Earlier, we saw how Victorian slates were used as whole
class feedback devices, when students were asked to complete a writing task and
hold the slates up in the air for perusal by the teacher. Clickers perform the
same function electronically. It is a profoundly learner-centric piece of
technology, which also happens to be an effective device for shaping teaching.
They can be used for polling, whole class assessment, individual assessment, answering
multiple choice questions, short answers, peer assessment even mood
measurement.
Teacher feedback
Schools suffer from one major drawback, class size. Teaching
is largely a one-to-many activity and it is difficult for even experienced
teachers to know what is going on in the minds of so many students. Black & William claims that this feedback failure is a major problem in poor teaching.
He recommends ‘hinge’ questions that allow teachers to assess whether what
they’ve taught has hit home.
Clickers allow the teacher to poll students or ask key
questions to get anonymous or identifiable feedback. This feedback is important
as it allows the teacher to identify whether actual understanding is taking
place, before moving on. Failure can be a destructive force in learning wen
learners are exposed to embarrassment even ridicule.
Learner feedback
From the learners’ perspective, this type of interaction is
challenging and forces them; first, to raise attention; second, to reflect on
the topic; third, assess themselves; fourth, see how the class as a whole is
doing; fifth, get some help. Anonymity can be a virtue here.
Mazur – peer instruction
Eric Mazur, who teaches physics at Harvard has been using
clickers to improve his teaching for many years. Rather than deliver long
lectures, without interruption, he stops at key points and asks diagnostic
questions. These questions tend to be natural language questions that really
test the underlying principles of physics, rather than the application of formulas. If the histogram shows that many of the class have not understood the
point, he arranges them into groups so that peer-to-peer learning can take
place, asks the question again, then moves on. The data he’s gathered suggests
that this approach has led to significant increases in attainment and many
universities have since adopted this approach. Note that it is the feedback
process that is important. Mazur claims that coloured cards work just as well.
Mobile devices as clickers
Web-based response systems link teacher and students across
the web and allow them all to set questions and see the results. Several
systems now exist for using student mobile devices. These can be used to poll
or answer like other clickers but SMS messages can also be sent giving another
more detailed level of feedback. Forums can also be added that allow
peer-to-peer comments and answers to questions. With the increasing
availability of wi-fi, browser-based solutions are easy to access and use.
These systems are obviously far superior to Bluetooth, infrared or radio
frequency systems.
Twitter
A dedicated hashtag (#)allows students to answer/comment, as
people often do now in conference sessions or on courses. This can be used with
closed systems such as Yammer.
Conclusion
This simple piece of technology is one of the few
technologies that were designed to inject interactivity into the classroom, a
one-to-many teaching environment. Its usefulness, proved by the likes of Eric
Mazur, has meant further development across a range of technologies. Profoundly
learner-centric, it provides a feedback loop that allows the teacher/lecturer
to dynamically assess the effect of their teaching. Given the low cost, ease of
use and pedagogic power of this simple piece of technology, it is a wonder that
so much money has been spent on whiteboard technology, when audience response technology
is available?
1 comment:
Hi Donald- I wrote a whitepaper about just this topic a while back that may be of interest to you and your readers. Thanks!
http://karenmahon.com/2012/04/05/top-12-best-practices-for-clickers-in-the-classroom/
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