Midterm time can feel like a fast-moving roller-coaster breezing towards the end of the semester. When you return from the well-deserved and needed break, take a moment at the beginning of the next class session to take a pulse on the students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and well-being.
Try, for example, 3-2-1, asking students to write down 3 concepts they absolutely know, 2 concepts that they need more work on, and 1 lingering question. Or experiment with the super easy Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down when you present new or review old content. Regarding students’ wellbeing, ask them to think of one word to describe their mood. Following each of these, you can adjust, review, respond, and make sure students are on track.
By taking a few moments to slow down, check student learning, and then make slight, yet significant adjustments, students gain the perspective that teaching and learning are ongoing processes that require full participation. Review other CATs on the CELT website.
If you’re looking for other ways to check in with your students, we have a number of talks and workshops coming up. Check out:
- Learning Styles Don’t Exist: Busting Myths to Promote Meaningful Learning (Alyssa Emery), Mar. 23 (1:10-2 p.m., via Zoom)
- Team-Based Learning Workshop Series, Mar. 23 & March. 30 (2:15-4:15 p.m., via Zoom)
- Effectively Managing Disruptive Conduct in Learning Spaces, Mar. 23 (3:20-4:10 p.m., via Zoom)
- CELT Teaching Talks: Teaching a Successful High-Enrollment Asynchronous Course (Olga Mesropova), Apr. 6 (12:10-1 p.m., via Zoom)
With a joy for teaching,
Sara Marcketti, Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
Full Teaching Tip
View the published CELT Teaching Tip: Resources for Success (March 10, 2022 – Constant Contact) page.
Prefer a Print Version?
To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip for March 10, 2022 (PDF).