Do your students seem more engaged since you have started using your Promethean Board?
Yes, students seem more engaged. The "clickers" are the best for instant feedback and engagement. We just had P/T conferences and I heard from many parents saying that their son/daughter came home raving about the clickers. I also had a student who, after his conference was over, ran to the Promethean Board to show his mom. I gave him a blank flipchart and he demonstrated away, showing her how he had learned multiplication.
I have a question though for anyone who would care to answer: Does the Promethean Board really engage more students? My answer is this... I think the Promethean Board can still only engage one user at a time (with the "Dual User" feature it can engage two users). It is still often a situation of 25 students in their desks, watching two users at the board. I still need to be a good teacher and engage those students in their seats with questions that keep their minds active, so that they aren't just sitting there disengaged, hoping they will get chosen next. Yes, engagement is higher because you can utilize all things that are on your computer, like images, video, flipcharts, websites, but it doesn't automatically improve engagement. This is why I think the ActiveExpression Learner Response System is the best for student engagement. They are really simple to use, you can setup a quick assessment on the fly, and every single student is engaged. Don't get me wrong, I am not looking for the "silver bullet" where --poof-- everyone learns without any effort from me. That situation doesn't exist. But I find myself going back and forth. Some days I use it constantly, sometimes just jotting notes like I would on an old fashioned dry-erase board. Other days I don't use it as much, going back to paper flip charts for groups to jot ideas and post on the wall.
Engagement, ultimately, is a teacher quality.
2 comments:
You make a very valid point about student engagement Jeff but I also think you made the connection between student engagement and the Expressions a pretty effortless one. Interestingly, you made a comment about student engagement in question 3: "How about engagement? If students know that they will have an opportunity to interact with the P-Board, they are all engaged." I wonder if you still feel this way?
Absolutely, students still are engaged when they know they will get a chance to interact with it. I also have tried to use it as a "center" tool. During the time that students are doing independent work and have an opportunity to play math games, I pull up a multiplication game they like to play and choose 3 to play it together. Sometimes, there just isn't enough Promethean board to go around, and the "clikers" are a great solution. I am also experimenting with the slates, but they are a little hard for 3rd and 4th graders to use.
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