Teaching basic curricula with a new gadget
Special to The American
In a summer school class for second graders going into third grade, children from Arrowpoint and Townsend elementary schools in the Hazelwood School District were deeply involved in figuring out how to use a new, interactive learning device.
Sitting at their desks, facing the Promethean whiteboard at the front of the room, each of them were holding something that looked like a large, orange and grey remote control. On its face was a small digital screen, a keypad with numbers and letters and other buttons with various symbols.
Called ActivExpression, the device is a new tool for the Promethean learning system and it allows students to answer questions that appear on the whiteboard by pressing buttons and hitting send, much like making a phone call or playing a video game.
The practice lesson was on synonyms – words that mean almost the same thing. The first question compared “run” and “jump.”
“Choose A or B for your answer,” asked Jen Forbes, a third grade teacher at Townsend Elementary and Promethean trainer.
Some students were quiet and didn’t seem fazed by using the controller; a few looked unsure. Class teacher Deb Dickerson, a reading specialist at Townsend, moved around the room to help those in need.
“Can you show me…” a voice trailed off as Dickerson approached.
“I got it!” called out another voice.
“Ooohhh,” said another in surprise.
Across the top of the whiteboard, a small box of numbers is displayed. Each number is associated with an ActivExpression controller and each child knows their number. As students answer the question, the box lights up, meaning an answer was received.
“OK. It looks like everyone has answered,” said Forbes. “Let’s see our results.”
A moment later, a chart appeared on the screen to show the percentage of correct and incorrect answers.
“Good job!” said Forbes. The answers were mostly correct.
The next question was a little trickier, asking students to decide if “mother” and “father” had the same meaning.
The responses were mixed. Forbes asked two students to explain their answers. One boy reasoned they meant the same because “they’re both parents.” A girl said that they were different because “one is a man and the other is a woman.”
Forbes said they were both correct and praised them for being able to think through and explain their answers.
Forbes explained that the controller allowed for multiple choice answers and sending answers with text messages, among many other options.
“It changes the way you teach,” she said. “They’re all engaged right now.”
“The students connect with it because they’re used to it from playing video games and using cell phones.”
Dickerson said that the class had been introduced to ActivExpression two weeks prior, but only for a short time. In only their second time working with the device, “they picked it up.”
“Most students are confident with this mode of learning which allows teachers to focus on the skill, strategy or assessment,” Dickerson said.
“Students are very excited to get the immediate feedback of responses, and immediate analysis allows teachers to quickly adapt instruction to student needs.”
Dickerson said the lessons are curriculum-based to include math, communication arts, science and social studies. The system also helps teachers track the progress of the students.
In the fall, when the students are in third grade, they will have had the advantage of using the ActivExpression device before many others. Forbes said she will use it in her class on a daily basis. “The possibilities of using the ActivExpression are endless.”