The University of Massachusetts Amherst

2.4 Subsequent Days of Unit

After the RAT day, typical course days of a given unit are used for deepening understanding through:

  • Solving multiple-choice conceptual questions using think-pair-share
  • Solving complex problems such as would be found in a typical end-of-chapter homework set
  • Writing definitions of terms
  • Building concept maps to consciously think about the connections between concepts
  • Laboratory type activities such as this lab on impulse using a force plate

Of these activities, only laboratory activities are turned in for a grade; everything else is purely formative practice. These are the days where the TBL room really shines. Students work in teams on the whiteboards in the room with immediate feedback from graduate TAs and undergraduate physics majors in the PHYS 390T program. The number of assistants results in a student:faculty ratio of about 20:1, so students get very immediate feedback on what they are doing.