One Minute Papers

The Situation

You want to understand whether students find the content difficult or easy.

You want to understand whether the sequence of lessons is effective.

---

The Solution

A one minute paper is a simple strategy to wrap up student learning. Usually, it is used at the end of the lesson to capture a summary of what has been complete and where learning is going.

Students identify what they found most useful during the lesson and what they found most challenging. This is a fantastic way for you as the teacher to gauge whether whether you are pitching the content at the right level. You may also choose to quantify student responses – confidentially, of course- and discuss the results as a class. Furthermore, it helps to identify misconceptions with learning.

Here is how to complete a one minute paper:

1. Inform students that they will complete task after learning, or when you feel is most appropriate.
2. Stop the lesson and ask students to complete the following answers on a lined piece of paper:
   1. What are the most important/significant/meaningful/surprising things you have learned during the session?
   2. What questions remain in your mind about the concept/topic?
3. Students submit their answers to you.

Remember to do something with the information. Perhaps, you keep responses to yourself but allow their opinions to guide the way you organise future learning.