6. Why the One-Minute Paper?
Versatile
Quick and easy
Provides timely and useful feedback
Demonstrates how well the students are
learning
Can determine mid-course correction
Provides students the opportunity to self-
assess
7. It’s all in the details!
1 - 10 minutes
Half sheet of paper or index cards
Two questions
Collect responses and tabulate results
Instant feedback or course correction
9. Advantages
Immediate feedback to instructor
and student
Quick and focused
Student Engagement
Shared responses
Meet teaching goals
Retention of information
10. Disadvantages
Difficult
to prepare meaningful
questions
Response times may be extensive
Are changes coming?
Did you really want to know?
11. Best Practices
Make sure you ask the right question
Set limits
Instruct your students in advance about
the value of this assessment tool
Use a variety of feedback methods
Be prepared to act
12. Bibliography
Cross, K. Patricia, and Thomas A. Angelo. Classroom Assessment
Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, Second Edition.
Chizmar, J. F., & Ostrosky, A. L. (1998). The one-minute paper: Some
empirical findings. Journal of Economic Education, 29(1), 3-10.
Foley, J. (2011). Teaching and learning, the one minute paper.
Retrieved from
http://faculty.clinton.edu/faculty/TeachingandLearningCenter/The
One-minute Paper.aspx
Bressoud, D. M. (n.d.). The one-minute paper. Retrieved from
http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=2&mode=form&
reqsrcid=APAWebPage
Enerson, D. M., Dawson-Munoz, T. A. I., Johnson, R. N., & Plank, K. M.
(1995). Feedback questionnaire, a guide for new teachers.
Retrieved from
http://www.oid.ucla.edu/units/tatp/old/lounge/pedagogy/downlo
ads/fq.pdf
Editor's Notes
Welcome to my presentation of an ‘Informal Assessment Strategy’. We have already determined that there is a need to assess, a need to ensure that we have a continuous flow of accurate information on student learning. We assess to help students develop their metacognitive skills. Learning to learn is the key.(click)
Read the slide (click)
There are many tools used for informal assessment however. These seven common tools are used to assess students declarative learning, the learning of the content of the subject they are studying. From these seven I have chosen (click)
The Minute Paper for my assessment technique. (click)
The Minute paper is also referred to as the One Minute Paper, or the Half Sheet Response. Some have even pared it down to the Half Minute paper. Why would I choose this particular assessment tool? (Click)
The Versatility. It can be an assessment tool at the beginning of your class or at the end. It is quick and easy! It only takes a minute or two for the student to complete. The responses are easy to analyze so feedback can be instantaneous. The One-Minute paper can tell us, as instructors whether the teaching/learning are aligned! Did they learn what you thought you taught or what you intended to teach?. Did they actually hear what you thought you said? The minute paper can let you know if you need to make adjustments to your course, either in content or delivery. It gives you the opportunity to provide quick responses to students questions. This exercise also allows student to self-assess. Have I learned what I was supposed to learn? What do I have left to learn. (Click)
How does it work?The One Minute paper can be used as a warm up activity or a wrap up activity. You should allow between 1 and 10 minutes, depending on how much detail you have asked for and if you are planning to allow discussion or provide feedback on that particular day. You may decide that the feedback will be the lead in for your next class. (click) Begin by asking your students to use a blank sheet of paper or hand out index cards. (click) Write two questions on the board or overhead. These questions can be about a concept, a procedure…any area that you want to asses. Just make sure that your questions can be answered briefly. (click) Set a time limit. Ask your students to take two or three minutes to formulate an answer to these two questions. An example of a question to ask could be “What was the most important thing that you learned in this class?” The second question might be “What important question remains unanswered? These are not questions that will allow for simple recall. The student will have to consider what they remember from the class so that they themselves can evaluate what was important. These answers will help you, as the Instructor, determine whether or not what you taught was what the student learned! The answer to the second question, ‘what important question remains unanswered’ will demonstrate any course changes that may need to be made. After the students have had minute or two to formulate their answers (click) have them return their responses to you. This is the time that you would provide feedback. You cold indicate that the unanswered questions will be the focus of an upcoming lesson or…you could take the opportunity to review at that particular time. (Click)
Like any other assessment strategies there are pros and cons to the One Minute paper.On the plus side (click):
There is immediate feedback to you, the instructor, and immediate response to any questions the students may have.The process is quick, which is good, as class time is always in short supply.By asking the students for this type of response you are letting them know that their input is valued. This can also be a way for the hesitant student to pose a question. The process is anonymous!The students will be able to see if their thoughts align with those of their fellow studentsThis particular assessment tool can help develop the students ability to integrate information and ideas, develop the ability to see the whole as well as the part, improve listening skills, and help the students to understand concepts and theories in the subject. Many Teaching goals can be met using this tool.The greatest advantage to the One Minute Paper is that generating answers to your question will make the information more memorable This theory was demonstrated in studies done by Chizmar and Ostrosky (1998) in which they determined that there was a 6% increase in retention of information when one-minute papers were given in the last 1-2 minutes of class. This was a controlled experimental design where 4 instructors taught 2 sections each, one with one-minute papers, one without. A 6% increase in retention. You have to like that!
The disadvantages….well! Preparing your questions is not quite as easy as it sounds. You need to make sure that you are asking questions that you want answers to.Another disadvantage…response to questions can get quite lengthy if the discussion goes off on a tangent.As well, students my get the impression that you are going to make major changes to their course outline or outcomes or\\You may get answers to the questions but…are they the answers you actually wanted?
Like all other assessment tools you need to consider ‘Best Practices’. For the One-Minute Paper the best of the best practice is to make sure that you ask the right question.Set a time limit for the students to answer and a time limit for feedback.Use a variety of feedback methods. Have the students answer the questions in groups and have one student present to the class. Or you could analyze the feedback data quickly and agree to provide feedback on the three most popular answers.Be prepared to act. If you ask your students what question has remained unanswered they will have the expectation that you will answer that question. Keep the students informed of your plans. Let them know if the answer is coming up or if it a point for review.
I have included some sources of my research into this presentation. Please feel free to check some of the articles out to get a broader look at the ‘Minute Paper’ and its value to you and your students.Thank you
