By the end of this unit you should be able to:
Explore the art of clear communication and meaningful interaction in university teaching.
Effective instruction goes beyond content delivery—it involves crafting clear directions, asking purposeful questions, and providing feedback that guides learning. University students need precise instructions to engage with complex tasks while maintaining opportunities for critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
This unit focuses on the interactive elements of teaching: giving instructions that students can follow, checking understanding through strategic questioning, eliciting prior knowledge, facilitating meaningful discussions, and providing feedback that promotes learning rather than just evaluation.
Instructions should employ concise, unambiguous language and be delivered in structured steps. After explaining a task, use Instruction-Checking Questions (ICQs) to confirm comprehension (“How many examples will you write?”). This practice minimizes confusion, allowing learners to proceed confidently and independently.
Build clear, step-by-step instructions for a group discussion activity:
You've just given instructions for a group presentation. Which ICQ best checks understanding?
Before practice activities, use CCQs to verify that learners grasp essential concepts. Well-crafted CCQs target meaning rather than form (e.g., “If I say: ‘The algorithm will run faster,’ does this mean it’s already finished?”). Effective CCQs prevent misconceptions from persisting into practice stages.
Create effective concept-checking questions for key concepts:
Select a concept to see CCQ examples for rating.
You're teaching about correlation vs. causation. Which CCQ best checks conceptual understanding?
Elicitation invites learners to contribute prior knowledge, enhancing engagement and ownership. Techniques include drawing concept maps on the board, posing prompts that require paraphrase, or using guiding questions to reveal definitions. This learner-centered approach fosters deeper processing of new material.
Practice different techniques for drawing out student knowledge and engagement:
Select techniques to generate your elicitation strategy.
You're starting a lesson on renewable energy. How do you best elicit student knowledge?
Balancing open and closed questions promotes both breadth and depth of discussion. Closed questions (“Is the function termination guaranteed?”) check factual knowledge, while open questions (“How might this algorithm fail?”) stimulate critical thinking. Socratic questioning—systematically probing assumptions—guides learners toward independent insight.
Practice categorizing and sequencing different types of questions:
A student says "Democracy is always the best form of government." What's your best Socratic follow-up?
Effective feedback combines positive reinforcement with focused correction. Begin with specific praise (“Your explanation of recursion was clear”), followed by corrective comments (“Next time, define your terms before examples”). Minimalist prompting—such as “What happens if x = 0?”—encourages self-correction and deeper reflection.
Build effective feedback by combining praise, correction, and prompting:
Student Response: "Global warming is bad because it makes the weather hot and polar bears can't live anywhere."
Select praise, correction, and prompting elements to generate balanced feedback.
A student's code works but is inefficient and poorly commented. What's your feedback priority?
Test your understanding of instructional communication:
1. What makes an Instruction-Checking Question (ICQ) effective?
2. Concept-Checking Questions (CCQs) should focus on:
3. The main purpose of elicitation techniques is to:
4. Socratic questioning is most effective for:
5. Effective feedback should begin with: