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Leading
Review Sessions
Below are listed 4 different types of review sessions that vary depending
on the level of TA versus student control over the topics discussed. One
of these types may fit your personal needs, or you may need to develop
your own variation of one of the themes.
The Mini-Lecture Review Session (a.k.a. The Whirlwind Tour)
- idea: The TA gives mini-lectures about all of the topics covered
so far in the course.
- pros: Students get a thorough review of all material. The TA retains
control over the review session.
- cons: There is a large amount of preparation on the part of the TA.
Students who have only a few questions may have to wait through topics
that are uninteresting to them.
The Student-Generated Review Session (a.k.a. The Big Study Group)
- idea: The TA provides topics to the students at the beginning of
the review session, the students divide up the topics to review themselves,
and then the students report to the others on the topics, with the TA
providing additional information.
- pros: Students are provided some direction toward the important topics.
Students more actively process the review information.
- cons: Students who only want the answers may be resentful. The quality
of the review session is dependent on the quality of the students' work.
The Priority-Based Review Session (a.k.a. The Democracy)
- idea: The TA solicits a large number of questions or topics from
the students who then vote on the order in which to cover the topics.
- pros: Questions shared by a large number of students get answered
first. No formal preparation on the part of the TA.
- cons: The TA needs to be very familiar with the material before-hand.
Students may not understand the material well enough to suggest topics.
The Student-Centered Review Session (a.k.a. The Answering Machine)
- idea: The TA fields questions from the students.
- pros: No formal preparation on the part of the TA. The students get
their personal questions answered.
- cons: The TA needs to be very familiar with the material before-hand.
Students may have to listen to trivial and uninteresting question from
other students.
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