CTD Weekly Workshops: Writing Good Peer Instruction Questions

slides and resources: ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/fall-2013-weekly-workshops/

CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
WRITING GOOD PEER
INSTRUCTION QUESTIONS
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu
@polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu
#ctducsd

Wednesday, November 13, 2013
12:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall, Room 316

2
Writing good peer instruction questions

Clicker Question (Economics)
For which of the following professionals is driving an
expensive car a credible signal of their relative abilities
(that is, compared to others in the same profession)?

A)
B)
C)
D)

3

a carpenter
a realtor
a politician
a major league baseball player


(Steve Morris, UCSD)

Typical Episode of Peer Instruction
1. Instructor poses a conceptually-challenging
multiple-choice question.
2. Students think about question on their own
and vote using clickers, colored ABCD cards,
smartphones,…
3. The instructor asks students to turn to their neighbors
and “convince them you’re right.”
4. After that “peer instruction”, the students vote again
and the instructor leads a class-wide discussion
concluding with why the right answer(s) is right and
the wrong answers are wrong.
4


In effective peer instruction
 students teach each other while
they may still hold or remember
their novice preconceptions
 students discuss the concepts in their
own (novice) language

students learn
and practice
how to think,
communicate
like experts

 each student finds out what s/he does(n’t) know
 the instructor finds out what the students know (and
don’t know) and reacts, building on their initial
understanding and preconceptions.
5


Effective peer instruction requires
1. identifying key concepts, misconceptions
2. creating multiple-choice questions that
require deeper thinking and learning
3. facilitating peer instruction episodes that
spark and support student discussion
4. leading a class-wide discussion to clarify
the concept, resolve the misconception

6


before
class

during
class

What makes a good clicker question?
clarity
context
connection to
learning goals
distractors
difficulty
stimulates
thoughtful
discussion
7

Students should waste no effort trying to figure
out what’s being asked.
Is this topic currently being covered
in class?
Does the question make students do the right
thing to demonstrate they grasp the concept.
What do the “wrong” answers tell you about
students’ thinking?
Is the question too trivial? too hard?
Will the question engage the students and
spark thoughtful discussions?
Is there potential for you to be “agile”?


(Adapted from Stephanie Chasteen, CU Boulder)

Peer instruction helps students learn...

the

learning

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
8

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning


Adapted from Rosie Piller, Ian Beatty, Stephanie Chasteen


the

learning

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
9

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning



Clicker question

assess prior knowledge

Melt chocolate over low heat. Remove the chocolate
from the heat. What will happen to the chocolate?
A) It will condense.
B) It will evaporate.
C) It will freeze.

(Question: Sujatha Raghu from Braincandy via LearningCatalytics)
(Image: CIM9926 by number657 on flickr CC)
10


Clicker question

provoke thinking

Which had the most positive impact on the modern world?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

coffee
tea
chocolate
spice
sugar

clarity
context
learning goals
distractors
difficulty
discussion

11


(Herbst, UCSD)

Clicker question

provoke thinking

In your opinion, which had the most positive impact on
the modern world?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

12

coffee
tea
chocolate
spice
sugar


(Herbst, UCSD)

predict

Clicker question
A ball is rolling around
the inside of a circular
track. The ball
leaves the track
at point P.

C

B

A

D

P

Which path
does the ball
follow?
13


(adapted from Mazur)

E

The students have not
(re)solved concept X.
But they’re know X exists
and why X is interesting.

the

learning

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
14

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning




the

learning

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
15

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning



Clicker question

probe misconception

Which of these are reasons for the seasons?
i. the height of the Sun in the sky during the day
ii. Earth’s distance from the Sun
iii. how many hours the Sun is up each day

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
16

ii only
iii only
i and ii
i and iii
i, ii and iii


clarity
context
learning goals
distractors
difficulty
discussion

Clicker question

probe misconception

How many of these are reasons for the seasons?
height: the height of the Sun in the sky during the day
distance: Earth’s distance from the Sun
hours: how many hours the Sun is up each day
A)
B)
C)
D)
17

none of them
one
two
all three


analysis

Clicker question
Select the line that
you feel has the
strongest imagery in
“Fast rode the
knight” by Stephen
Crane (1905).

18


A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P

Fast rode the knight
With spurs, hot and reeking,
Ever waving an eager sword,
"To save my lady!"
Fast rode the knight,
And leaped from saddle to war.
Men of steel flickered and gleamed
Like riot of silver lights,
And the gold of the knight's good banner
Still waved on a castle wall.
.....
A horse,
Blowing, staggering, bloody thing,
Forgotten at foot of castle wall.
A horse
Dead at foot of castle wall.
(David Kurtz, via LearningCatalytics)

analysis

Clicker question
Select the line that
you feel has the
strongest imagery in
“Fast rode the
knight” by Stephen
Crane (1905).

