Using Voting to gather uncomfortable question.

[michele.horsburgh]

Has any one been using voting to find outs things that perhaps pupils wouldn't normally discuss or own up to infront of their peers. I am interested in the real life examples.

When I asked a group of 15 year olds if random drug testing should be introduced in to their school they verbally shouted "no way". When we voted on it the majority wanted drug testing. Suddenly they were all pretty quiet. The teacher's jaw just dropped.

I think this use of voting ,to find out and hopefully address issues important to pupils,is so very powerful.

[Westlake]

What a great example! Apart from using this in the Health/Civics area, I can see uses in senior Biology courses during discussions about ethical issues relating to biotechnology, medical interventions, genetic manipulation, reproductive technology etc. Answers could be along a continuum, or offer a clear choice plus "undecided".
Hilary

[michele.horsburgh]

Teachers have also been using it with younger pupils to find out whether or not they have eaten before coming to school or what time they went to bed. This has provided them with the opportunity to reflect first on the mood of the class and as a result, consider what needs addressing before quality learning can take place.

[Margaret Allen]

My daughter, just started her first teaching post this week. She has a set of voting.

She did some ice breaking type questions with her tutor group.

She chose random/ad hoc questions which all connected with some of the information, of which there was loads, that she had to impart on them.

How to spell her name "ALLEN" should be sooooo easy but ALAN ALLAN ALEN are all good derivatives!!

What time lunch was?

How long was a tutor period?

What were rules on jewellery/trainers/uniform etc.

She was working in named mode and was making it all fun. BUT if someone got it wrong they had to stand up and tell the class one thing about themselves.

She said there was a lovely atmosphere of children engaging and wanting to get the answers right, but also offering children the chance to stand up and talk if they wanted to as well....

[michele.horsburgh]

What a wonderful way to break the ice with a new class and introduced rules in a fun way. Even after teaching for 12 years each year with my new class I always had butterflies in my stomach worrying about how they would react on that very crucial first day.

Looking forward to hearing more!

[Margaret Allen]

With the end of the summer term looming and people thinking about, perhaps, their new classes, thought I would bump this one up as a lovely way of using learner response devices with a new class. [clap]