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Dr. Susan Campbell observed my HES100 Hybrid course on Thursday, 9/30/21. I was nervous about my evaluation because the students in this section are really quiet. I was also nervous because I had to revamp the activities, stations, samples, and hands-on models that I used to teach this lesson pre-COVID.
A few things did not go as planned. My quiet students were extra quiet and shy. To promote safety, I decided to have a few students come to the front to demonstrate measuring portions instead of having all of my students complete the activity in stations using the same supplies and none of my students volunteered. After a long pause waiting for volunteers, I ended up asking two students to come forward. I also made a few last minute changes to the numbers and images on my slide deck and they did not appear when I presented it, so I had to explain the discrepancy.
To promote engagement and encourage this quiet group of students to share their ideas, I started using Peardeck at the beginning of the semester. Through out my lessons, I ask a variety of questions that students answer from their phone or laptop. I then display their answers or a visual of the most popular answers. This tool has helped me assess student understanding and monitor student participation, but it has not pushed my students to communicate verbally. Throughout the semester, I have been adding in more peer discussions. To help students feel comfortable and give them an opportunity to articulate their responses, I have students answer online and then discuss what they said with their peers. This has helped them to open up. Dr. Campbell had access to the student view and the instructor view, so she could see the student responses coming in. She was curious why I was using this method instead of having the students talk to each other, so I explained that they were really quiet, and I was trying to encourage them to share their ideas. She said, "We did talk about why she chose to have students respond in Pear Deck, and this was a strategic choice due to the quiet nature of the group. Ms. Hopson has the students write answers to questions first, then discuss with a neighbor, then share out to the group to give each of them the option to participate in the manner they are most comfortable (think-pair-share). Ms. Hopson stated she gets more in-depth answers and participation this way with this group, and I did see their responses and they were well written." Dr. Campbell's questions and our discussion encouraged me to reflect on this approach. It is important to me that my students feel comfortable in my classroom, but am I doing them a disservice by not forcing them to articulate their ideas verbally? I am working on finding a balance where my students feel safe and are encouraged to develop their skills, build confidence, and expand their comfort zone.
I really appreciate Dr. Campbell's feedback and positive acknowledgements. Her comments stated that I was positive, encouraging, and engaging. She said that I asked questions that promoted critical thinking and related the content to the real world.
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