I almost always make sure to check in near the end of class to see what’s still confusing, what they’ve learned, and what questions they still have. For me that’s useful both as a wrap-up but also as the beginning of the next phase of instruction: the post-classroom-phase of reference desk interactions and appointments in my office. I also think that students might know what they don’t know by the end of the session more clearly than they know that at the beginning, or the shy ones might be less shy.

I think my new goal will be discussion at the beginning *and* the end.