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Re: ?????????

It seems to me that CLASSTALK would be an ideal system to deal with this
kind of a problem. (For those of you who don't know, classtalk is a
proprietary system that allows students to input answers confidentially)
All students input their answers via a keypad and no one need be intimidated
by their peers or by the professor. It has the added advantage of dealing
with the opposite kind of student, the one who wants to and can answer every
question.

You know the one. After the third day of class she/he is answering every
question before anybody else gets a chance. You can try to ignore the
student, or suggest that she/he lets someone else answer, but that deprives
that student of equal opportunity of input. With a system like Clastalk
every student has a chance to answer every question.

We are thinking of installing such a system in the auditorium we use for
large, non-science major classes. I would be interested in hearing from
anyone who has had experience with one. (I have already visited Classtalk's
Website)

Ludwik wrote in part:

I asked, in a Conceptual Science course for non-science majors, "who can
explain changing shapes of the moon to a child?". Nobody raised the hand.
My first thought was "intimidation"; they do not want to be singled out
for an explanation. So I said "I will not ask you to perform. I only want
to know. Would you (pointing to a student in the first raw) count the
number
of hands raised when I turn my face toward the blackboard, please." I
turned
and waited. Then I turned back and asked about the outcome. "No hands were
raised" she said.

I would point out that you removed your intimidation factor, but not the
intimidation of the student's peers. I wonder if you would have had any
different results if they could anonymously write on a sheet a paper
("ballot") their response. I unfortunately suspect that the answer is no.
But would love to hear otherwise.

Joel

Jim Riley, Department of Physics
Drury College
900 N Benton Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802
e-mail: jriley@lib.drury.edu
Phone: (407) 873 7233