Click, Click

I hate multiple choice questions with a passion. I think they are meant to confuse and trick students without actually testing knowledge. I dread these types of tests, exams, and quizzes as a student and I have vowed to never use them as a teacher. I view assessments as a chance for students to prove how much they know and understand - it should enforce good things, not punish bad things. I personally think that writing and discussion are the best ways to test knowledge and I plan to use them as much as possible in my future classroom.

This brings me to the idea of clickers. I have had one class while in college that I was required to purchase and use an iClicker for. In case you haven't heard of them, these are hand held remotes that allow everyone to 'click' in an answer to a question. These keyed responses then show up on the screen instantly. There are many different types but the one I used just had options for A, B, C, or D. The idea behind these systems seems good. It allows the teacher to get immediate feedback, if there is confusion it allows for questions, and it is an easy way to take attendance. My personal issue with these systems is that is only lends itself to more multiple choice questions. Of course, as with anything, it can be used creatively to elicit discussion, but unfortunately that is not their prominent use.

I can see many opportunities for uses of Classroom Response Systems (CRS) similar to iClicker in schools but I worry that it breeds a mentality of 'just showing up' without actually comprehending the work. I may be jaded since this is the overall opinion at the college level, but it is not something I would want to start in younger grades. Another negative aspect of them is the expense. In a high school it would be unrealistic for each student to be required to buy them, and for a school district to foot the bill would also be inappropriate. Overall, I am intrigued by CRSs but definitely not converted. Photo