Wicked Problem Project

Do clickers have a place in the classroom?

Problem:

As a teacher and a trainer, I have spent a lot of time in front of groups. Over time, I have learned a variety of techniques that help me keep a groups attention. However, even when I am at my best, I always manage to lose a few students throughout the time. Sometimes it is easy to tell that everyone is not with you, but other times, it is not until weeks later through assessments that you realize nothing you did stuck. Once more, large groups can be a challenge because not all students are comfortable asking questions or joining the conversation. Even when you have students that are comfortable asking questions, it takes students time to process and create their questions. Because of this, students may not always be prepared or may not have enough time to create a a question.

Solution:

To help address this issue, I would like to use clickers to bring a new level to large group settings. I like clickers because they allow the teacher to have a grasp on teaching while allowing students a certain amount of independence. My goal would be to use clickers to do the following things:

1. Allow students wait time before answering questions. For example, have multiple check ins throughout a lesson and give students 15 - 30 seconds to answer. The time allows students to really think and reflect.

2. As mentioned above, clickers help the teacher keep track on classroom activity. Teachers are able to watch results and simultaneously address and issue. In addition, certain clicker programs allow for teachers to save results and track the students’ progress.

3. Clickers allow students to feel as though they have a say in what is happening. Once more, clickers can promote student involvement and engagement. They are able to answer questions and give feedback to the teacher without disrupting the flow of the lesson.

4. Clickers allow for teachers to check in with groups or the class without disrupting the learning flow.

If used correctly, this tool can become part of your daily routine. While not compatible with all lessons, clickers are fitting for situations that may involve more lecture than interaction because clickers bring in a level of interaction. Clickers are a great opportunity because they allow teachers to take interaction to the next level.

TPACK Framework:

Clickers are an excellent tool that can be utilized for various content. Once more, There are certainly a number of pedagogical approaches that can be utilized when applying clickers

Clickers are the technology of choice for my project. The reason I am focusing on clickers is because they allow me to reach my teaching goals. As a teacher, there are two goals I strive for; to make teaching interactive and meaningful for students. The strategies I use as a teacher are based around these two goals. I feel that using clickers will help me reach my goal. If used correctly, clickers will make lessons more interactive. Students will be able to give instant feedback to questions. Students will also feel they have a role in the lesson by giving feedback. This piece will allow for a new level of interaction. This is important to me because not all lessons are hands on. Sometimes, you have to sit at the front and talk things out. Clickers will help make those types of lessons even better. My other goal is to make learning meaningful. Clickers will help me reach this goal by giving students more time to think, process and make connections. Studies show that it takes students up to ten seconds to create the question they want to ask. With clickers, they can take that time and answer when ready. Or, suppose you let students "click in" whenever they have a question. This lets students work stress free. Clickers will enhance my teaching strategies by allowing me to reach my goals in new ways.

Too often, we try to fit the content to the technology. When we do that, we tend to lose focus of what we are really doing. For me, I am trying to make the technology fit and enhance my content. My goal is to make the content come alive and become more effective by adding in technology. I feel that this is the ultimate goal. With that being said, I do not intend to make clickers part of everything. I recognize that some lessons are best without it while some may benefit. However, I feel that clickers will be incredibly effective in large group lessons and lecture based lessons. Another way to use clickers may be as "check ins" to see how small groups are progressing. For example, I would often have groups of two or three working around the room. Students could use their clickers to let me know how much time they need without getting off task. Some content will be affected by adding in clickers. However, clickers are an easy technology to learn. Because of this, clickers should not distract from the teaching. In the event that they do, it may be necessary for the teacher to store the clickers and only pass them out at certain times. The goal is not to take away from the content, but to make the content more interactive and meaningful.

Findings:

I had the opportunity to test out my project twice. This was a great opportunity because I was able to make changes based on my first experience. My first implementation took place on February 12. I was presenting to my staff about conflict resolution. Overall, the presentation went well. I asked students to complete a short survey at the end to gather feedback. Students shared that they liked the new activity and that they liked being able to keep their "hands busy." However, there were two clear areas of improvement:

1. Have less clicker questions - student feedback shared that they, "felt like I always had to be ready. No down time.”

2. Offer a wider range of questions.

With this information, I was excited to give this one more shot. On February 19, we had another staff meeting. This time I presented on an idea called Getting Things Done(GTD). I was excited to bring clickers into this presentation because a big portion of the presentation involves students working alone. I thought this would provide me the chance to use clickers to check in with students. Through student feedback, I learned that my changes helped and were appreciated by my staff. One student said that they liked "the variety of questions." Using the clickers to check in with groups was also a great help in managing the class. For example, I would ask, "how much time do you still need." Instead of me stopping everyone, they just hit the correct time and I adjusted from there.

