One-Sentence Summary

Many use the lecture method to convey course materials to students because it is very efficient. However, when giving large amounts of information to students in a 50-minute, or 10-minute lecture, how much are they actually processing and retaining? The answer is, "not much," unless trained to do so.

The one-sentence summary is a good technique to help students proces information and has been shown to help students improve memory skills, listening skills, reading skills, and study skills. The technique requires students to answer the questions "Who, does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" about a given topic and then asked to synthesize that information into one long comprehensive sumary sentence.

Pretend students have just been given a lecture on the importance of handwashing during a basic lecture on foodservice sanitation and safety. Once the students are been given the information, perhaps in the form of a lecture, they then work independently to construct a sentence that answers the questions above, such as: All cooks and chefs must (who?) wash (does what?) their hands thoroughly (to what or whom?) after handling raw meat, fish, and poultry (when?) at the handwashing stations (where?) using the method demonstrated and practiced in class (how?) to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses at foodservice establishments (why?). Once trained to take information and process it in the form of a single-sentence student performance could very well improve in classroom and lab assessments so give it a try.

For more teaching tips like these consult Angelo and Cross (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers.