Physics Commons^™

An Experiential Report On The Thayer Method Of Teaching Across College-Level Chemistry, Biology, Math, And Physics Courses, Kevin P. O'Halloran, Sairam Tangirala, Fengjie Sun, Leonard E. Anagho, Gerald Agbegha, Clay Runck, David Roth, Amy H. Erickson

Georgia Journal of Science

The Thayer method of instruction is a little-known active learning technique that dates back to 1817 at the U.S. Military Academy. This study describes the implementation and statistical evaluation of an adaptation of the Thayer method in a variety of college science and math courses. All courses had five characteristics in common: (i) students were given a daily reading schedule and instructed to prepare before class, (ii) each class started with a question and answer session, (iii) class time minimized the use of lecture, (iv) class time maximized the use of active learning, and (v) students were frequently quizzed. A …