Using Socrative and iPads to Differentiate

Back in November, I blogged about how I used socrative to assess a Year 9 class' ability to use different types of punctuation (at the start of a unit on creative writing).  I wanted to take this opportunity to now go into a bit more detail on how I used this data effectively.

When I did the punctuation quiz with my Year 9 class, it was apparent that I had a real challenge on my hands.  I'm used to differentiating for a range of abilities anyway, as I teach mixed ability classes at KS3 and KS4, but this brief assessment highlighted the special need for this when covering punctuation with my Year 9s. Clearly, a lesson on apostrophes was not going to be needed; a lesson on the use of semi-colons would also not be beneficial for those who needed to first focus on speech marks.

Instead, I used the results of the quiz (along with a pre-booked set of ipads) to create a series of lessons where students would be able to address their individual needs.  In these lessons, they were grouped according to their test results in two main phases.

The the first lesson (phase one) I had two groups of students working independently on iPads.  Their task was firstly to access guides on a specific type of punctuation (links to which were given on QR codes). After taking notes on the rules for that piece of punctuation, they then had to create a lesson, complete with resources, to teach to another student.  Another group worked with me: I worked with them to revise the use of speech marks, using mini whiteboard to assess their knowledge before they then wrote a piece and labelled the various rules for punctuating speech that were at work.  Lastly, I had one student who had managed to get 100% on punctuation use, though I was aware that his range of vocabulary needed work. Again, he was given an iPad and QR codes to access; his task was to find out how GCSE students needed to vary vocabulary in their work and create a lesson to teach other students.

Phase two (the second lesson) involved me taking more of a back seat.  Students who had worked with me the previous lesson were grouped with those who had planned lessons in the first phase- they were taught by their peers whilst I went around and tested their teaching, by checking the understanding of their 'students' through verbal questioning.  This lesson then ended with all students writing a description of a scene, using the knowledge they had gained over these lessons.

Overall, I found the experience really exciting, since I noticed the students really taking ownership over their own learning and the learning of others.  The QR codes have also proved useful after the session as my KS4 students have stuck them into planners and use them as a revision aid for writing exams/assessments.  The peer teaching was also beneficial, as I noted how some students had chosen to tackle the problem in ways that I had not thought of myself. One of these was the image of an apostrophe verbally apologising for the absence of a missing letter (thus reminding students of where to put an apostrophe used for omission).  

ICT for Teaching and Learning: Let's Get Quizzical!

This is the first in a series of blogs, where I am aiming to share my findings on how technology can benefit teaching and learning in the classroom.  It is probably important at this point to state that I am not a fan of using technology for technology’s sake.  I agree that it can often be time-consuming and, with the pressures of time that all teachers face, I feel that it isn’t right to put too much time into preparing for a task if the students will get little out of it.

I feel that the two apps that I am going to mention in this blog definitely fit into the category of being low on planning time, but high in terms of the impact they can have on teaching.  Moreover: they are free!

Plickers

I came across this at the recent Teachmeet for Hull and East Yorkshire (held at Malet Lambert School) and was amazed.  It’s a fantastic example of how ICT can be used without a class set of devices, as the app can be run from the teacher’s tablet or smartphone.  For this, the teacher prepares multiple choice questions before the lesson and, in response to the question, students hold up a card with a QR-type shape on it.  Each orientation of their shape (whichever way they hold it up) corresponds to an option for the answer (A, B, C or D).  The teacher then accesses the app and scans their camera around the room, allowing it to pick up the answers and generate a list of who selected which answer.

The app allows you to select an option for the ‘correct’ answer, highlighting right or wrong answers in green or red respectively.  This allowed me to quickly target students for questioning early on in the lesson, as well as identifying students who I would want to give extra support to later.  Additionally, you can use a PC to enter your class lists and, as long as you update your data on the app with wifi, the actual polling can be done without an internet connection.  This was particularly useful for me as 3G in my room is non-existent and my phone isn’t connected to the school’s wifi.

The app works better with only a few questions at a time, and I found it useful for check prior knowledge before a topic.  For example, I have used it to check students’ understanding of word class and sentence type definitions.

For more details, see www.plickers.com .  Feel free to tweet me if you need any help setting it up!

Socrative

Socrative is another quiz app, although it does require a set of ipads/computers for the class.  Alternatively, students can access on their phones if you have a BYOD policy.  For socrative, you prepare a quiz (or use one of the many shared quizzes from other users) from your teacher account.  Questions can be multiple choice or have a short written answer.  Like plickers, you can select correct answers.  However, socrative offers instant feedback for students: it will tell them if their answer was correct and you can add an explanation to each question so they understand their errors.

I found this particularly useful when assessing students’ knowledge of punctuation before starting a unit on writing skills, as it meant that the next few lessons could be differentiated for each student’s needs.  This was highlighted by the detailed reports that socrative offers (an excel spreadsheet as well as an individual report for each student that they can stick into their books).

When using socrative, you need a teacher account (which is free), but students login using their teacher’s room number, and then quizzes are controlled by the teacher.  See this guide for more details on setting up: https://snapguide.com/guides/create-a-socrative-account-quiz/ 

A final feature of socrative that I’m a big fan of (as are my colleagues) is the updating answer grid you get on the teacher’s computer/device.  Here you see students’ answers populating the grid in real time.  One colleague found this particularly useful when one student decided to enter silly answers; she was able to sanction him appropriately and get him back on task immediately.

How do they compare?

Both of these apps offer a lot to assessing knowledge in the classroom, either from a quick snap shot/straw poll from plickers or from the detailed quizzes you can use through socrative.  Students love the instant feedback that they have and they both offer instant feedback that can inform questioning, as well as planning/differentiation.