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How to Implement Peer Facilitation in the Classroom

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Peer facilitation can improve students’ leadership and problem solving abilities inside and outside the classroom.  This technique can be easily integrated into a class’s normal curriculum with these steps.

  1. Introduce active learning workshops
    Students should become familiar with the style and feel of active learning workshops before they begin leading their own workshops.  Begin by conducting one or several workshops in class using the basic setup of a peer facilitation workshop.  Split the class into small groups of between 5 and 7 students and give them a task, such as a problem set, worksheet, or discussion topic.  You should act as the peer facilitator, demonstrating the proper techniques for good facilitation during this time.  Avoid lecturing or tossing out answers until after the workshop is over.
  2. Make sure the class is at the proper level of participation
    In order for a successful peer facilitation workshop, students should all be prepared to contribute, both as the peer facilitators and as the group members.  Make sure the class feels comfortable speaking in front of the group at least part of the time; generally, students will participate much more in smaller groups.
  3. Outline the goals
    Make the students aware of the goals of peer facilitation.  Explain to them the importance of active learning and guided discussion techniques so that they are prepared to lead the workshops and contribute.
  4. Solicit feedback following the peer facilitation group work
    After you have conducted your first peer facilitation workshop, solicit feedback from the class about their experience.  Did they enjoy working with each other?  What was the most enjoyable and the most frustrating aspect of this type of learning?  Which facilitation strategies worked best, and which were the least effective?  Asking for feedback will help streamline the experience for the next workshop or for the next class.

These steps will help create a smooth transition into using peer facilitation in the classroom.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: ,

Getting Ready for a Test? Take a Prep Course

February 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Testing is not easy for most people.  It takes a lot of work, reflection, and study to feel like you are going to do well on a test.  Even then, you may not do as well as you thought you would.  On the other hand, you may do extremely well, even when  you feel completely unprepared.  So, what are some things that can help you get ready for a big test that is coming up?
Get the guide.  If there is an official guide for the test that you are taking, get it and go through it.  Many times, the practice questions on these guides are very similar to the test questions.
Take a class.  For example, if you are taking the gmat test, you will want to take a GMAT prep course.  These can be extremely beneficial.  Not only do they help you go through with will be on the test, you are also able to ask questions and get things clarified before having to take the test.  This is invaluable to many people that are getting ready.
Take as many practice tests as possible.  This will help you get ready, and get your mind in the right spot.  If you can find practice questions online, go through them.  They will help you get ready for the test, and give you another way to gear up.
Relax.  Testing can be frustrating.  This doesn’t mean that you have to stress over it constantly.  Instead, take a little time to relax.  If you over stress yourself about the test, or overwork yourself in your studying, it is extremely possible that you may end up freezing the day of the test.  So take a little bit of time, sit back, and relax!
Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Tips for Successful Humanities Study Group Meetings

January 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Study groups for the humanities can benefit students by letting them explore ideas and concepts with their peers in a format similar to a seminar class.  Here are some general tips for successful humanities study groups, which will differ from study groups for other types of classes.

  • Discussion-based format
    Structuring a humanities study group in a discussion-based format can greatly help students think on their feet and learn from their peers.  Instead of bringing class materials to read or flashcards to make, which are helpful in other classes, humanities students can instead bring a list of topics and conceptual questions to share with the group.  This way, students will be able to learn from each other, practice speaking and listening, and even create new ideas together as a group.
  • Concept-focused
    Similarly, when creating study guides or practice questions, humanities students should focus more on concepts and less on direct facts, especially if time is limited.  While some memorization might be necessary for the class, most humanities exams will be focused on conceptual understanding of the material, with questions that are structure in a similar fashion.  Students can better prepare for exams and gain a deeper understanding of the course concepts by focusing on idea-based learning during their study group meetings.
  • Circular seating
    Students should make an effort to sit in a circle, or at least in a less structured format than the typical classroom setup.  This will help them feel like everyone is on an equal footing, in addition to relaxing the study group, which will improve participation and comfort speaking to the group.  Many smaller humanities classes are trending toward this seating arrangement, so practicing sitting in a circle will ultimately help humanities students in the future as well.

