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The majority of classrooms in our school have at least one student computer somewhere at the back, but unfortunately, not all of these machines get used to their full potential. It’s sometimes hard to think of a good use for just one or two, or even three, computers during a particular class when you’re busy teaching a whole class. People worry about students sitting at computers going off task, and the teacher may not have time to monitor this while also helping the rest of the class with whatever they’re doing. In the end, quite a few machines seem to be used predominantly for googling information during project work…
Here are a few creative suggestions for making better use of classroom computers (once again, I thank Alan November for making powerful ideas seem so simple and blatantly obvious):
- Assign the role of fact-checker/researcher to students on a rotating basis. This person is responsible for looking up answers to questions that arise during discussions, finding additional information, etc. The student is logged onto the computer, but should only use it when there is a need - otherwise s/he participates in the discussion along with the others.
- Assign the role of note-taker to students on a rotating basis. If you also have a projector in the room, have the student seated at that machine so that everyone can see the notes being taken. You can just glance up at the notes every now and then to make sure the note-taker is getting the salient points. This frees up all the other students to concentrate on listening and participating in the discussion. After all, most students learn better if they don’t have to take notes during a conversation. The students all know that they will receive good notes by email at the end of the session, so they can focus on the discussion. If you wish, you can quickly go over the notes at the end of class or at the end of the day to make sure they have included what you want the class to receive. If you think it’s too difficult for students of this age level to take notes, you can also give the note-taker an electronic copy of your initial plan for the discussion and s/he can just add any points that come up during the discussion - e.g. things you write on the board.
Tony B said
September 26 2007 @ 3:43 pm
I thought I was the first person to come up with the note-taking idea! Here’s another role that does not involve a computer: it’s an effective strategy is that of ‘end-of-lesson’ review. At the beginning of the lesson, one student is appointed as a ‘rapporteur’ for the lesson. The teacher then teaches a whole-class lesson on a topic, and finishes the lesson ten or fifteen minutes before the end of the period. The student rapporteur then gives a summary of the main points of the lesson, and tries to answer any remaining questions that students in the class may have. If they are unable to answer the questions, then the rapporteur asks members of the class to help out. The role of rapporteur is most productive when it is started at the beginning of the school year.
Ståle said
September 27 2007 @ 8:21 am
I like that one! Makes the whole class accountable for distilling the essential points that were raised, even if they’re not currently the rapporteur. I guess the only thing you don’t get from that is a permanent record for later revision. In English class, I’m guessing the process skills are very important - reflection, analysis, etc. - things you develop during discussion and which may (at least at times) be hard to capture in a lesson summary. In other classes, a summary of the lesson may be very handy for later revision. (On re-reading your comment, though, I see you’re not offering that as an alternative, but rather as an additional idea…)
This raises an important point: there are plenty of things you can do with a computer that you can also do without it, which is actually something to be aware of: if everything you do in your classroom could be done WITHOUT the computer, are you effectively giving up desk space to glorified $1000 pencils? From the point of view of maximizing usage of computer resources, we should look for opportunities to further the students’ learning in ways that would not be possible without them (e.g. students publishing their writing to an audience of thousands for “real” feedback).
Tony B said
September 27 2007 @ 9:13 am
Interesting comment Stale. The written component would take the process further. It’s interesting that you use the word process The role of peer and self-assessment was widely acknowledged by students. Shirley Clarke the UK assessment guru advocates the use of process success criteria; these summarise the key steps or ingredients the student needs to fulfil the learning objective. They can be used as a focus for self-assessment; the student can ask ‘where am I achieving success?’ and ‘where do I need to indicate that I need some help?’ Process success criteria can also form the feedback criteria for peer evaluation. Students assessing their own and peers’ work with rubrics and comparing their work with student exemplars in assessment situations such as oral commentaries aid successful learning.