Guest Blogger: Bill Donohue
“One thing I learned today was identifying the main idea, supporting details, and topics of a passage.”
“One thing I learned today was identifying the main idea, supporting details, and topics of a passage.”
“Don’t enjoy Pump Handle too much because you can get
suspended and miss class… Also watch after everyone.”
The two quotes come from the “minute papers” that I have
asked my ENG 099 students to write at the end of a class. According to Angelo
and Cross, “this versatile technique—also known as the One-Minute Paper and the
Half-Sheet Response—provides a quick and extremely simple way to collect
written feedback about student learning” (p. 148). I use the formative,
classroom assessment technique to gauge the student learning and provide
direction for what I need to adjust as we strive to meet our student learning outcomes.
I usually ask student about the most important thing they learned in class
and/or any questions they have.
This year, the majority of the students have been able to
provide an answer that matched my main goal for that lesson. Some students have
focused on aspects of the current class that reviewed the main goal from a
prior lesson—a message to me to make sure I keep reviewing prior information in
class as we build on those concepts and learn new ones. I can address questions
during the next class period, email students directly if they provided their
name, and provide supplemental information on Moodle that addresses questions
and further illuminates course content.
And occasionally, I am reminded of the greater impact we
have on our student’s lives. In one class period, as we discussed assignment
due dates that coincided with Pump Handle, I slipped into “Dad” mode, laid out
scenarios that have affected previous students, and pleaded with students to be
both respectful to each other and have each other’s back. More than one student
let me know that message was the most important from that day’s class.
Have you used minute papers or
similar classroom assessments? How have they been useful for you or
how do you think they may be useful for your courses?
