Issue 16, Fall 1998

William A. McEachern, Editor

Get Feedback

Last week one of my teaching assistants told me that she patiently presented material on the use of graphs in her discussion section, asking for questions along the way. None were asked until the closing minutes of the period, when a student belatedly announced "I haven't understood a thing you've been saying." Some other students chimed in. The TA was flabbergasted, puzzled, and at a loss for what to do with the clock running down.

A key to successful teaching is getting feedback---the sooner the better. Her problem was not sounding out the class earlier. We can't rely on students to ask questions-they usually don't. And the more confused they are, the less likely they are to ask questions. Like the rest of us, students don't want to sound dumb by fumbling through a vague question. So I try to ask questions early and often, before students get lost. I start with easy questions and move up in complication. As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, I begin each class with a rolling review that asks students about material from the last class or two.

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