Part A - Description of Need or Opportunity

As a middle school language arts teacher, I have a wide variety of learners of many different skill levels.  We have spent quite a bit if time focusing on the lower students and the higher students, but not as much time on the students in the middle.  For this reason, I am choosing to focus on my middle level learners for this project.  I plan to use their class, language arts, as a pilot in which I will implement the use of Senteo Response Clickers. 

Luckily, I already have a set of clickers in my room.  I have not tried them yet because I have not had the proper training.  This is the perfect opportunity for me to force myself to make time to learn how to use them on my own.  I know that by using them, my students will be more engaged in lessons.

I plan to create two lessons incorporating the clickers.  The first lesson will be a common vocabulary review.  We have 30 words that every 6th grader must know by the end of the year.  Currently, I use PowerPoint to teach the words and review them.  The students copy the words, definitions, and visuals in their own packets.  When we review, we simply go through the PowerPoint again.  I can see boredom seeping out of their faces as I present the material.  Interactive clicker use will engage them and provide me with immediate feedback. I also plan to use the clickers for teaching grammar which is extremely hard to teach in a creative and engaging manner as well. 

Because I share the clickers with my department, I will not be able to use them at anytime.  I would like to get a routine - possibly one day a week or every other week for a couple of days in a row. 

Online, I was able to find some blog posts written by teachers currently using the clickers.  Some ideas I found include: game show style lessons and opinion polls.  I also learned that you can create charts immediately to show students the results and take action to fix misunderstandings right away.

I will create two lessons during this class: common vocabulary and an element of grammar.  After this course, I will continue to create lessons using the clickers.  I also plan to share my new knowledge with my colleagues, and I will help them to create their own lessons. 

I am excited to put this plan into action.  I have been looking at the blue Senteo Clickers case in my closet for almost a year now, so this will be a great opportunity for me.  I have no doubt that my students will definitely benefit as well.

Upon completion, I will compare the results of the Common Vocabulary section of the 2nd Tri. Exam with the results of the 3rd Tr. Exam in order to see if there was any growth because we used the clickers instead of my previous method, powerpoints and packets.  I also reviewed the previous terms using the clickers, so I can do the same at the conclusion of this set of terms to compare the results.