Using SMART Response System in Elementary Common Core Mathematics Classroom Dr. James Oigara Canisius College, Buffalo, NY

2 Goals for this Presentation  Why use clickers?  What teachers need to know about using clickers  Impact of clickers on student performance  Implications/conclusion/recommendations

3 Research Question 1) Does the use of clickers improve students’ participation and comprehension level? 1) How do elementary students perceive the use of clickers in the classroom?

What are ‘Clickers’?  Clickers allow instructors to engage students in active learning  Instant feedback on student comprehension  Interactive lecture environment  Encourage discussions (anonymous responses)  Classroom Response Systems  Student Response Systems  Interactive Response Systems  Audience Response Systems  Personal Response Systems  Student Polling Systems AKA

5 Clickers Overview  Handheld devices look similar to a TV remote control  Answers are collected by a radio frequency receiver.  A computer logs the answers.  The instructor can review answers instantly with the class, or later in private.  Results can be displayed as a pie chart or as a bar graph.  Quizzes or practice Qs are created using the SMART Notebook software.  Types of questions: T/F, numerical, multiple choice or multiple answer questions, short text answer, or yes or no questions.

Teacher showed questions on the screen during lecture. Students answered using their clicker remotes. Class results tallied after each question. Display of a pie graph with the class results was shown on the screen. Discussion on the question and answers. The data is stored on the computer. How Clickers were Used?

7 Cost of Clickers Clicker Systems in the United States  The cost per device ranges between $20-60  Some models students need to pay an activation fee ($15-30).  The institution buy software from a distributing company. SMART Response PE model  Classroom packages range between $1,000 for a set of 12 to $3,500 for a set of 48 clickers.  This is a one-time cost of clickers, receiver, and the software.  Students do not have to pay an activation fee.

8 Demonstration

9 Literature Review Research regarding students’ perceptions about clickers  Students enjoy using clickers - they make the lecture fun (Conoley et al., 2006; Duncan, 2006; Stuart et al., 2004; MacGeorge et al., 2008).  Students improve their understanding of course content and the instructor’s course expectations (Duncan, 2006, Majerich et al (2011).  Students are more likely to respond to questions and participate in classroom discussion (Greer and Heaney, 2004; Hoffman and Goodwin, 2006).  Clickers are especially effective with shy students (Banks, 2006).  Clickers helped students achieve a higher level of learning and course satisfaction (Taneja, 2009).  Clickers enhance active learning (Hinde and Hunt, 2006; Reay et al, 2005; McCabe, 2006)

10 Methodology 1. Survey 2. Students’ test grades

Student Survey Results  Students were satisfied with the use of clickers.  Students clearly enjoyed using clickers.  Students were more engaged when clickers were used.  Class participation was increased due to anonymity of clickers.  Clickers enhanced student learning by providing immediate feedback from the teacher.  Students thought clickers to be fun to use and interactive.

12 Survey Results 2%

13 Some Interview Comments  “I liked that it gives opportunity to all students to answer the question. … by the end of the class, everyone had pretty much understood the concepts.”  “ It helped me pay more attention in class.” …everyone wanted to get the question right so they put extra effort.  “Clicker questions made class more fun and interactive. …it helped me to learn in a different way.”  “It was anonymous, it encouraged me to participate… so you didn’t feel bad if you got the question wrong.”  “When it was used everyone enjoyed class…it just made class cool and interesting like a friendly learning competition.”  “I liked the immediate feedback (in pie chart) after answering the question as it showed what my classmates knew…it made me confident and encouraged me to work hard on complex concepts.”  “We worked together as a whole class to figure out the answer.”

14 Discussion and Conclusion  The findings of our study revealed that the use of clickers had a positive impact on student learning.  Clickers enhanced student-student and student- instructor interaction during class.  The survey data indicated that clickers increased students’ interest, class participation, learning, and motivation.

Recommendations  Clickers require time and dedication for effective use in the classroom.  Plan to use them well in advance of the semester.  Prepare your clicker questions early to incorporate in lecture.  Follow a consistent process when using clicker slides.  Inform students that clickers will be part of your course

16 Questions/Comments/Suggestions? Thank you