Center for Teaching Development (UCSD) Weekly Workshop: Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions January 31, 2013 ctd.ucsd.edu

1. slides and resources: http://tinyurl.com/CTDClickers2
CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
CLICKERS 2:
WRITING GOOD CLICKER
QUESTIONS
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu @polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
Thursday, January 31, 2013
12:30 – 1:30 pm Center Hall, Room 316

2. traditional lecture student-centered instruction
2 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

3. peer instruction w clickers
worksheets
videos
interactive demonstrations
surveys of opinions
reading quizzes
discussions
student-centered instruction
3 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

4. Typical Peer Instruction Episode
Alternating with 10-15 minute mini-lectures,
1. Instructor poses a conceptually-challenging
multiple-choice question.
2. Students think about question on their own.
3. Students vote for an answer using clickers,
colored/ABCD voting cards,...
4. The instructor reacts, based on the
distribution of votes.
4 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

5. Clicker question
An ice cube is floating in a glass of water
that is filled entirely to the brim. As the ice
cube melts, the water level will
A) stay the same, remain at the brim.
B) rise, causing the water to spill.
C) fall to a level below the brim.
D) cannot say without knowing the density of ice.
5 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

6. In effective peer instruction
 students teach each other while they students learn
may still hold or remember their novice and practice
misconceptions how to think,
 students discuss the concepts in their communicate
own language like experts
 the instructor finds out what the students know
(and don’t know) and reacts
6 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

7. Effective peer instruction requires
1. identifying key concepts, misconceptions
today before
2. creating multiple-choice questions that
require deeper thinking and learning class
last week
3. facilitating peer instruction episodes that
spark student discussion during
class
4. resolving the misconceptions
7 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

8. What makes a good clicker question?
clarity Students should waste no effort trying to figure
out what’s being asked.
context Is this topic currently being covered
in class?
connection to Does the question make students do the right
learning goals thing to demonstrate they grasp the concept.
distractors What do the “wrong” answers tell you about
students’ thinking?
difficulty Is the question too trivial? too hard?
stimulates Will the question engage the students and
thoughtful spark thoughtful discussions?
discussion Is there potential for you to be “agile”?
8 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Adapted from Chasteen, CU Boulder)

9. Clicker question (History)
In your opinion, which had the most positive impact on
the modern world?
A) coffee
B) tea
C) chocolate
D) spice
E) sugar
clarity context learning goals distractors difficulty discussion
9 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

10. Clicker question (intro Astronomy)
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) ii only
B) iii only
C) i and ii
D) i and iii
E) i, ii and iii
clarity context learning goals distractors difficulty discussion
10 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

11. Clicker question (intro Astronomy)
How many of these are reasons for the seasons?
the height of the Sun in the sky during the day
Earth’s distance from the Sun
how many hours the Sun is up each day
A) none of them
B) one
C) two
D) all three
clarity context learning goals distractors difficulty discussion
11 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

12. Clicker question (Calculus)
4
Evaluate: 2 3
x 1 x dx
0
32 2 32
A) 16 (65 ) C. (65 1)
9
16 1022
B) D.
9 3
clarity context learning goals distractors difficulty discussion
12 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (adapted from Bruff (2009))

13. Clicker question (Calculus)
Which of the following is an incorrect step when using
the substitution method to evaluate the definite
integral 4
2 3
x 1 x dx
0
3 1 4
A) u 1 x C. u du
3 0
du 2
B) x dx D. none of the above
3
clarity context learning goals distractors difficulty discussion
13 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (adapted from Bruff (2009))

14. 14
Types of questions
and when to ask them

15. Clickers help students learn...
the learning cycle
BEFORE DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
15 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions Adapted from Rosie Piller, Ian Beatty, Stephanie Chasteen

16. Clickers help students learn...
the learning cycle
BEFORE DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
16 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions Adapted from Rosie Piller, Ian Beatty, Stephanie Chasteen

17. Clickers help students learn...
the learning cycle
BEFORE DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
17 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions Adapted from Rosie Piller, Ian Beatty, Stephanie Chasteen

