by Kathy Statos

Over the years, I have looked for ways to revamp my preparation for the new semester, and gratefully this year, I was able to attend the Lilly Conference. To be completely honest, there is far too much information to share about this conference that can be placed into one blog post, so I would like to share with you one creative idea that has been beneficial, red light/green light.

This easy, creative idea is a great tool to use in discussion classes. First, you will need to make red, yellow, and green cards. This will take some advanced preparation however; it can be very easily prepared at HBC. You will need to request to have the three different colored papers (red, yellow, green) cut into four pieces, and then laminated for a complete classroom set. This ensures the cards will be large enough to be seen and will last year after year. The first use of the cards is during the class lecture. Each student will receive one set of each of the three colors at the beginning of class. These cards are placed in the student workspace on the desk, so that while the lecture is underway the student can change the color if there is a challenge with comprehension.

For example, if a student did not hear something or he/she does not understand then he/she would change their card from green to yellow or even to red. Yellow indicates caution which lets you know the student is not quite understanding and to slow down and restate the information. Red indicates the information is totally confusing and it is necessary to stop, repeat, and check for understanding. Because the cards are about 5X7 in size, this color change is very evident to you, the professor, when looking out into the audience and it gives you the opportunity to address questions as needed. It is also a reticent way for a shy student to subtly ask a question without having to raise his/her hand. The cards indicate if the student is on target and understanding the lecture. Another way to use these cards is voting or polling questions during class. When discussion questions arise, using these cards are a quick way to survey the class and share their opinions quickly with their peers. With a simple poll, green indicates yes, red for no, and yellow to abstain.

Finally, another beautiful part to mention of the Lilly is the ability to meet new people, discuss what constitutes good teaching, collaborate and learn new ideas, identify how each of us can improve our craft, and also the opportunity to add more tools like red light/green light to our teaching tool kit. It is through sharing, discussing, critiquing and reflecting that we can continually develop our teaching skills. The Lilly Conference is a wonderful experience and an authentic opportunity for anyone who is looking to rekindle their love for teaching.