Use this teaching activity when you want to know which lecture content has not yet been well-understood by the students. This gives you an impression of the predominant uncertainties and misconceptions and enables you to adapt your lecture content.
- Activity goal
- Recap / Summarize
- When
- In class
- Where
- Offline | Online
- Duration
- < 10 minutes| < 30 minutes
- Group size
- Small | Medium | Large
- Materials
Canvas, Padlet, Teams
Step-by-step
Step 1
In your teaching meeting, identify the best time to introduce ‘The Muddiest Point’ activity. For instance, this can be after a 15-minute presentation, before the break, or at the end of the lecture.
Step 2
Ask the students to formulate a brief answer to the question “What do you still find really unclear?”
Step 3
Have students note down their answers on paper or in an online tool.
Step 4
Scan the students’ answers (when the students are busy with another assignment, during the break or after the lecture).
Step 5
Identify ‘The Muddiest Points’ and explain these after the break, at the start of the next lecture or in the online environment.
Tips
- It is easy to collect ‘Muddiest Points’ offline using pieces of paper. Online tools also offer you the opportunity to save the ‘Muddiest Points’ in a structured way for a longer period.
- An ideal moment to collect ‘The Muddiest Points’ is just before a break. You can then use the break to go through the notes and use the start of the next teaching block to clarify several of the ‘Muddiest Points’.
- This activity is also extremely suitable for giving students insight into their own learning process.
- Check the manual to set up an Online Discussion Forum on Canvas at Advice for Online Education.
- Watch the video for creating a "wall" on Padlet.
- You can also work with a shared document in MS Teams.
Consider the tools and materials mentioned here as suggestions. In many cases it’s possible to use alternative tools. Please turn to the Learning & Innovation team of your faculty first to see which online and offline tools are available and how to apply them.
