Lesson Wrapper / Exam Wrapper

Lesson Wrappers, or lecture wrappers, are a method to prepare for learning or to draw students’ attention to what was to be learned from an instructional activity. They can take the form of a brief post-reflection that “wraps around” a lecture, an evaluation (test) or homework assignment. They encourage students to reflect on the learning experience, either before or after a lesson. This type of reasoning is considered “metacognitive thinking” and typically associated with “self-regulation”, which is the process of monitoring and being aware of one’s learning.

When using lesson wrappers, students may summarize a lecture by identifying its main points, and then comparing their conclusions to the instructor’s list of the most crucial points. Students evaluate their own listening skills, their capacity to recognize important information, and their comprehension of the lecture material through this method.

Exam wrappers are activities that “wrap around” exams, meaning they can occur before, after, or both. This strategy can help students assess their level of exam readiness, pinpoint particular skills to raise their level of readiness, and assess the efficacy of those skills so that adjustments can be made for subsequent tests. With this strategy, students are asked questions about their preparation, study objectives, and study methods. This can be followed by having students explain (or reflect) how their study techniques were effective once they receive their tests or exams back. Exam wrappers can assist students in organizing their study for exams, by reflecting on their performance following exams, and formulating plans for how to perform better on exams in the future.

Purpose: Both lesson wrappers and exam wrappers can aid students in recognizing areas where they lack understanding. Using a lecture wrapper helps students learn self-monitoring behaviour by having them highlight important ideas from a lecture and then comparing their answers to the instructor’s list of points. With exam wrappers, an instructor, by providing thought-provoking questions, can help students analyze past exam performance in order to better prepare for future ones. Both are effective metacognition tools because they encourage students to be aware of their own thinking and learning processes.

Tips

• Establish expectations: Clearly state the objectives for using Lecture wrapper. Make sure your students understand the goal of reflection time and what you as the instructor want it to accomplish.
• Give students direction: Tell them what to think about as they reflect, including what they learned, how they learned it, and what they could have done differently. This can assist students in narrowing their reflections and increasing their productivity.
• Provide students with feedback: Assist students in developing their metacognitive skills by providing feedback on their reflections. You’ll also be able to adjust your instruction based on your increased understanding of how your students learn.
• Allow reflection (or discussion) time: Regularly include reflection time in your classes to help students get used to applying Lecture wrapper and boost their participation rates.

Websites

Lecture Guides and Wrappers, Center for Excellence in teaching and learning, Virginia Tech.

Help Students Learn to Take Exams with Exam Wrappers, Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning, Indiana University Bloomington.

Teaching Technique 20: Lecture Wrapper The K. Patricia Cross Academy

Adapting Lecture Wrapper for Online Teaching, The K. Patricia Cross Academy

To learn more

For more resources to Articles and Books