If I were to implement this project again, I would like to be in a K - 12 setting. Even though I was able to get great results from my staff, I know that a classroom setting would be very different. I would like to see how younger students would react to using clickers. Would they be a major distraction or, would they enhance learning? This is a question I can not answer without testing out. However, I do feel that with proper planning, clickers can be in a K-12 setting.

Check out my findings:

PART D - Findings and Implications

The focus of my wicked project was to find new ways to enhance presentations and lessons, while encouraging student engagement. I purposed that clickers were the tool that would help me accomplish this.

Implementing my project required me to think out of the box. It's been a challenge considering I am not in a traditional school setting (K-12). I am currently working outside of the classroom as an Assistant Hall Director for the Department of Residence Life at Michigan State. One of the many roles I fill as an AHD is to create staff trainings. These trainings have allowed me to implement my project. My staff trainings are very developmental and engagement is always a major focus. So, trying out clickers in this setting seemed right.

I had the opportunity to test out my project twice. This was a great opportunity because I was able to make changes based on my first experience. My first implementation took place on February 12. I was presenting to my staff about conflict resolution. Overall, the presentation went well. I asked students to complete a short survey at the end to gather feedback. Students shared that they liked the new activity and that they liked being able to keep their "hands busy." However, there were two clear areas of improvement:

1. Have less clicker questions - student feedback shared that they, "felt like I always had to be ready. No down time.”

2. Offer a wider range of questions.

With this information, I was excited to give this one more shot. On February 19, we had another staff meeting. This time I presented on an idea called Getting Things Done (GTD). I was excited to bring clickers into this presentation because a big portion of the presentation involves students working alone. I thought this would provide me the chance to use clickers to check in with students. Through student feedback, I learned that my changes helped and were appreciated by my staff. One student said that they liked "the variety of questions." Using the clickers to check in with groups was also a great help in managing the class. For example, I would ask, "how much time do you still need." Instead of me stopping everyone, they just hit the correct time and I adjusted from there.

I was very happy with the results of this project. I gained valuable feedback from my staff that allowed me to take a critical look at my project. Without their feedback, many of the changes I made would not have been possible.

Without the help of my department, I do not know what my project would have looked like. While I was able to borrow enough clickers for my staff, I know that this is unrealistic for everyone. I find myself wondering if clickers would still be effective if students had to share? In a higher education setting, most likely yes. However, I am not sure if sharing clickers would be effective in a K-12 setting. I would love to have the opportunity to try this out on a group of K-12 students to see their reactions.

If I were to implement this project again, I would like to be in a K - 12 setting. Even though I was able to get great results from my staff, I know that a classroom setting would be very different. I would like to see how younger students would react to using clickers. Would they be a major distraction or, would they enhance learning? This is a question I can not answer without testing out. However, I do feel that with proper planning, clickers can be in a K-12 setting.

What I learned from this is that clickers certainly have a role in the classroom. However, clicker implementation needs to be thought out and implemented with a goal in mind. It is not enough to simply use clickers for the fun of it; there needs to be a purpose and a goal. My goal was to increase student engagement and interaction, and my goal was met.

PART B - Application of TPACK

I have spent a lot of time making sure my wicked project will be meaningful. TPACK allows me to check my project and dig deeper.

Clickers are the technology of choice for my project. The reason I am focusing on clickers is because they allow me to reach my teaching goals. As a teacher, there are two goals I strive for; to make teaching interactive and meaningful for students. The strategies I use as a teacher are based around these two goals. I feel that using clickers will help me reach my goal. If used correctly, clickers will make lessons more interactive. Students will be able to give instant feedback to questions. Students will also feel they have a role in the lesson by giving feedback. This piece will allow for a new level of interaction. This is important to me because not all lessons are hands on. Sometimes, you have to sit at the front and talk things out. Clickers will help make those types of lessons even better. My other goal is to make learning meaningful. Clickers will help me reach this goal by giving students more time to think, process and make connections. Studies show that it takes students up to ten seconds to create the question they want to ask. With clickers, they can take that time and answer when ready. Or, suppose you let students "click in" whenever they have a question. This lets students work stress free. Clickers will enhance my teaching strategies by allowing me to reach my goals in new ways.

