… some of the links between technology and a dead classroom.
… “[C]lickers” [are] little anonymous devices that allow students to answer multiple choice questions in class without having to raise their hand and be singled out as correct or incorrect.
There are profits being made out of “classroom response systems.” With these systems of clickers, graphics and software, shy people don’t have to step out of their comfort zone…
October 26th, 2009 at 8:26AM
I think I know what you’re getting at here, but it seems to me that the use of clickers by instructors at UW-River Falls is a response to silent classrooms, not a cause. If the students aren’t saying anything in response to the usual method of posing a question and waiting for a student volunteer, isn’t it appropriate to change one’s methods in order to elicit more a response from the students?
Many instructors who use clickers do so in order to encourage class discussion, not give shy students an excuse for not speaking up for themselves. When a clicker question is posed, the instructor can actually expect every student in the room to answer the question, not just the few that are fast enough or brave enough. And the students are expected to answer the question independently, not "free-riding" on the thoughts or opinions of others. That encourages them to take a moment and put together a thought or two they can bring to the class discussion. Since more students have something to bring to that discussion, the discussion is often much richer.
Moreover, the display of results of a clicker question can encourage students to speak out. Say you ask a question about a controversial topic. When the results of this question are displayed, a student who thought she was in the distinct minority about the topic might find out that, say, 30 percent of her peers agree with her. This can embolden her to speak up and defend her point of view in the subsequent class discussion.
The key points here are that the use of clickers is a response to, not a cause of, silent classrooms and that clickers aren’t just used to poll the students and move on to the next topic–they’re used to start a class conversation.