Learning Catalytics: Socrates Meets Facebook and High Academic Standards

Most -- if not all -- of the important skills in our lives are acquired outside the traditional classroom. Peer Instruction is a research-based pedagogy that introduces rigorous problem solving while providing teachers with invaluable real time data. The process has been shown to dramatically improve conceptual understanding and personalize instruction, even in large classes. While successfully implementing Peer Instruction doesn't require any technology, using the right technology can improve student engagement, and dramatically increase learning.

In this workshop you will learn how to use Learning Catalytics -- a web-based technology -- to empower your students to develop critical thinking skills across the curriculum. You will get hands-on experience designing effective questions -- not just multiple-choice but also open-ended questions where students produce textual, numerical, or graphical responses. You will also see how to use Learning Catalytics to manage the discussions students have during class and promote engagement and conceptual understanding. Applies across upper elementary, secondary, and higher ed and across all subjects.