Student Response Systems: Thoughts and Experiences

As teachers, we want all of our students to engage in the lessons we create and the discussions we prompt.  However, there are many barriers to full class participation.  For example, some students are shy or nervous when sharing with peers.  Other students may be so forthcoming with ideas that they hardly give their peers a chance to join in.  Furthermore, restrictions on time make it difficult to let every student answer every question.

Student response systems help mitigate these difficulties.  Such systems include remotes where students can input their answers to a class question. These answers are submitted to a computer and subsequently displayed, usually in a graphic format, for the entire class to view and discuss.  This is an excellent tool for checking understanding and allows teachers to assess every student's knowledge.  If each student has to answer via a remote, there is little chance for them to skate through a lesson which confuses them simply by staying quiet.

In addition to checking understanding, I have found a number of useful ways to integrate student response systems into my lessons.  Thanks to a grant received two years ago, I have a TurningPoint Response Card system in my classroom.  One great feature of this product is that students are not limited to multiple choice questions.  They can type in numbers / letters to give more free-thinking responses when appropriate.  Additionally, the Response Card remotes are easy to use and provide students with a smiley face to let them know their answer has been received.

One of my favorite ways to use our student response system is through trivia games.  These are highly engaging and help students review content.   By evaluating responses during the game, I am provided with immediate feedback on what topics need additional coverage  before moving on to a formal assessment.  Additionally, I enjoy using the system for surveys.  They help me learn more about my students' interests at the beginning of a new course.  They can also be used to prompt discussion of current issues as students can anonymously and safely share their ideas and get a feel for their peers' opinions, which can lead us to a more open discussion. 


Over the last year, I have incorporated our student response system into all of my classes, and in each one I have seen students light up with excitement at the promise of using these new tools.  This leads me to an important question, if I were to use my TurningPoint remotes more frequently, would the excitement be the same?  In the same way my students are no longer enthralled by the use of our classroom computer, could their enthusiasm (and subsequently the effectiveness of the tool) wane?  I suppose only time will tell...