These tips can help humanities students grow more comfortable discussing concepts openly with their classmates, which will later benefit them in class.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: ,

Troubleshooting Common Writing Workshop Issues

January 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Creative writing workshops are an effective method for peer review; however, a few common issues might arise.  Here are some ways to prevent or improve these occurrences during a workshop.

  1. Lack of Participation
    Especially during the first writing workshop of the class, lack of participation might be a problem you run into when leading the workshop.  Students might feel uncomfortable judging or critiquing the work of their peers, or perhaps they still have not developed the comfort level necessary for participating freely. One easy way to guard against a lack of participation is to have students read and comment on the piece before class; then, if not enough students are participating, you can ask each student to read one of their comments aloud.  Usually, once a couple of students begin to participate, then the rest of the class will open up and follow suit.
  2. Overly Positive Feedback
    Another common issue with creative writing workshops is an excess of positive feedback, with very little constructive criticism or helpful questions.  This can be common in a class in which the students don’t know each other very well, or one in which everyone is a beginner.  A simple way to steer the discussion away from this type of feedback is to elicit more questions from the student reviewers; this will point out unclear areas without making anyone feel awkward or guilty for giving feedback that was not completely positive.
  3. Overly Negative Feedback
    Similar to overly positive feedback, occasionally overly negative feedback can disrupt a workshop.  During this situation, students will often spend time pointing out the flaws or confusing areas of the piece, without giving equal weight to that piece’s creative strengths.  To fix this issue, you can ask your students to point out stylistic elements and rhetorical strategies that the author used.  This will help students recognize the literary value of the work, which can lead to a deeper appreciation for their peer’s writing.

If these common issues can be fixed or avoided, then the workshop will prove to be successful and helpful to all students involved.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: ,

Preparing for a Creative Writing Workshop

January 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In-class creative writing workshops can provide helpful and constructive feedback to students, but they require a good amount of preparation.  Students must feel comfortable sharing their work and open-minded about critiquing others’ work.  Here are some strategies to establish this comfort level before beginning a creative writing workshop.

  • Introductions and Class Participation
    From the first day of class, it’s important to engage each student in class discussions and readings.  Introductions are generally an important component of the first day of any creative writing class, especially in small, discussion-based seminars.  Take some time to let students introduce themselves to the class; this will not only help everyone remember names, but also feel more comfortable speaking during the rest of the class.  Similarly, having students read passages aloud will get them comfortable with contributing to the class, listening to each other’s reading style, and actively engaging during each discussion.
  • Discussing Works by Other Writers
    Before beginning an in-class creative writing workshop, be sure to discuss poems, short stories, or articles written by other writers.  In addition to learning how to analyze and critique creative work, students will also begin to get a feel for the individual writing style of a writer, making it easier for them to sympathize with their peers during workshops.  It’s important to briefly go over some of the rhetorical devices and techniques used in these works, which will help students identify those same strategies in their classmates’ writing  once the workshop has begun.
  • Remove Judgment and Direct Criticism
    Help encourage students to be open-minded and constructive during other discussions.  Judgment, mocking, and jokes at the expense of the writer will harm the atmosphere of the creative writing workshop, so these issues should be addressed and taken care of beforehand.  While constructive criticism can be incredibly helpful, direct criticism without suggestions for improvement can be harmful; make sure that the students are aware of this and making an effort to be constructive in their discussions.

With these strategies, students can prepare to contribute thoughtfully to discussions and feel comfortable both soliciting and offering feedback during the writing workshop.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: ,

Organizing a Successful Creative Writing Workshop

January 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Once a class has been adequately prepared, organizing a successful creative writing workshop can be relatively simple.  Here are some basic techniques for creating and leading an effective workshop for writing students.

