FINALLY, SOMETHING TO DO WITH A CELL PHONE IN CLASS.*

Are your students really “getting” what you have to say? Although there are various means of determining the level of understanding, i.e. Q&A, tests, clickers, etc., the use of a cell phone in class can create new opportunities for making sure everyone “gets it.”

Here is how it works: The students indicate what they do/do not understand by text messaging to a central place where the results are tabulated and then shown on the classroom screen. The process is similar to the TV program where the audience uses their cell phone to vote. Rather than voting, the students indicate what is unclear, needs repeating, or rephrasing, etc. by using their phone. The cell phone itself is simply a part of an audience response system (ARS) that includes software, Internet connection, graphics, etc.

The campuses have the Internet connection, the students have a cell phone, and the ARS is available from polleverywhere.com. They even offer a free service for classes with less than 30 students. The department will demonstrate the process at the next Teaching Adults class.

Read more about ARS and polleverywhere.com by clicking here.

A video of how it works can be seen by clicking here.

*Abstracted from Inside the School Update. Visit their website by clicking here.

Helping Students Own and ControlTheir Learning Experience

The latest update of Inside the School contains an article by Jennifer Stanchfield titled, “Giving Learners Control and Responsibility for Learning.” It is an excerpt from her book, Tips & Tools: the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation.

Although directed more toward the pre-college student, it contains many suggestions adaptable by Community Learning instructors. Some of the suggestions include:

• Icebreakers that establish commonalities.


• Situations that allow quieter students to participate.


• Helping students gain greater control of their learning.

Read the entire Inside the School Update by clicking here.

Six Aspects of the Adult Learner, Part I*

As you finalize your classroom presentation, it would be a good idea to keep in mind six aspects of the adult learner. The first three of the six are given below. The remaining three will appear another time as Six Aspects of the Adult Learner, Part II.

1. Adults are autonomous and self-directed. They need to be free to direct themselves. Their instructor must actively involve them in the learning process and serve as a facilitator. Specifically, an instructor must get participants' perspectives about what topics to cover and let them work on projects that reflect their interests. The instructor should allow the participants to assume responsibility for presentations and group leadership (if applicable). They have to be sure to act as facilitators, guiding participants to their own knowledge rather than supplying them with facts.

2. Adults have accumulated a foundation of life experiences and
knowledge. This would include work-related activities, family responsibilities, and previous education. They need to connect learning to this knowledge/experience base. To help them do so, the instructor should draw out participants' experience and knowledge that is relevant to the
topic. They must relate theories and concepts to their students' prior experiences and recognize the value of experience in learning.

3. Adults are goal-oriented. Upon enrolling in a course, they usually know what goal they want to attain. Therefore, they appreciate an educational program that is organized and has clearly defined elements. The instructor must show participants how this class will help them attain their goals.

Part II will be the post for September 29, 2008.

*From the League for Innovation

Case Study in Classroom Management Issues Part 2 of 2

All instructors face this at some point. We encourage our instructors to work with all levels of students and we realize this can be very difficult and challenging.
What this instructor did was repeat the instructions and take extra breaks to catch the student up.
A couple of alternative strategies that might be used:

1) Involve those students who know a lot and like to share what they know by pairing them up with a slower student. This is a good way to keep both involved.

2) Explain to the student that the class is going to proceed at a faster rate and that the student is welcome to stay, but class will not be able to wait for him/her.

What are your strategies for dealing with a range of levels? Please share your thoughts by commenting.