When watching a movie, you might use the first few minutes to decide whether you will like it or not. This same phenomenon also happens in the classroom: the initial moments often set the tone for the entire session. Many educators discuss using the first day of class to set the tone for learning and engagement in the class. I have come to understand that, as educators, we can also use these first 10 minutes of every class period to set the tone for the day. I recently heard a colleague call this strategy classroom recall and clarify (CRC) (credit to Bhavani Balasubramanian of the New Jersey Institute of Technology). CRC can improve student engagement and learning outcomes using retrieval practice and testing in a no- or low-stakes environment. This straightforward yet effective strategy involves asking students questions based on the previous classes, allowing them to answer individually, then discussing the responses as a class.
