Students and Teachers Speak: Clickers in the science classroom

What are clickers, and why would you want to think about using them? Hear students and faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder talk about what they think about clickers, and how they can be used to promote student learning. Produced by the University of Colorado Science Education Initiative (http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu). See our other videos on clickers and education!

Clickers in the Science Classroom: Students and Teachers Speak

Why use clickers?

Douglas Duncan: I think that clickers are

the most valuable addition to my classroom

that I've seen in over 30 years of teaching.

Margaret Asirvatham: Clickers have absolutely changed the way we teach.

I think it's now something we look forward to,

it helps us to bring more innovations into our teaching.

Steven Pollock: Lecture now becomes very dynamic, rather than static.

I'm not just a robot presenting a pre-prepared lecture.

Carrie Weidner: It evens the playing field a little bit.

Everybody has a chance to think about things,

and to answer them on their own pace.

Christina Jones: I find that teachers that use clickers in the classroom

are much more in tune to what their students are understanding

and what they're not understanding.

Duncan: They engage students in their own learning.

The students move from passively listening to my wonderful lectures

to actually having to figure out things and learn them themselves.

Asirvatham: It's a relaxing atmosphere,

the students feel like now they have a voice in the classroom.

I think that is very important for students.

What is a clicker?

But just what is a clicker?

Clickers are basically a real-time poll of your class,

which helps them learn.

Let's give you a brief snapshot of how it's run.

Several times in each lecture, the instructor pauses

and asks the class a challenging question on the material.

Students chat with their neighbors for a few minutes,

to help them figure out the answer.

And then they click in with their choice.

Instructors can get a record of every student's answer.

A real-time histogram is created, showing the class response as a whole.

The instructor discusses the question with the class,

and moves on from there.

(Classroom audio) "...what if they're spinning opposite ways..."

Duncan: Clickers are good for many reasons,

but one of the simplest is, there's accountability.

(Title: Keeping on Task)

Everyone knows that their discussion answers are going to be recorded.

So they're all taking about the science.

They're not talking about Saturday night.

They're talking about astronomy.

Ryan Freedle: The clickers seem to be a really nice way to

keep me focused and attentive in class.

They kind of get me out of that slumped position in my seat,

and make me think about something.

Pollock: Clickers allow students, well in fact, they encourage students

to commit to an answer.

(Title: Committing to an answer)

And they can't go into this sort of natural human mode of,

"Oh yeah, I knew that," because they voted,

and they know what they voted just a minute earlier.

(Title: What are your students thinking?)

Duncan: The most immediate benefit from the clickers is you learn

what your students are thinking.

Oliver DeWolfe: Clickers help me understand the issues

of the students who wouldn't speak as much otherwise.

Jones: I also get to interact with the students next to me,

which, I mean, when I explain a concept to them,

it helps me understand it more myself.

(Title: Learning by doing)

Greany: I think the clicker really helps because

it facilitates communication between each of the students.

Marika Meertens: I have to learn by thinking or doing it myself,

and that really only happens in classes with clicker questions.

(Title: Anonymity in the classroom)

Duncan: It's certainly valuable that answers to clicker questions are anonymous.

Asirvatham: Even when you raise a card or you raise your hand

you're still conscious of everybody around you.

Bryan Kaufman: The anonymity really helps

because you're not being put on the spot,

there's no fear of being judged if you get a question wrong.

Concerns?

Pollock: One of the biggest concerns that I hear

about using clicker questions in class is

"Doesn't that chew up too much time?"

"How can I give up that much class time?"

DeWolfe: It only seems obvious that if you stop, and have a discussion about a point,

that's not ever going to be a loss in and of itself.

Pollock: And if that chews up 15 or 20 minutes out of a 50 minute lecture

the students have walked away with the big idea from that lecture,

which they almost certainly wouldn't have

if I had just rapid-fire, stood at the blackboard.

Duncan: If you don't believe that students need to

reason and debate and articulate to learn,

then don't do this! You know, if you believe that

you can do the learning for the student,

then don't even try peer discussion.

Because if you really don't believe in it, it's not going to work for you.

Pollock: If you made me go back to lecturing without clickers,

it would be miserable.

I would be so sad.

Greany: It does make you want to come back to class.

Burnett: Clickers make class fun.

They help students learn better than just the traditional,

professor at the blackboard, transcribing information.

Freedle: The classes seem to go a lot faster,

I enjoy them a lot more, when they have clickers.

Clickers are an effective tool, but they are no magic bullet.

For videos on how to best use clickers, research results on clicker effectiveness, and other resources, visit http://STEMclickers.colorado.edu.

English subtitles: Stephanie Chasteen