A

B
C

D
E

19


Fast rode the knight
With spurs, hot and reeking,
Ever waving an eager sword,
"To save my lady!"
Fast rode the knight,
And leaped from saddle to war.
Men of steel flickered and gleamed
Like riot of silver lights,
And the gold of the knight's good banner
Still waved on a castle wall.
.....
A horse,
Blowing, staggering, bloody thing,
Forgotten at foot of castle wall.
A horse
Dead at foot of castle wall.
(David Kurtz, via LearningCatalytics)

exercise skill

Clicker question
Evaluate:



4

0

A) 16(65)

32

16
B)
9

20


x 2 1  x 3 dx

2
32
C.
(65  1)
9
clarity
1022
D.
3

context
learning goals

distractors
difficulty
discussion

(adapted from Bruff (2009))

evaluation

Clicker question

Which of the following is an incorrect step when using
the substitution method to evaluate the definite integral



4

0

A) u  1  x 3

du
2
B)
 x dx
3
21


x

2

1  x dx
3

1 4
C.
0 u du
3
D. none of the above

(adapted from Bruff (2009))

exercise skill

Clicker question

Susan throws a ball straight up into the air. It goes up
and then falls back into her hand 2 seconds later.
Draw a graph showing the velocity of the ball from the
moment it leaves her hand until she catches it again.
velocity
time
0

22


2 sec

(CWSEI UBC)

Which one is the closest match to your graph?
velocity

velocity

A

exercise skill

B

0

time
2 sec

0

velocity

2 sec

velocity

C

time

D

0

time
2 sec

0

time
2 sec

E) some other graph
23


(CWSEI UBC)

Students have had
opportunities to
try, fail, receive feedback
and try again without facing
a summative evaluation. [3]

the

learning

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
24

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning




the

learning

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
25

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning



Clicker question
X

Y

26


demonstrate success

Are features X and Y
ridges or valleys?
A) X=ridge, Y=valley
B) X=valley, Y=ridge
C) both are ridges
D) both are valleys

(EOSC / CWSEI, UBC)

Clicker question

review / recap

For the data given below, which is larger, the mean or
the median?
74, 32, 35, 87, 28, 36, 11, 26, 93, 56, 34, 52, 8
clarity

A) mean
B) median

context
learning goals
distractors
difficulty
discussion

27


(Peck, mathquest.carroll.edu/resources.html)

review / recap

Clicker question

For the data set displayed in the following histogram,
which would be larger, the mean or the median?

A) mean
B) median
C) can’t tell from the given histogram
28


(Peck, mathquest.carroll.edu/resources.html)

Clicker question

“big picture”

In your opinion, which had the most positive impact on
the modern world?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

29

coffee
tea
chocolate
spice
sugar


(Herbst, UCSD)

Your turn…

30


Your turn…
Big Idea/Concept/Skill/
Learning Outcome
Why do you need a peer
instruction question here in
the lesson?

31


Your turn…
Question: (and choices)
Think about
clarity context
learning outcome
distractors difficulty
discussion

32


Your turn…
What should students say
to explain why this choice
is correct/incorrect?
It’s not just about correct
or incorrect.
Direct the conversation!

33


Your turn…

Are there really five
different, meaningful
conversations?
(Are there even 4?)
34


Your turn…
Learning outcome:
By the end of this Driving
School lesson, you’ll be
able to judge if you are
following the car ahead
of you at a safe
distance.

35


Peer instruction helps teachers teach

the

learning

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
36

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning


Are they ready for the next topic?
What do they already know?

Do they care about this?

the

learning

What DO they care about, anyway?

cycle

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
37

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning


Where are they in the activity?
Are they getting it?
Do I need to intervene?

the
BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

setting up
instruction
38

Did they notice key idea X?

learning
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning


cycle

Did they get it?
Can I move to the next topic?
Did that activity work?

the

learning

c yHow dideI do?
cl

BEFORE

AFTER

setting up
instruction
39

DURING
developing
knowledge

assessing
learning


Writing good PI questions
It’s critical to have
 content knowledge (the concepts)
 pedagogical content knowledge (how people learn
the concepts in your discipline and how to teach them)

40


Running effective PI
It’s critical to
 teach the students how to engage in peer instruction
 choreograph each episode so students waste no
precious cognitive load wondering what to do
(call us for another workshop!)
You might not write the perfect question the first time so
 listen to the students’ conversations
 write your self some notes immediately after class
 revise and try it again next year
41


References
1. National Research Council (2000). How People Learn: Brain,
Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. J.D.
Bransford, A.L Brown & R.R. Cocking (Eds.),Washington, DC:
The National Academies Press.
2. Bruff, D. (2009). Teaching with Classroom Response Systems.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
3. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

42


What makes a good clicker question?
clarity
context
connection to
learning goals
distractors
difficulty
stimulates
thoughtful
discussion
43

Students should waste no effort trying to figure
out what’s being asked.
Is this topic currently being covered
in class?
Does the question make students do the right
thing to demonstrate they grasp the concept.
What do the “wrong” answers tell you about
students’ thinking?
Is the question too trivial? too hard?
Will the question engage the students and
spark thoughtful discussions?
Is there potential for you to be “agile”?

Center for Teaching Development ctd.ucsd.edu

(Adapted from Stephanie Chasteen, CU Boulder)

CTD Weekly Workshops: Writing Good Peer Instruction Questions

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