Using SMART Response to Engage Students

Rene Ribant-AmthorMarch 09, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxPVyieptwA

SMART Response PE Interactive Response System

• Ideal for most k-12 classrooms, SMART Response PE includes wireless remotes (or clickers) and assessment software that can deliver formative and summative assessments using a variety of question types.

Clickers are useful when

• You have a clear idea as to what you want to achieve with them

• The questions are designed to improve student engagement

• Objective includes student-student interaction and/or instructor-student interaction

Types of Clicker Questions

1. Quiz on assigned reading 2. Test recall of lecture3. Do a calculation or choose next step4. Survey5. Elicit/reveal pre-existing thinking6. Test conceptual understanding7. Apply ideas in new context/explore8. Predict results9. Draw on knowledge from everyday life10. Relate different representations

(graphical, mathematical,…)

Three Stages of Clicker Questions

• Stage 1: Asking simple, primarily factual, questions as a starting point.

• Stage 2: Asking more challenging conceptual questions, or questions where the answer is not obvious and critical points could be argued.

• Stage 3: Lecture is structured around a set of challenging clicker questions that largely embody the material students are to learn.

Stage 1: Simple/Factual Questions

• Simple quizzes• Material just covered in lecture• Questions derived from textbook• Little discussion (if any) amongst

students• The majority of students (>80%) get the

question/s correct• Little (if any) follow-up discussion by

teacher• SMARTVocab.notebook

Stage 2: Challenging/Answer is Not Obvious• Spread in student responses• Significant student-student

discussion• Follow up discussion by instructor• Lectures may need to be altered to

accommodate student difficulties• SMARTANTIC.notebook

Stage 3: Lecture/Material Structured Around Clickers• Students are required to prepare for class by

reading ahead of time• Little class time is spent on providing

information• Students are organized into groups of 3-4

person discussion groups• A significant portion of class time is devoted

to discussion of students’ thinking and questions)

• SMARTReading.notebook

• Step A: Question– Focuses attention, students apply ideas, build

connections, analyze, prepares them to learn

• Step B: Peer Discussion– Actively engages students, improves

understanding, explain/defend, teacher has chance to hear student thoughts

• Step C: Vote– Students commit to answer, feedback to teacher,

feedback to students

• Step D: Whole-class Discussion – Allows teacher and students to hear reasoning,

gives teacher opportunity to emphasize support, teacher gives feedback, promotes understanding WHY an answer choice is correct, can generate additional questions

Stage 3: Lecture/Material Structured Around Clickers

• SMARTReading.notebook

Stage 3: Lecture/Material Structured Around Clickers

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much time should I give students to answer a clicker question?

2. How should clicker questions be graded?3. How many clicker questions should I give in a

lecture?4. Don’t “strong” students just give “weak”

students the answer if there is discussion?5. Are clickers any better than simpler

technologies?6. Should I post answers to clicker questions?

• Information for this presentation was adapted from Clicker Resource Guide prepared by staff & associates of the Carl Wieman Acience Education Initiative and The Science Education Initiative at the University of Colorado. The complete guide can be electronically accessed at www.colorado.edu/sei/