I started using Socrative.com real-time student response visualizer tool in my international Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science classes for two important reasons: 1) to ensure all kids got a voice and 2) to measure understanding beyond a workable piece of code.
The results were astonishing. Students not only looked forward to participating in the 15-minute activity every class but retained knowledge from those sessions longer. Since the IB requires apt use of action verbs and terminologies the short activity did wonders to help students sharpen their word usage. Now students were not only spending more time getting a better understanding of the keywords but also seeing their peers contribute. This was an immense morale booster even for the shy kids who did not speak up much. Also, the stronger kids got a chance to lead the way in terms of answer structure. Everyone would then vote and the best answers were compared with the marking scheme. I found this strategy of review and feedback an excellent way to prepare them for the final examinations and to arm them with the right writing skills priceless. I would totally recommend other teachers to use it.
The results were astonishing. Students not only looked forward to participating in the 15-minute activity every class but retained knowledge from those sessions longer. Since the IB requires apt use of action verbs and terminologies the short activity did wonders to help students sharpen their word usage. Now students were not only spending more time getting a better understanding of the keywords but also seeing their peers contribute. This was an immense morale booster even for the shy kids who did not speak up much. Also, the stronger kids got a chance to lead the way in terms of answer structure. Everyone would then vote and the best answers were compared with the marking scheme. I found this strategy of review and feedback an excellent way to prepare them for the final examinations and to arm them with the right writing skills priceless. I would totally recommend other teachers to use it.
@icoder1978 IB Computer Science/Tech admin – Doha
This article originally appeared in the January 2017 Edition of UKEdMagazine
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