18. Clickers help students learn...
the learning cycle
BEFORE DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
18 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions Adapted from Rosie Piller, Ian Beatty, Stephanie Chasteen

19. Clickers help teachers teach...
the learning cycle
BEFORE DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
19 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

20. Clickers help teachers teach...
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 DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
20 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

21. Clickers help teachers teach...
Where are they in the activity?
Are they getting it?
Do I need to intervene?
the learning
Did they notice key idea X?
cycle
BEFORE DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
21 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

22. Clickers help teachers teach...
Did they get it?
Can I move to the next topic?
Did that activity work?
the learning c yHow dideI do?
cl
BEFORE DURING AFTER
setting up developing assessing
instruction knowledge learning
22 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

23. Let’s try it…
Gather around a whiteboard in groups of 2 – 3.
23 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

24. Clicker question (at driving school)
24
Learning outcome: [after this lesson, you will be able
to] change lanes from a slower lane into a faster lane.
While you’re writing it, think about
 what type of question is it? (predict, assess...)
 when would you present it? (before, during, after)
 critique your question for
clarity context learning goals
distractors difficulty discussion
Creating good clicker questions

25. Resources
1. Peer instruction resources from the Carl Wieman Science
Education Initiative at the Univ. of British Columbia :
www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/clickers.htm
2. Bruff, D. (2009). Teaching with Classroom Response Systems.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/technology/clickers/
3. Peer Instruction network blog.peerinstruction.net
4. Resources from Clickers 1, Clickers 2, Clickers 3 workshops at
the Center for Teaching Development
ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/winter-2013-teaching-and-learning-workshops/
25 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions

26. slides and resources: http://tinyurl.com/CTDClickers2
CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
CLICKERS 3:
CLICK IT UP A LEVEL…
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu @polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
Thursday, March 7, 2013
12:30 – 1:30 pm Center Hall, Room 316

27. predict
Clicker question
A ball is rolling around C
the inside of a circular B D
track. The ball A E
leaves the track
at point P.
P
Which path
does the ball
follow?
27 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Mazur)

28. What do you think is most discover
interesting about this picture?
A) lunar eclipse
B) solar eclipse
C) cloud blocking the
Sun
D) sunspots
E) other
Astronomy Picture of the Day 2011 January 5
28 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Newbury, Richer, UBC)

29. predict
Clicker question
An ice cube is floating in a glass of water
that is filled entirely to the brim. As the ice
cube melts, the water level will
A) stay the same, remain at the brim.
B) rise, causing the water to spill.
C) fall to a level below the brim.
D) cannot say without knowing the density of ice.
29 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Heiner, UBC)

30. probe misconception
Clicker question
If this is the phase of the Moon when it rises:
what is the phase of the Moon 12 hours later?
A B C
D E
30 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Prather, UAriz)

31. 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 2 sec
31 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (CWSEI UBC)

32. Which one is the closest match to your graph? exercise skill
velocity velocity
A B
time time
0 2 sec 0 2 sec
velocity velocity
C D
time time
0 2 sec 0 2 sec
E) some other graph
32 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (CWSEI UBC)

33. analysis
Clicker question
John is walking to school. This graph shows his position
as a function of time. When is John moving with the
greatest velocity?
position
time
A B C D E
33 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (CWSEI UBC)

34. evaluation
Clicker question
Which of the following is an incorrect step when using
the substitution method to evaluate the definite
integral 4
2 3
x 1 x dx
0
3 1 4
A) u 1 x C. u du
3 0
du 2
B) x dx D. none of the above
3
34 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Bruff, Vanderbilt)

35. check knowledge
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
35 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Peck, mathquest.carroll.edu/resources.html)

36. real-world application
Clicker question
What happens to the brightness of the first light bulb
when you close the switch?
A) gets brighter
B) gets fainter
C) stays the same
36 How people learn physics

37. “big picture”
Clicker question
In your opinion, which had the most positive impact on
the modern world?
A) coffee
B) tea
C) chocolate
D) spice
E) sugar
37 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Herbst, UCSD)

38. exit poll
Clicker question
Would you like to learn more about MOOCs next class?
A) yes
B) no
38 Clickers 2: Writing Good Clicker Questions (Newbury, UCSD)