Response Cards – An Active Learning Strategy



Response CardsHow to Use HYPERLINK "" . CreateCreate a set of student response cards for each student. Cards can be created with index cards or different colored pieces of paper or cardstock. They can be labeled with answer choices, such as A, B, C, D, or color-coded, such as green for yes and red for no. Put sets of cards in an envelope or punch a hole in the top left corner of each card and attach cards with a ring. See template below for another option to creating cards.2. AskPose a question to the class regarding information just covered in your lesson. Have students hold up their card with the corresponding answer to your question.3. AssessPerform a quick scan across the classroom to see each student’s answer. This gives you an idea of who has a grasp on the information presented and who does not.When to UseUse Student Response Cards at any time during a lesson to check for understanding:Periodically throughout the input section of the lesson to keep students engagedDuring Independent Practice to gauge understandingWhen playing a review game where students answer questionsVariationsPaper Point-OutAs an alternative to cards, you can use a piece of paper with answer choices. With this template, students simply hold their paper in front of them with their finger on their answer choice. Students can color the squares for color-coded responses or even cut out the quares to make their own cards.Popsicle SticksInstead of cards or pieces of paper, have students use and hold up colored popsicle sticks to represent their answer to the posed question.Response Cards – An Active Learning?Strategy February 26, 2010Filed under:?Strategies?| Tags:?active learning,?social studies,?social studies teaching strategy?|A teacher asks a question, calls on a student, and gets an answer. Students who aren’t called on are disappointed, and students who didn’t raise their hands are relieved.Response cards are an easy, inexpensive way for all students to answer every question in a low-risk way! Response cards are a piece of paper, or index card with responses written on it. Students hold them in front of them with their fingers on the answer. You can quickly scan the class to check their understanding.They can be student or teacher made, the one criteria is that answers must be written on the front and back of the card. That way the student is looking at the answer they are showing you.Types of Response CardsMultiple-Choice Response Cards – A B C D – I use these with Brainpop quizes and as test review. I made them using wordart and laminated them as I use these fairly frequently)This or That cards – good for comparisons – I’ll use these for groups of people or names (Axis Powers/Allies, Patricians/Plebeians, names) these are usually lesson specific and I’ll have the children make them.:)?:|?:(? – Happy face – Neutral Face – Sad Face – Good for inferencing/mood in fiction.Yes/No or True/False cardsResponse cards are only limited by your imagination. Individual whiteboards also make great response systems without the limitations of “set” answers. A high tech version of response cards are student response systems that connect to an interactive whiteboard. The important thing is to get as many students involved as much of the time as possible!Academic Interventions and Strategies Series: Response Cards to use: Response Cards are used to improve accuracy of student responses, encourage active participation in class, increase the number of opportunities a student has to respond, and provide immediate corrective feedback to students.Why use: Response cards are used to check student knowledge and understanding of specific content and provide immediate corrective feedback. Typical instruction often involves questions from the teacher to be answered by students; however, it is most often the case that only a few students are given the opportunity to respond and receive feedback. With the traditional question-response format, students who are underperforming or who lack motivation or confidence in their academic skills rarely volunteer to answer questions. With Response Cards, all students hold up cards indicating their response at once. This not only allows all students the opportunity to respond and receive feedback it also provides ongoing assessments of student understanding to the teacher and informs instructional modifications. Research has shown the use of Response Cards to improve participation rates, on-task behavior, and test and quiz scores across grade levels, settings, and student populations.Materials: Write-on or preprinted Response Cards; dry erase markers, felt squares or tissue for erasing (if using write-on response cards)Procedure Introduction & Training Explain to students that they will be learning a new way to participate in class Distribute Response Cards and other materials (markers, etc.) Explain to students that they will all be answering questions by writing their answers on Response Cards or choosing from preprinted cards. Remind students to write clearly and use large print so that you can see their answers. Prompt them to write short responses (1-2 words, if possible). Ask the students a question and tell them to quietly write their answers on their cards and keep their answers hidden until they are told to show their answers. Allow approximately 5-10 seconds for students to write or choose their answers and then say, “Cards up.” Remind students to hold their cards above their heads where they can be seen. Scan responses and provide corrective feedback. Direct students to put their cards down, erase their response, and get ready for the next question. Implementation During a lesson, present information for the first 15-20 minutes. When you introduce a new concept or fact, ask the students a question and have them respond using the Response Card procedures above. Scan responses and provide praise for correct answers and corrective feedback for incorrect answers. Corrective feedback should include information describing why a particular answer is incorrect. Praise students for using Response Cards appropriately. Use Response Cards during lessons and at the end of lessons to assess student understanding of the content presented. Response Cards can also be used for quizzes at the end of a unit to check for understanding or can be used as a novel way for the whole class to review for a test. References: Christie, C. A., & Schuster, J. W. (2003). The effects of using response cards on student participation, academic achievement, and on-task behavior during whole-class, math instruction. Journal of Behavioral Education, 12, 147-165. / Gardner, R., Heward, W., & Grosi, T. (1994). Effects of response cards on student participation and academic achievement: A systematic replication with inner-city students during whole-class science instruction. Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, 27, 63-71. / Rathvon, N. (2008). Effective school interventions, Second Edition: Evidence-based strategies for improving student outcomes (pp. 83-84). New York: The Guilford Press. ................
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