It is easy to get into the habit of always calling on the same students who have raised their hands to volunteer an answer.  One way to make sure that you are including all of your students is to use Popsicle® sticks when selecting students to contribute to class.

Materials:

• Popsicle Sticks
• Your favorite sharpie or flare pen
• Rubber bands

The task of writing all of your students names on Popsicle® sticks may seem a bit daunting.  (I know; I had 145 students one year!)  You can always give each student a stick and instruct them to write their names “legibly” on them.  Or, wait until your favorite show or sports team is on television and complete the task while kicking back a little.  I usually group the Popsicle® sticks by class and wrap a rubber band around them.

When it is time to go over homework, I usually select a couple of problems that I want to go over with the class.  I will have the students present their solutions on the board.  I use the Popsicle® sticks to select a student.  I never want to put a student completely on the spot, so I always let them choose a classmate to work with for this task.  The two students would then be responsible for writing the solution to the homework problem on the board and explaining it to the class.

Homework is a learning process, so sometimes the solution is not correct.  Wrong answers are wonderful to review!  It is important that students know that it is okay to make a mistake when they are learning new material.  Students create genuine error analysis problems when the solution is not correct.  As a class, we can work together to find a viable solution.  It is important to review classroom expectations and create class rules/norms so that everyone is respectful and understands that making mistakes are part of the learning process.

I hope to be watching the Red Sox this year as I make this year’s set of sticks! What will you be watching?