Initial Publication Date: June 19, 2015
Registration Details
This half-day workshop is part of the GSA Short Course 4-Pack. For $45, select any two workshops from the four (add 511C or 511D). Early registration ends on October 1. To sign up for a workshop, use the GSA meeting registration ( This site may be offline. ) .

511A. Active Lectures in Classrooms of All Sizes

Co-sponsored by NAGT and the Geoscience Education Division of GSA

November 3, 2012 - 8:00 am to noon
Room 904
Part of the GSA Short Course 4-Pack

Conveners: Mark Leckie , University of Massachusetts–Amherst; Jessica Smay, San José City College; Karen Kortz , Community College of Rhode Island

Workshop description

Research indicates that shifting instruction from lecture-centered to student-centered improves students' learning. Participants in this half-day workshop will learn classroom techniques to make lectures more interactive. The techniques presented, such as Lecture Tutorials, ConcepTests (with or without clickers), Think-Pair-Shares, Minute Papers, and Pyramid Exams, can be used in classrooms of any size, without special tools. Each teaching technique will be demonstrated using multiple classroom-ready examples, and participants will be guided as they create and practice their own examples. Participants will leave the workshop with a set of techniques they can apply to their own courses to better engage their students and improve their learning.

Before you go

There are no special preparations before GSA.

Workshop program

Note: the following outline is tentative.

  1. Lecture and learning
  2. Active learning techniques
    1. Lecture Tutorials
    2. ConcepTests
    3. Think-Pair-Share
    4. Minute paper
  3. Active assessment techniques
    1. Pyramid exams

Powerpoint handout (Acrobat (PDF) 553kB Nov1 12) of the slides presented during the short course (refences included within)

Handouts (Acrobat (PDF) 44kB Oct31 12) of materials distributed during the short course