of classrooms to assess student knowledge within a singular class, across topics, or across multiple units. The teacher generates the questions and the students orient individualized cards to pick the correct answer choice.<\/p>\n

\"\"*the above picture is an example of a students Plicker card, it is faint but the letter choices are along the edges of the black<\/h6>\n

These types of products are so effective because the cause the ENTIRE class to participate due to the fact that students can be graded on these, so it matters to them more. Also some of these products include analytics which can also help the teacher see trends in their students learning.<\/p>\n

Resource 4: “Brain Busters”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/mathriddles.williams.edu\/?page_id=15<\/a><\/p>\n

The above website comes to us from a Professor in the Math\/ Statistics Department at Williams College. Dr. Steve Miller has devised a website that has numerous amounts of math riddles of varying degrees of difficulty. Brain busters are a wonderful way to engage students in content because they are low pressure, they are typically not graded yet they still assessment where your students are with your content. They are also great to get conversations going between students and engaging them with each other. Also this is a great resource because it is free!<\/p>\n

Resource 5: This video (and demonstrations in general)<\/strong><\/p>\n