Lucas, A. (2009). Using
Peer Instruction and I-Clickers to Enhance Student Participation in Calculus. Primus : Problems, Resources, and
Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 19(3), 219-231. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213432272?accountid=26354
Summary
In
this article, Lucas seeks to determine the effectiveness of the use of peer
instruction (PI) and i-clickers in a small-sized Calculus II course (24
students) for science majors. Lucas
first details his method of incorporating PI and i-clickers in his lesson
plans. First, a multiple choice question
is presented on a classroom screen. In
the “think phase”, students are asked to anonymously answer the question using
the i-clicker, after which a histogram of results will appear on the screen. In the “pair/share” phase, students are asked
to actively discuss the question and answers in small groups for a few minutes. Finally, students are asked to re-vote, after
which a new histogram of responses (including the correct response) will appear
on the screen. The instructor will then
discuss the problem and correct answer with the class. The instructor will later be able to
determine each individual student’s responses, which will help the instructor
identify weaker students early on. The
i-clicker software, adds points from the “think” phase (one point if the
student merely selects and answer) and the “pair/share” phase (one point if the
student ultimately selects the correct answer), and displays this as a
cumulative total (“i-clicker score”).
Lucas decided not to factor the i-clicker scores into students’ final grades,
unless a student had a borderline grade.
Lucas
ultimately concluded that students’ i-clicker scores were a meaningful
indicator of student success. Lucas
determined that the correlation coefficient (r) between a student’s average
i-clicker score and their final grade was 0.57 (where 0 would indicate no
correlation and 1 would indicate a perfect, positive correlation). Note that students who consistently re-voted
correctly had higher i-clicker scores.
Thus, students who ultimately answered correctly in class earned higher
test scores. Interestingly enough, the
correlation between a student’s average homework grade and their test
performance was only 0.36.
Lucas
made a point to emphasize the important of PI in this process. To study the importance of PI, Lucas
instructed one section how to engage in peer discussion, but did not instruct
the other section. For example, the instructed
group was told to first discuss the question in detail with one other student,
with pencil and paper, before branching out to the rest of the group. In the former group, 71% of students answered
the question correctly after the “pair/share” phase, whereas an overwhelming
majority of students answered the question incorrectly after the “pair/share”
phase in the latter group. To assess
peer discussion dynamics, Lucas videotaped class sessions and polled his
students. He hypothesized, and
ultimately showed, that students he identified as “high status” (HS) students were
able to dominate the group dynamic if the students were not taught how to engage
in effective peer discussion beforehand.
The videotaped sessions revealed the non-HS students vocalizing their opinions
while working in pairs. Lucas concluded
that students (especially non-HS students) feel more comfortable explaining
their thoughts to a neighbor, rather than an entire group. Furthermore, by
asking students to write out their thoughts using pencil and paper, they are
less likely to make mistakes and are better able to explain their reasoning.
Lucas concluded with following
benefits and disadvantages of PI:
Benefits
·
Diversification of teaching keeps
students engaged
·
Students are able to see multiple
approaches to a solution
·
PI and i-clickers creates a lively classroom atmosphere
·
PI engages passive students
Disadvantages
·
Gathering questions that will work
for this process takes time
·
Optimizing peer instruction can be a
challenge
Reflection
I am interested in trying PI and i-clickers in all of my classrooms. I would especially like to pilot it in my
Business Calculus course, where there is rarely enough class time available for
group-work activities. I am firm
believer that students learn best while doing, and that they can learn just as
much from their peers as they can from their instructor. Since we don’t have much time for group-work,
this may be an easy way to promote peer instruction without taking up entire
class periods.
I
believe there are some disadvantages that the author didn't mention. For
example, I imagine that there is some sort of learning curve associated with
implementing PI and i-clickers in classroom instruction for the first time (or
first few times). I will need to learn
how to use the i-clicker software to maximize its usefulness and will need to
dedicate time to create or research problems that naturally lend themselves to
being solved in this format.
Additionally, each student will be required to have their own
i-clicker. I resist making students
purchase their own i-clicker, because they already have to pay for textbooks
(which can be extremely expensive). I believe
my college’s library has at least one classroom set of clickers that can be
checked out. If I wanted to make this a
regular part of my classroom instruction, I will have to regularly check them
out (which will become bothersome), unless I am able to check them out for
entire semesters at a time. I plan on
looking into this very soon.
I
do agree that this would help keep students engaged. Lucas mentioned in his article that students
admitted to paying better attention in class knowing that they would be
expected to answer questions within the class period. Furthermore, this will promote interaction
between peers and will enhance students’ learning. I also agree that this will help engage
passive students and will encourage them to become active participants in a
classroom. My hope is that it would help
these types of students realize that their ideas matter and increase their
confidence, both mathematically and in situations that require peer
interaction. I agree with Lucas when he
mentioned that this will expose students to a wider variety of methods for
solving a given problem, since not every student will attack a problem the same
exact way. Perhaps one of the largest benefits, in my option, is that it will
give the instructor a chance to identify “weaker” students early on, and, thus,
will assist the instructor in giving extra assistance to such students. Hopefully this will increase student success
rates and retention.
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