Video Discussion


This video is a recorded interview between Dr Gavin Schwartz-Leeper, the pedagogy leader, and Zoe Nobileau, one of the project officers. This conversation contains the a full description of the pedagogy, it's objectives and the potential benefits. Summary points of this conversation are inlcluded below:


Supporting Example:
Dr Matthew Broome & Dr Martin Mik

Revision of Previous Lecture Content


This pedagogy happens in a traditional large lecture theatre space to around 50-100 students. Students are asked to arrive at 5 minutes past the hour, I have typically a few minutes between finishing logging into the computer and preparing my notes and the target arrival time. To create a welcoming atmosphere, whilst simultaneously bridging the gap between the previous lecture and this one, I will field questions to the students and encourage them to answer by offering small sweets and chocolates as prizes! The students have told me directly that they love this component of the lecture and they feel it ‘breaks the ice’ and simultaneously switches their minds to the topic in hand.


Theory


The reasoning behind this pedagogy is that students may have had as long as a week between lectures, meaning a reminder of where we are in the module material is very welcome. There is a ‘performance’ component to this pedagogy, and that makes the whole process fun and exciting! The students relish the opportunity to show their classmates they have won something (albeit only a little sweet), but it serves a purpose for those students who are not answering questions too! Those who are not answering the questions are of course being reminded of the previous lecture’s content.


Measurable Benefits


  1. Students become at ease when there is a fun environment and laughter to begin the lecture.
  2. It encourages participation from students who would typically not raise their hands during a lecture.
  3. The material from the previous lecture is recapped and forms a good groundwork for the following material.

How it Works


  1. Prepare around 5 basic—one-word answer—questions that lead off of the previous lecture.
  2. Have a tub of sweets/chocolates, but make sure they are wrapped!
  3. Make it fun!

Individual Perspective


From my perspective this pedagogy works really well. Not only does it help the students to recall previous lecture content, it helps to convince students that you as a lecturer you are approachable and hopefully they will be encouraged to ask questions during or after the lecture too. It also helps the lecturer to recall their own content as well as gaining some ‘micro’ and real-time feedback from the students. Fielding a question that the students fail to answer will give you further insight into what you may need to elaborate on in future.