“I used to have students write their work on the board, but it would take too long. Therefore, taking a picture [of their work] solved that issue.” Mr. Joe LeRoy, Mathematics Department Chair and Precalculus teacher uses technology in the Active Learning Classrooms to showcase student work and help students think more deeply about their thinking. The teacher can use tools such as Notability or Explain Everything to then annotate on top of the student’s work. This makes it easy for teachers to highlight the ways in which the student communicated his thinking well while also highlight areas for growth. This pedagogical approach uses an authentic source (current student) and provides immediate feedback. The other students see their own mistakes in the work of their peers and learn some of their tendencies as a result.
The above image is a picture of student work completed on a worksheet. The student wrote in pencil. The teacher took a picture of the student work with an iPad & displayed the image on the screens in the active learning classroom. With his iPad, Mr. LeRoy then wrote additional mathematics on the worksheet in order to illustrate to the students the best way to communicate the thinking mathematically.
The students in the class all have the same worksheet in front of them. The worksheet on display is from a peer student. The class collectively completes the assignment by commenting and expanding on the thinking of the shared student work.
“I used to have students write their work on the board, but it would take too long. Therefore, taking a picture [of their work] solved that issue.” - Mr. Joe LeRoy, Mathematics Department Chair and Precalculus teacher.
According to one student in his class, the practice “allows us to go at our own pace and see how I am doing in relation to my peers.” This best/next practice also increases student engagement because students can think about mathematics through the lens of their peer learners. “It holds us more accountable,” reflected one student. Another student shared, “If a bunch of people do one thing wrong, it becomes a bit more apparent.”
"It holds us more accountable" - Precalculus Student
This strategy can be used when going over previous assignments or classwork. Additionally, a problem-based approach helps when reviewing content to prepare for a quiz. Framing a problem through the lens of a peer can be quite powerful. From one student’s perspective “It’s good review for the quizzes,” reflected one student.
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