Muddiest Point or Crystal Clear

Muddiest Point or Crystal Clear

The aim is to illustrate the importance of reflection and reinforcement in learning.

1. The teacher gives the students a sheet of paper headed with two columns - ‘Muddiest Points’ and ‘Crystal Clear’ near the end of the lesson.
2. The teacher asks the students to reflect on what they have learned from lesson.
3. Students write down some comments/questions on the sheets – ‘Muddiest Point’ and ‘Crystal Clear’ - about their understanding of the lesson.
4. The teacher collects the student responses at the end of the lesson.
5. The teacher can then feedback to the students in the next lesson and inform them of how their feedback will be incorporated into future lessons.

This mega cognitive activity enables students to review and evaluate their progress in preparation for advancing on to ‘deep’ learning activities. In this way, it creates reinforcement, encouragement and confidence in their learning. It offers the opportunity for help in areas that students are struggling with thus removing any unnecessary anxiety in the students.
The activity could be done using online tools such as Trello, virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms in Teams/Zoom.

Inspired by: Professor Mosteller (1989) Centre for Teaching and Learning https://teaching.uwo.ca/teaching/learning/active-learning.html