  • Reading the Work Aloud
    Having one student read the creative work aloud provides a nice opening to the workshop.  Not only will this get students comfortable with speaking aloud, but it will also help everyone hear the sound effects of the writing.  For poems, the entire poem should be read aloud; for short stories and articles, generally the first paragraph or two is enough to get a sense of how the work sounds.
  • Using “Say Back” Feedback
    To open the discussion, have the students “say back” their initial understanding of the plot or narrative, and what they thought the creative work was about.  This will give the author a general idea of any miscommunications that might have occurred, and it will ease the class into the workshop with a more objective commentary first.  “Say back” feedback can pave the way for more constructive criticism, as well as identify any differences in general understanding of the work.
  • Limiting Author Participation
    The author of the work should avoid participating too much in the workshop, as he or she could potentially sway the opinions of the other students.  For purely objective feedback, the author should not become involved in the discussion, either through clarifying certain segments, or through pointing out places where they were having difficulties.
  • Leaving Time for Questions
    At the end of the workshop, it’s important for the author to be able to ask any questions that he or she might have, either about the feedback or about the work itself.  Similarly, the other students might want to ask the author questions about unclear sections or places where they felt confused.  This will help improve everyone’s understanding without compromising the objectivity of the workshop.

These strategies can help student authors receive the most helpful feedback and have their questions answered, while letting other students in the class offer constructive suggestions for revision.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Methods of Conducting Peer Reviews

December 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Communications and discussions are greatly enhanced in any classroom with the help of peer reviews. A variety of methods can be adopted by teacher to carry these out.
General peer reviews are simple in form and the best method. These do not include any specific instructions but require an honest and unprejudiced review. Such reviews are for uninitiated teachers and students who are new to the concept.
Mini Groups
Mini groups comprise smaller groups of students. Each member of a group gives feedback to other members of his or her group. Such groups enable team bonding and effective learning.
Specific Questions
Students can have particular questions about their own papers they would like reviewed. They are encouraged to write down these questions at the beginning of the session and ask peers to take these into consideration while writing their review. This is a positive approach toward guided feedback that encourages students to have their work analyzed through questions and deliberations of their own.
Advanced Peer Reviews
Many advanced classes encourage paper writing as a mode of conducting peer reviews. This entails more complex and detailed peer reviews, requiring more lucid and effective communication. Such reviews may be saved for the latter part of the semester when students have got accustomed to writing peer reviews.
Questionnaires
A method of peer reviews that works well with uninitiated and shy students are questionnaires. These ensure reviews molded by teachers themselves. A set of questions can be set by the teachers, helping students compile their review.
Self-Evaluations
Perhaps the toughest yet most effective method of writing peer reviews is assessing one’s own work. This can be done based on some set questions such as ‘What is the biggest strength of your paper’, or’What grade would you give yourself for this paper’ and many other questions.
Peer reviews can be very beneficial for any classroom. The more a student writes, the more improved will be his or her communication.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews, Study Groups Tagged With: , , ,

The Basics to Know About Peer Reviewing

December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In many professional environments, peer reviews are increasingly gaining popularity. Speeding up the process of identifying errors and their correction, it is believed equals are better capable of identifying each other’s mistakes.
Peer Review: The Categories
All fields of peer review fall under two large categories ” Professional Peer Review and Academic Peer Review. In the former case, experts of the same area review a peer’ work; while in the latter, students review a peer’s work.
The basic goal of any kind of peer review is to ascertain whether the work complies with the terms of the review or not. Peers are expected to identify the drawbacks and suggest corrections.
Peer Review: The Types
Peer reviews are of three types -single editor or self editor, team editors, and in-house editors.
Peer Review: The Strategies
Peer reviews require that the reviewer should assess, criticize and give suggestions for improvement of the work to be reviewed. A well-done peer review is based on some strategies followed by the reviewer.
The reviewer should ensure he or she give a complete and detailed review. Grammar and spelling should not be the only components reviewed. A reviewer may have to peruse the work several times to ensure all possible errors are reported and improvements for these delineated in the review.
Furthermore, a reviewer should take into consideration the following aspects while carrying out the review -“ level of interest and adaptability to its audience, persuasiveness and purpose, content and its organization, clarity of discussion, coherence and use of transition, the presence of a title, introduction and conclusion, style and clarity of sentences, and the way visuals, if any, are managed.
Reviewers must give completely unprejudiced reviews. Their remarks, criticism and suggestions must be free of personal judgment. Suggestions for improvement should also include methods and demonstrations.
It is important that peer reviews always be prepared with the professional outlook of improving the document under scrutiny.

