Student Response Systems

As teachers, we love organizing activities that involve all the students.  We love it when we can get them all interested in something they see as fun but we know is providing us with information and helping them learn.  One of these things we use are student response systems.

The system I use the most in class is Kahoot.  I am always able to find one on the topic I'm teaching and I use it frequently because students love it.  They are always trying to be number one.

Another system that I've used at conferences but never in my class is Plickers.  Plickers is a student response system that uses cards that have A, B, C, D on them.  The students are given a multiple choice question or true/false question and they hold up the appropriate letter.  The teacher uses their own device with the Plickers app on it to scan all the cards and record answers.  It provides a nice quick assessment and the teacher can download the cards for free and make their own or they can buy them already done.  Best of all, it's free.

Another possibility is Go Formative. This has a free version that allows teachers to create quizzes and lessons, or access pre- made ones.  If you want to make your own, you can upload a pdf, google doc or other document, add places for students to answer, edit questions, and you are set.  This program also provides immediate feedback which is important and relies on class codes to join an activity.

Another one I have used in class is Quizizz.  This is a bit different than Kahoot because once the game starts, the students are given each question individually and each person gets the questions in a different order.  At the end, they can see how they did with their final scores.  Some of my students like it but others do not.  I've used it for my Academic Decathlon students and they liked it.  They can also go back over the questions to see what the correct answer is.  I use it primarily as an in class activity but it can be assigned for homework since they can do it and the final scores are compared.

All of these student response work well in the classroom.  They provide immediate feedback to the students so they know how they did and what they need to work on.  In addition, the gamification of learning makes it more interesting for the students.  They are willing to do these activities so they are learning.

If you want more activities then you have now, check out these cites and give them a try.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day