Too often, we try to fit the content to the technology. When we do that, we tend to lose focus of what we are really doing. For me, I am trying to make the technology fit and enhance my content. My goal is to make the content come alive and become more effective by adding in technology. I feel that this is the ultimate goal. With that being said, I do not intend to make clickers part of everything. I recognize that some lessons are best without it while some may benefit. However, I feel that clickers will be incredibly effective in large group lessons and lecture based lessons. Another way to use clickers may be as "check ins" to see how small groups are progressing. For example, I would often have groups of two or three working around the room. Students could use their clickers to let me know how much time they need without getting off task. Some content will be affected by adding in clickers. However, clickers are an easy technology to learn. Because of this, clickers should not distract from the teaching. In the event that they do, it may be necessary for the teacher to store the clickers and only pass them out at certain times. The goal is not to take away from the content, but to make the content more interactive and meaningful.

I have brainstormed what content and lessons will benefit the most from adding in clickers. As I mentioned above, connecting technology to the content needs to be done thoughtfully. So, I am putting in a lot of thought into how I present the clickers and in what areas they are used. The goal is for the clickers to enhance the content, not take away. One of the main reasons I like clickers is that they allow me to constantly check in without taking away. For example, when teaching a new topic, it can be challenge to know if everyone is understanding. You could use clickers to have "check ins." Ask students, "how do you feel about what you are learning; good, okay, ahh!" This will allow the teacher to adjust and not lose any time.

PART A - Description of Need or Opportunity

As a teacher and a trainer, I have spent a lot of time in front of groups. Over time, I have learned a variety of techniques that help me keep a groups attention. However, even when I am at my best, I always manage to lose a few students throughout the time. Sometimes it is easy to tell that everyone is not with you, but other times, it is not until weeks later through assessments that you realize nothing you did stuck. Once more, large groups can be a challenge because not all students are comfortable asking questions or joining the conversation. Even when you have students that are comfortable asking questions, it takes students time to process and create their questions. Because of this, students may not always be prepared or may not have enough time to create a a question.

To help address this issue, I would like to use clickers to bring a new level to large group settings. I like clickers because they allow the teacher to have a grasp on teaching while allowing students a certain amount of independence. My goal would be to use clickers to do the following things:

1. Allow students wait time before answering questions. For example, have multiple check ins throughout a lesson and give students 15 - 30 seconds to answer. The time allows students to really think and reflect.

2. As mentioned above, clickers help the teacher keep track on classroom activity. Teachers are able to watch results and simultaneously address and issue. In addition, certain clicker programs allow for teachers to save results and track the students’ progress.

3. Clickers allow students to feel as though they have a say in what is happening. Once more, clickers can promote student involvement and engagement. They are able to answer questions and give feedback to the teacher without disrupting the flow of the lesson.

If used correctly, this tool can become part of your daily routine. While not compatible with all lessons, clickers are fitting for situations that may involve more lecture than interaction because clickers bring in a level of interaction. Clickers are a great opportunity because they allow teachers to take interaction to the next level.

To gain insight into the world of clickers, I have visited many websites. One site, created by Vanderbilt University was a great tool. The site lays out all of the ways clickers, or CRS (classroom response systems), better our teaching. Another helpful site was, 7 Things You Should Know About Clickers. The site provided a great overview of the power of this technology. In addition to gaining insight into the use of clickers, I also researched prices and popular brands. I am still working on this as I am reaching out to schools and teachers to get their feedback.

The implementation process will be a challenge for me since I am not teaching. However, I am working with my current work department to see if I could bring in clickers for a staff training I conduct. The limitation to this is that I train a staff of 50 so 50 clickers may be hard to find. However, I am hopeful that I will be able to actually test out my ideas. I would like to bring in surveys at the end to gage student involvement and interest to help support my proposal.