Do all of your students have an equal opportunity to actively become involved in the lesson?

Here are some ideas that can be incorporated into your daily routine that will assist and insure participation of all learners.

Tip: Using these techniques will help to alleviate the “Oo's” and “You never call on me,” response that many students articulate.

 

Elementary Grade Levels (K-6)

Using craft sticks (i.e., Popsicle or tongue depressor size sticks) place one child's name on each stick. At each end, color the stick with a different color. After this step, place all sticks in a receptacle with the same colored end up. During the delivery of your lesson, a random stick is pulled and that child has the opportunity to respond to the question posed them. To insure that other students will be called on, place the stick back into the container, only this time the other colored end is placed up. This indicates to you to choose another stick when another response is solicited. When all sticks are turned over, then you may start the process over again.

Instead of using two separate colors, you can place stickers at each end of the stick.

 

Elementary/Secondary Grade Levels (4-12)

Another method to ensure equality is the use of 3'x5' cards. On each card a participant's name is placed. At the start of the day/class, absent members of the class are pulled and the deck is shuffled. As the lesson progresses and respondents are needed, the cards are flipped one at a time until all have an opportunity to participate. For those of you with more than one classroom of students, you may want to use different colored 3'x5' cards for each class.

Suggestion: laminate your cards – they will last longer

 

Elementary/Middle Grade Levels (4-8)

To personalize the prior idea on the front page, allow each student to design their own card. Then collect, laminate and use.

 

Elementary Primary Levels (K-3)

A variation on the above theme would be to use clothespins that pinch and a large enough plastic container (Rubbermaid, Tupperware) so that the clothespins can be clipped onto the outside perimeter of the holder. On each clothespin, a pupil's name is placed. At the start of the day/class, everyone's clothespin is inside the container and is shaken. As your youngsters are called on, the clothespin gets pinched onto the side of the receptacle. When everyone is called on, the clothespin go back into the pool and the procedure repeats itself.

 

Elementary Primary Levels (K-1)

Utilizing puzzle pieces with individual learner names on each piece can be another creative way to engage your students in participating in the lesson.

 

For further information on Equity in Response call Stephanie White at (301) 805-2700

A display of this model can be seen at the Make-and-Take Center housed at the John Hanson Building.