- Students don’t always have the necessary mental models, prior knowledge, or experience to follow along with tacit assumptions when teachers talk through in their thought process.
- By checking in with your students using formative assessment prompts, you can catch when students are no longer following along.
- Solicit student feedback to communicate to students that you want to be as effective helping them learn as possible.
- Ask for students’ feedback during lecture (e.g., asking for thumbs up/down if they understood an explanation) and in written form throughout the semester. Whenever you receive feedback make sure you summarize the feedback for students and explain what changes you will or won’t be making based upon their feedback.
- Example: "Thumbs up or down -- did that make sense?"
- See this and related tips as a Tip Sheet: http://csteachingtips.org/tips-for-lecturing