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STEVEN HALL: So there
are a couple challenges

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that you need to
think about when

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you're using this approach.

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One is it's important to
explain to the students what's

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going on.

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If you just start
doing this and say,

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this is what we're
going to do, and don't

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tell the students why
you're going to do it,

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that's problematic.

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I think it's important to think
of the students as partners.

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Explain what's going on, they're
much more likely to buy into it

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and maybe get used
to the new approach.

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One of the things I do
is I present some data,

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because it's MIT and students
are persuaded by data.

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And what the data says is
that generally the more active

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a learning exercise, the
more that students learn.

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And there's some
really good data

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in the literature
that shows that,

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so I explain to students that
the reason I'm doing this

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is to increase their
level of understanding,

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especially at the
conceptual level as opposed

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to the analytic level of
just doing a problem using,

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the equations.

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STUDENT: I've never had a
recitation like this before.

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Actually working on
problems with everybody else

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and kind of going through
and struggling through it,

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but eventually
understanding a lot better

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what was done in lecture
through, I guess, a more hands

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on approach.

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STEVEN HALL: Do the
students like this?

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Well, I have a little
bit of feedback.

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I do think that, initially,
they're apprehensive.

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They're not used to being
so exposed in the classroom.

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They can hide, usually.

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If they don't want
to answer a question,

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they don't raise their hand.

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But in a situation like this,
everyone's answer is visible.

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So initially, I do think they
are a little bit uncomfortable.

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I think they get
comfortable very quickly

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and get used to it.

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At the end of the day, at
the end of the class when

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they evaluate it, I've
found that students really

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like this approach, that they
like this sort of recitation

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much more than
conventional recitations,

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and often comment about that
in the course evaluation.

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So even though there
might be a little bit

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of initial reluctance, I think
most students would really

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like this approach.