How We Do It
Often times students fail to understand key elements of the content underlying board type questions. These are best corrected when they articulate their (incorrect) understanding in a setting where correction is possible, and that is in the small group discussion with peers and facilitators. This does not happen in lecture; students can leave a review lecture with the same misunderstanding they came in with. Students really don't understand what they do not understand until they try to explain it, and the small group gives them the opportunity to self correct.
Practicing questions, once the student has learned our Method, is a huge part of our daily schedule. The goals of practicing how to effectively answer board-style questions has many benefits:
- It allows students to apply our highly effective technique to help them pick the right answer especially when they get it down to two possible answer choices.
- Students notice an improvement in their test performance.
- Students begin to develop a sense of self-confidence when they see higher scores during question practice. Educational research has shown that students who are self-confident report higher scores.
In some of our sessions we work in small groups which has many advantages:
· It allows the tutor who facilitates the small group to ensure that the student has clear and defined interpretation of the work at hand and is logical in his/her thought process.
· It highlights for students an awareness of when reasoning process is disorganized which then leads to a misinterpretation of questions.
· It provides opportunities to improve comprehension.
· It helps students, together with the facilitator, figure out their own personal style of learning.