Each group worked at a different pace, and we always had to decide how long to allow before bringing the group back together to discuss the problem. We tried to give the students ample time to work through each problem, but at the same time, we also wanted to get through a certain amount of material in each class and to be considerate of groups who finished quickly. Time management in a course taught in this fashion is important and challenging, and it’s still a work in progress for us.

Once students had made sufficient progress, we reconvened to discuss the solution. Because we worked closely with the students and monitored their progress, we had a good sense of what aspects of the problem were particularly challenging for them and focused the discussion on those points. Then, we introduced the next topic and started the students on another problem. This cycle continued for the duration of the class.

Full solutions for the board problems were added to the slides and posted after class.