Before I dive off into the land of Multiple Response Strategies, let me tell you a little about how I came to be where I am today. I was born and raised in Texas. I married a soldier young, had a baby boy, and moved overseas, where I was a stay-at-home mommy. We had another baby boy and moved back to Texas. The following year my husband was killed in Iraq, which set off a chain of events that ultimately brought me to Colorado, where I finished my degree. I got my first teaching job, married my now-husband, and had a baby girl. This fall I will begin my 6th year of teaching second grade, which I love! Even though my life definitely took me in a direction I did not expect, I am so happy that I made the decision to move forward. I really can't imagine not being a teacher!
And speaking of being a teacher-I've had Multiple Response Strategies on my mind lately. We use these in order to get as many answers as we can as many times as we can from students. I thought it would be great to share all of my personal favorites and throw in some new ones I've recently discovered.
I made these clip cards when I was struggling with some *peeking eyes* in my class. It didn't matter how many times I told them I would be happier with an incorrect answer than a dishonest one, it still happened. This was my solution. Everyone got a card. There were 4 different colors and 4 different answer sequences. They held the card in their laps, clipped, an answer, and then revealed on my call. They loved the clipping, I loved the honest answers.
Ahhh, Plickers. My most favorite app this school year. If you haven't tried it out, you must. I made this image extra big so you could see the screenshots. Basically, it works like this: It syncs a computer and your device (I used an iPhone). You generate your own questions into a bank, which will show on your computer screen, which I then projected for kids to see. Kids have cards with varying QR-type codes. Depending on which way they hold the card, it represents a certain answer, like A, B, C, or D. (Picture on right) You then scan the room with your device, and it registers each student's card. You can actually see their names pop up on the camera screen as it registers the specific card. Students name turn green on the device and are checked off on the computer screen when their answers have been registered, and you can see a bar graph showing the class's answers as a whole. (Picture on left) You can also change screens on your device and see which answers students picked. My kids LOVED these cards. Instant data, guaranteed engagement.
I got this idea from my assistant principal. My students sat in pods of 4, so every so often I would stick a little note under 1 chair at each pod that said "HOT SEAT". After a table discussion, I would ask for my friends in the "Hot Seat". Everyone would get excited (okay, some were terrified they were in the Hot Seat!) and quickly look under their chairs. (And yes, the first time we did it was CRAZY and CHAOTIC, but they got better.) Whoever was in the Hot Seat had to report out for their group. Pretty simple.
I had a large A, B, C, and D posted in different spots in the room. Usually after writing answers on their whiteboards, students would then have to move to the corner that showed their answer. The whiteboard piece kept them accountable for *their* answer, so there was no switching corners just because more people were at another. It was great for a quick reteaching or correcting a miscommunication.
Pretty self-explanatory. Each student at the table had a push light. They had to explain how they knew their push light was the correct answer or why it was not the correct answer. Then, they would push the light if they thought they were correct. Sometimes 2 lights were pushed and more in-depth discussion occurred, which was awesome!
Of course the list could go on and on, but these are some of my old and new favorites! In fact, I want to share with you the updated clip cards I made for this year. Click on the picture below to download the template for free! Simply print on colored card stock, laminate for stability, grab some clothespins, and you're set!
Have a great week!
These are great ideas!
ReplyDeleteAshley