Increase Classroom Interaction With Student Response Systems
The fact that student response systems have been welcomed into the classroom by teachers
and pupils so readily means that they must be doing something right. After all, pupils are not usually slow to complain or moan about things that they dislike in school so if there is a positive reaction to student response systems, there should be something of benefit to them. Of course, if the response was 100% positive from pupils but wholly unfavourable from teachers there would be a lot to worry about but it seems that teachers are also in favour of these systems which means the overriding question has to be, what is so good about these systems that makes them liked by everyone in the educational process?
One of the best things that pupils like in the classroom is interacting. It is the biggest part of fun in the playground so it stands to reason that it will also be of benefit in the classroom but it is important to ensure that interaction is channelled in the right way. Using student response systems with interactive whiteboards is a tremendous way of creating a real-time learning process that shows children how their input can shape the classroom.
A great example of this would come from a teacher asking each pupils opinion on a certain topic. With pupils pushing the relevant button on their student response systems, the screen can come to life showing a graphical representation of the classs answers. In some ways, this will make the learning process more akin to TV game shows or panel shows that the pupils watch at home, which means that there can be a lot of enjoyment from using these systems. Having the answers and opinions flash up on the screen in real time can create a lot of debate and discussion in the classroom. Some pupils will not want to voice their opinion until the know what their peers think so having the general consensus flashed up on a screen in front of them can allow them to have confidence or belief in their own answers before they are asked to talk or share their opinion.
Anything which encourages pupils to give their answer freely but can then allow them to expand on their opinions is something of great interest to a teacher and should make for a much more enjoyable classroom environment. Student response systems are a great example of how classroom technology can be utilised to inspire children to do more.