Archive for Jeffrey Ford
Writing good questions for online exams
Sometimes it’s necessary to have an online exam. This became true during COVID, but I think I’ll keep it up. Every time you can put an assessment online, you give yourself more time in the classroom. Learning doesn’t really happen during the assessment, so why give one when you’re around? You can save that time […]
Reflection on the end of the semester
As we finish up another year, I always look back and see what I could have changed, and what would have been an improvement. I keep coming back to the idea that, if I can get students to buy into the method sooner, they will have better outcomes. I’ve always believed that if students revise […]
The value of productive struggle
A colleague teaching trigonometry with inquiry-based learning sent me a complaint a student had made to his department chair. The student’s issue was “He doesn’t teach anything, he just stands there and keeps asking me questions!”. To me, this encapsulates the difference between encouraging or discouraging struggle in the classroom. If is comfortable for students […]