End of Class Ideas

It is tempting some days, as you approach the end of class, to quickly wrap up your lesson, immediately have prayer, and let students fly out of the classroom.

The last few minutes of class, though, can be a great opportunity to help students summarize what they learned that day.

Here are a few suggestions from Roben Tororyan, a faculty member at Fairfield University in Connecticut (in "Reminders for Improving Classroom Discussion," The Teaching Professor, November 2006, p. 3), in order to effectively use time at the end of a lesson. She recommends asking students:

"Did you learn anything, or are you left thinking about anything?

"What struck you?

"What do you want to remember?

"In general, use open questions ("what" and "why") over closed questions ("Is this clear?" or "Does that make sense?") to give practice putting complex ideas into language.

"At [the] end of class, give a "minute paper" or ask for the "muddiest point" and begin the next discussion by reviewing what students wrote about the previous one."

By setting aside a few minutes at the end of your lesson, you can help make the last few minutes of class some of the most thought-provoking for your students.

Best wishes,

Ken

www.KenAlford.com