Compass Points

Pass out the Compass Points handout and let students respond to the questions. Students can share their ideas in small groups or in a class discussion. Focus first on what Excites them and their Suggestions for improvements in the class. If you have established a strong classroom community, students might also feel comfortable enough to share Needs and Worries, but it shouldn’t be required. Collect the handouts and look for patterns in students’ feedback. In the next class, strategize about solutions with your students (without mentioning names). Follow up with individual students as needed.

Project the Compass Points handout or have students access it from their devices. Have them respond to the questions on the handout. Then project a Google Doc version of the Compass Points handout and have students add ideas to two compass points of their choosing. Debrief by talking about one compass point at a time. Focus first on what Excites them and their Suggestions for improvements in the class. If you have established a strong classroom community, students might also feel comfortable enough to discuss Needs and Worries, but it shouldn’t be required. 

You can read the suggestions out loud and have students write ideas in the chat for how to implement them. Or you might notice a pattern of feedback that you want to address in the moment. Have students submit their individual copies of the handout so you can look for patterns to address with the class or one-on-one.