A collection of peer instruction questions, some good and some deliberately bad, for my workshop on teaching expertise with peer instruction at the Cal State University Symposium on University Teaching. Peter Newbury UC San Diego March 13, 2015

1. How to Teach Your Students
to Think Like Experts
Peter Newbury
Center forTeaching Development, UC San Diego
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pnewbury@ucsd.edu peternewbury.org
@polarisdotca #CSUgrit
March 13, 2015
Remember, some of these questions are deliberately bad!

2. clarity Students waste no effort trying to figure out what’s
being asked.
context Is this topic currently being covered in class?
learning
outcome
Does the question make students do the right things
to demonstrate they grasp the concept?
distractors What do the “wrong” answers tell you about
students’ thinking?
difficulty Is the question too easy? too hard?
stimulates
thoughtful
discussion
Will the question engage the students and spark
thoughtful discussions?Are there openings for you
to continue the discussion?
What makes a good question?
(Adapted from Stephanie Chasteen, CU Boulder)Thinking like experts

3.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

4.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

5.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

6.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

7.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

8.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

9.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

10.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

11.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

12.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

13.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

14.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts

15.  clarity  context  learning outcome  distractors
 difficulty  stimulates thoughtful discussion
Thinking like experts