Formulate
Takeaways
3 minutes each class
How to use the tool?
At the end of each class, have students write down their takeaways from the session.
Student experience
“I know that I can’t remember everything, even if a class is super interesting, and I feel like this makes the most important things stick.”
Learners remember more from your classes if they reflect on, and record, what they have learned briefly at the end.
What to Do?
At the end of each lecture or seminar, give students 2-3 mins to reflect on what they have learned today. Ask them to think about the following questions (or variations):
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What did you want to learn today?
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What did you learn? How do you know (e.g. did you get feedback)?
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What are new learning goals that come from today? E.g. is there something that you do not yet fully understand? Or can you now see new skills, content, or questions you are interested in?
Example:
“In my seminar courses, I give students 3 minutes to do this exercise. Every 3 or 4 weeks I ask them to submit to me a reflection of their top 5 takeaways, described in 250-500 words. I grade this pass/fail, if they have done it it is a Pass. It counts towards their course participation grade. It is really valuable for me to read what students are taking away since sometimes there are things I really don’t expect, and they tell me that the reflection helps them process and remember the material.”
