'Clickers' to answer questions becoming more popular in area classrooms

The question flashes on the screen: "What is the meaning of estimate?"

Students hunch over their "clickers" and debate the options. A. is to make a guess, B. is a number changed to the nearest 10, and C. is the amount of money given back when too much is paid.

The second-graders quietly punch in their answers, using the hand-held device to electronically record their choice.

On her screen, Blanchard Elementary teacher Becky Hicks can tell which students have not responded, and she gently reminds them to make a selection.

After the last test question, a bar graph emerges on the screen at the front of the room. Hicks can instantly tell which questions gave the students the most trouble, and she goes back for review.

"Guys, let's take a look at number 13, 'What is history?' Only half got this right. It is things that happened in your past. Remember when we practiced that word and you drew pictures of your personal history?" she says.

Clickers have become increasingly popular in classrooms, praised for increasing student motivation and engagement and their ability to give teachers immediate feedback on what is and isn't being understood.

"The more I use it, the more the kids are striving to do better because they get that immediate feedback," Hicks said.

The tool has been around, mostly on college campuses, for about a decade, according to the not-for-profit Educause Learning Initiative, which strives to advance "learning through IT innovation."

Clickers are particularly dominant in large lecture classes, where interaction and feedback have traditionally been difficult, the organization said. Students can purchase the devices at school bookstores for about $10.

But clickers are just gaining ground in Cape Girardeau; Blanchard is the first public elementary school to experiment with them. The junior high and high school foreign language departments should be receiving clickers next month.

In Jackson, clickers are used in grades eight to 12, assistant superintendent Dr. Rita Fisher said. Some professors at Southeast Missouri State University have been using them for the last few years.

Ohio State University researchers found college students who used clickers in physics classes scored 10 percent better on their final than those who did not, the online magazine ScienceDaily reported in July.

Dr. Barbara Kohlfeld, principal of Blanchard, said she didn't jump on the bandwagon until she saw research showing the tool's effectiveness. Technology is no replacement for quality teaching, she said.

"It's just another tool for the toolbox," she said.

Sometimes Hicks uses the clickers for simple checks of understanding, saying the anonymity and inclusiveness of the devices allow shy students to participate. Other times she'll use the devices to take a formal grade. Importing or designing a test or quiz takes about 15 minutes, she said.

Overall, she was pleased the class' performance on the vocabulary test Tuesday. While they missed words like history, 85 percent knew the definition of paleontologist, and 100 percent selected the right response to the meaning of dreadful.

"The kids just love it. Their little eyes just light up when they see they get to use the clickers," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

388-3627

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