Active Learning In Virtual Environment/The muddiest point

Activity: #offline/long-term, #individual-work, #quick-preparation, #feedback

Outline

The point of the muddiest point is to determine the issues that the students might have with the topic that was discussed in class. In the most simple way the point is to find the muddiest point. This technique finds what the students thought was difficult in class, what was unclear and what would have needed more elaboration. The muddiest point gives the students a chance to reflect on the class as well as their own learning the class. It also enables the teacher to determine the strong and weak points of the class topic. The muddiest point is a quick way to get feedback as well as get improvement ideas on the lectures or the topics.

The muddiest point illustration

Activity arrangement

• Determine a subject or matter on which you want feedback on. What do you want to know about the class that they found difficult?
• Reserve time for the students to provide their feedback to platform of your choice
• Collect the responses or have a look at them from the platform. Provide answers and further explain the topics that were the ones students had difficulties with
• Discuss these results with the students in the next class. Provide them feedback in the form of answers and further explanations

Pointers

• Gives the teacher an insight of what subjects the students might struggle with in the particular class.
• The students have to think about their learning and analyse further the subject that was discussed in the class which deepens their understanding
• Gives also the chance for the more hesitant students to express their misunderstandings

How to use this method in online class?

This is an easy active learning method to apply in online learning. For example in Moodle create a platform where the students can go and provide their answers to. Then have a look at them and provide them answers to the matters that they according to their feedback found difficult.