Cuesta College students taking Physics 205A (college physics, algebra-based, mandatory adjunct laboratory) at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA used clickers (Classroom Performance System,
einstruction.com) to engage in peer-interaction ("think-(pair)-share") discussion questions during lecture.
During the second month of instruction, after taking their first (of two) midterms, students were given the opportunity to evaluate the preliminary use of clickers in implementing peer-instruction in an online "Think-Pair-Share Survey" hosted by
SurveyMonkey.com.
These are the complete survey results. Analysis will be forthcoming after more data has been compiled from future semesters. Values for the mean and standard deviations are given next to the modal response category for each question.
Cuesta College
Physics 205A Fall Semester 2008 sections 70854, 70855
(N = 23)
I. In order to receive credit for completing this survey,
first enter your first and last name below:
____
II. Recall that for this semester that clickers are used in a think-pair-share
system, where students think and answer individually, and if there is a lack of
consensus, then students pair off and share explanations with each other before
answering again. Answer the following statements which may or may not describe
your beliefs about think-pair-share in this class.
II.1 I feel comfortable engaging with think-pair-share with other students.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 4 : ****
3. Neutral 5 : *****
4. Agree 6 : ****** [3.7 +/- 1.1]
5. Strongly agree 6 : ******
II.2 I explain more often than I listen to other students during
think-pair-share.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 7 : ******* [3.3 +/- 1.1]
3. Neutral 6 : ******
4. Agree 5 : *****
5. Strongly agree 4 : ****
II.3 I change answers more often than I keep the same answer after
think-pair-share.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 9 : ********* [2.9 +/- 0.8]
3. Neutral 7 : *******
4. Agree 6 : ******
5. Strongly agree 0 :
III. (Optional.) Please type in any comments you may have regarding the use of
think-pair-share clicker use in this class.
The following are all of the student responses to this question, verbatim and unedited (with a few editorial context clarifications in [brackets]).
"I think that it is a good method however I feel that key concepts are not always explained fully due to some of my classmates not understanding the material, myself included. This makes class time sometimes feel pointless and confusing."
"I dont like think-pair-share that much"
"fun"
"It can be helpful, but it takes up class time that may be better used going over more sample problems. Other student's explanations will oftentimes not be as helpful or correct as the teacher's."
"I think that sometimes we just end up spreading wrong ideas amongst ourselves when what we really need is a stronger lecture component so we have something more solid to base our responses on rather than pretty much a couple people who actually know what they are talking about try and convince the rest of the class which is usually lost anyways."
"Sometimes Think-pair-share questions are too hard where such a small percentage of the class knows that it is pointless to ask someone around you bc chances are they didnt know. I like clicker questions but sometimes they just need to be explained to the class esp. on difficult questions."
"I was a skeptic but don't find it as bothersome as I thought. My only concern is that we sometimes waste valuable lecture time having two or three confused people trying to convince the others.... There is no equal distribution of "smart" people within the seating arrangement...therefore there is no guarantee of the effeectiveness of share and pair and I suspect the satisfaction with this teaching method varies widely for this reason."
"I still don't feel I get much out of this method, it'd be one thing to discuss this with the instructor but discussing with other students is flawed because another student could be completely wrong in their reasoning and cause more confusion than create clarity. As far as the test goes I didn't feel like I had enough time to even think about the problems on it much less complete them."
"I like the use of the clicker, but I am not very much for the pair and share part. But that is because I like to do things on my own."
"At first I was more opposed to the clickers, but now I feel that they aren't so bad. It took some getting used to, but it makes the lectures more interactive."
During the last month of instruction, after taking their second and last midterm, students were given the opportunity to evaluate the use of clickers in implementing peer-instruction in an online "Think-Pair-Share Survey" hosted by
SurveyMonkey.com.
Note that the attitudes towards think-pair-share for questions II.1 and II.2 improved over the course of this semester. (In subsequent semesters during the 2008-2009 academic year, this assessment was only asked after the second and last midterm, so this is the only set of pre- and post-test results for think-pair-share attitudes.)
Cuesta College
Physics 205A Fall Semester 2008 sections 70854, 70855
(N = 25)
I. In order to receive credit for completing this survey,
first enter your first and last name below:
____
II. Recall that for this semester that clickers are used in a think-pair-share
system, where students think and answer individually, and if there is a lack of
consensus, then students pair off and share explanations with each other before
answering again. Answer the following statements which may or may not describe
your beliefs about think-pair-share in this class.
II.1 I feel comfortable engaging with think-pair-share with other students.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 3 : ***
3. Neutral 1 : *
4. Agree 9 : *********
5. Strongly agree 10 : ********** [4.1 +/- 1.0]
II.2 I explain more often than I listen to other students during
think-pair-share.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 7 : *******
3. Neutral 9 : ********* [3.0 +/- 0.9]
4. Agree 6 : ******
5. Strongly agree 1 : *
II.3 I change answers more often than I keep the same answer after
think-pair-share.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 14 : ************** [2.5 +/- 0.8]
3. Neutral 4 : ****
4. Agree 4 : ****
5. Strongly agree 0 :
III. (Optional.) Please type in any comments you may have regarding the use of
think-pair-share clicker use in this class.
The following are all of the student responses to this question, verbatim and unedited (with a few editorial context clarifications in [brackets]).
"I believe some of the questions on the midterm where a little bit obscure and came out of the dark which surprised a lot of students. Several of the short answer question where not like we had practiced or gone over in class."
"I do not think that the think-pair-share method helps at all. When the students don't understand the first time asked, then the professor should explain the topic better so everyone does understand. Most everyone just looks at which answer was most popular and chooses that one, then the professor likes the results and movees on oblivious that nobody learned a single thing.
"We haven't really been using think pair share that much recently. I like it better when p-dog just teaches us the material rather than us trying to teach each other."
"I really enjoy using the clickers. The fact that you are answering anonymously prevents people from being singled out if they have the wrong answer. Being able to discuss answers with other students if it is not clear has been very helpful."
"I think it is a great tool. One of the best ways to learn is teach and discuss it with other students, so this helps a lot. Could be done a little more often though. One downside might be that some students might not use this time to their advantage, and not pay attention, and just go with the answer with the most votes, but that's their fault."
"they are good"
"I enjoy being able to use clickers to get credit for attendence and HW. But pairing and sharing with my neighbor is seldom helpful. More often than not we are both uncertain about the answer and neigher one of us is able to strongly convince or influence the other. Time spent in lecture is more valuable. Just my opinion."
"I now remember my reasoning on the blood pressure question, but a lot of good that does me now. Your midterms are very fair, and well put together, with all the information you want to cover. Thanks."
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