Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/81027
FEATURE CLASSROOM TOOL 'CLICKS' WITH STUDENTS OR IS IT THE ULTIMATE IN INSTANT GRATIFICATION? By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin Photos by Scott Buschman CAR NUMBER 38, otherwise known as high school student David Kim, leaves his classmates in the dust, and he basks in a moment of glory before the bell rings with a victory salute. He and his classmates have just been given a quiz using "click- ers." Students answer multiple-choice questions by holding up remotes and clicking at the large screen at the front of the class- room. Each student is represented on the screen by a racecar, and the car with the fastest correct answers wins. The screen shows the percentage of students who got the answers right, as well as those who answered correctly the fastest, even by a hundredth of a second. While Kim has chosen to reveal his identity, other students are happy to remain an anonymous number on the screen. Math teacher Sierra Vasquez can see their names on her laptop, pinpoint those who are struggling, and provide them with help at a later time. "Clickers bring a sense of excitement to the lesson, especially with competi- tion," Kim says. Clickers — a "student response sys- Sierra Vasquez percent of the class understands the lesson, and students know immediately where they need to improve. More publishers are gearing textbooks to provide tests for classes with clickers, because they are so popular with the MTV generation, reports The Associ- ated Press. "Clickers really engage students," says Vasquez, Glendale tem" — are increasingly popular with teachers looking to promote active learn- ing. Teachers can post a true-false or multiple-choice quiz and within seconds, students' responses are logged, their scores tabulated and grades assigned on a screen. Teachers see immediately what Students use "clickers" to respond to questions. Teachers Association. "Students think they are having so much fun playing a game when really they are learning. It's much better than September 2012 www.cta.org 13