Using SMART Response to Engage Students Rene Ribant-Amthor March 09,

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 lecture 3.Do a calculation or choose next step 4.Survey 5.Elicit/reveal pre-existing thinking 6.Test conceptual understanding 7.Apply ideas in new context/explore 8.Predict results 9.Draw on knowledge from everyday life 10. 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