If you happen to have a rather large collection of post it notes (which I do), they can be of great use in the math classroom. I learned some sharing activities for math in workshops, and I've used this one often in class for classroom activities or even for taking up homework.
This strategy is either very similar or a modification of the "BANSHO" activity if anyone is familiar with it. By simple explanation, the "BANSHO" is basically a sharing of mathematical strategies among the group. I have done this by using post-it notes in class and the students really love it since they get to write comments on their peers' work instead of the teacher giving feedback. The Post-it note method is therefore also a form of peer-evaluation or peer-editing.
To do this in class, I usually give a mathematical problem and allow the students time to complete it, or I ask them to take out their homework (a specific question) and place it on their desks. I then give every student a Post-it note and instruct them to walk around and examine other students' work and strategies used to complete the problem. They are to leave a Post-it note with a positive comment, and a comment on something that student could change in their work to make it better (sometimes I even give them two different colours of paper, one for the positive, one for the next step). Each piece of student work is only allowed to have ONE Post-it note on it, so if the strategy the student is examining already has one, they must pick a different piece of student work to comment on. At the end of the activity, students return to their desks and read their comments. While this activity takes place, I usually circulate, pick a few winning strategies, and ask those students to explain their work to the class at the end.
This is a great activity for math class because it gets students out of their seats and it enables them to really look at the strategies used by other students since they must formulate a useful comment. I have also explained to the students they may not leave generic comments like "You did a great job!", and that they must be specific with the comments. I find that students of any age would really enjoy this activity. There's something fun about those Post-it notes! :)
What a great idea! I have never used post it notes for peer editing before. This is definitely something that I will use in the future. I have used post it notes in the class before but not for peer assessment.
ReplyDeleteI've used post it notes in the class before by using the actual notes that contains our numeric information and placing it on a line graph as a plot point to which we find the line of best fit for. I've also used them for bar graphing as another way to display information. Each student gets a sticky note that they put their name on and we ask questions like "do you have a dog, a cat, none, or both?' The students then place their post it in the correct column of the graph.
First off, I completely share your love for post it notes. I especially like how you took a post it note away from the typical exit card use and made it into an interactive and fun activity for the entire class. This activity appeals to a variety of learners - kinesthetic, visual, interpersonal etc...
ReplyDeleteIt's great way to promote peer-evaluation and low key teacher feedback. In terms of classroom management, the different coloured post it notes for positive/negative comments is a great way to keep track of time/pace.
Plus, students love post it notes!