Description
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Randomizing Responses is a practice teachers can use to ensure they are providing opportunities for each student to participate in the lesson. During a lesson, it is easy for teachers to call on the same students for responses to questions or to routinely choose students who volunteer to participate; therefore it is critical to plan out how to randomly call on students. This practice is effective at helping teachers check in with and monitor the learning of a wider variety of students during the lesson. Randomizing ensures student engagement, as everybody is expected to participate at various points in the lesson because the chances of being called upon by the teacher are the same for each student. Randomization can take other forms such as calling on students using physical attributes, student interests, hobbies, etc. “The person wearing the most red today, please come up to the Smartboard.”
- Determine the randomizing response strategy to be used throughout the lesson.
- Prepare the resources (index cards, computer software, name sticks, etc.) necessary to implement the strategy.
- Introduce and practice the strategy with students to ensure they understand the procedure.
- Use the strategy within the lesson(s).
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Quick Tips
No Opt Out can be used with any randomized response practice.
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Other Strategies
Card Shuffle
Index cards can be used to randomize responses by writing students’ names on them then shuffling and selecting a card for a response.
Numbered Heads
The numbered heads strategy can be used to randomize as students will be called according to a pre-assigned number the teacher has given them. Spinners, dice, or numbers drawn from a basket [hat or cup] can be used to ensure that the numbers are randomly chosen.
Popsicle Sticks
Students write their names on popsicle sticks that are kept in a cup. The teacher (or a student) pulls out a popsicle stick and calls the name on the stick to solicit a response to a question.