Filed Under: Education, Online Learning, Peer Reviews Tagged With: , ,

How to Create a Classroom Forum for Peer Review Online

December 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Computer usage among student groups goes beyond emails and instant messaging. If used appropriately, it can be converted to enhanced means of operation and collaboration.
Forums
Taking group communication a step ahead, forums can act as message boards. Posts by an individual invite comments or other responses from viewers. Moderated by teachers, forums can be a platform for students to communicate online and take active part in discussions and communications.
Nicenet
Nicenet is a free online tool that works as a class message board. It provides a secure forum to hold group conferences and share documents.
Nicenet: Steps for Teachers
Teachers can easily create a Nicenet forum within twenty minutes. Go to www.nicenet.org, click on “Create Class”. Create username and password, and class name. The optional name field should be filled so that students can associate with their teacher on the forum.
Teachers can now create topics of group conference, playgrounds for other conversations, and a “class key” that makes the forum secure.
Nicenet: Steps for Students
Student can visit www.nicent.org, and select “Join a Class”. They can then create a username and password, and join the class using the pre-created class key.
The teacher’s email address is used instead of personal ids of students to ensure security. Teachers should give students a demonstration of Nicenet to help them understand how to do group conferencing, share documents and post messages.
Class Wikis
Wikis allow online spaces to teachers and students to collaborate work easily. To create a class wiki, teachers need to create a username and password, name a wiki forum based on the class, and create a password the entire class can use. Teachers can decide the layout and create topics.
Students can access the wiki by entering the password given and create their username and password.
Online Collaboration
Online collaboration methods can truly allow for more positive education. They can widen the horizons for students by the range of opportunities and challenges offered.

Filed Under: Education, Peer Reviews, Study Groups Tagged With: , , , ,

Effective Study Group Tasks for Science Students

December 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Science course taken up in college can help shape the future of medical and nursing students. While they help in getting selected for competitive majors they also instill discipline, proper habits of studying and the determination to succeed.
The study skills offered by such courses help students to prepare better for further examinations, especially students of geology, biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology.
The Use of Index Cards
A lot of students spend more time preparing Notecards, rather than comprehending the subject of instruction. Index cards may be a more effective alternative. Tools such as prefixes and formulas can be easily memorized and carried in for tests and thus helping while answering multiple choice questions or problem solving sets. Brief definitions and vocabulary words can also be noted on cards. They should be made with little text, so as to avoid distraction. Markers and pens of different colors should be used. Index cards should be made as the lesson is in progress, rather than a week before the exam!
The Use of Mnemonics
Mnemonics help students with recall value related to specific topic and can be used by way of short phrases, acronyms or sequences of letters. Unique names and lists of objects can be easily remembered by the use of mnemonics.
The Use of Study Groups
Studying in groups is always a beneficial method for students of science. Study guides, mock question papers and more individual focus enable better subject understanding.
The Use of Note Reviews
Students in science classes should be encouraged to take notes that can help understand concepts taught in class better. Preparing ahead of the class is an excellent practice. It helps students have questions ready while the lesson is being taught at class.
Conclusion
Colleges and universities are now focusing on making the study patterns of science students more effective. Practices such as the ones discussed above are slowly bringing changes in student behavior.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , , ,
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