Peer Instruction with iClickers

iClickers may seem like just another cool techno gadget being marketed to colleges by random companies who want to make a quick buck but they can be used in ways that are changing the way classrooms work. Despite the fact that iClickers have been around for many years, they are still not widely used because of the perceived difficulty in getting up and running with them. Why would I want to take the time to restructure my instruction in order to use them?

One professor who has had very positive results and virtually no problems getting up and running, is Saint Mary's College math professor, Adam Lucas. Professor Lucas received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation while conducting research on student learning. He was interested in finding new ways of engaging undergraduate students in the topic of Math and chose to focus his research on iClickers and peer instruction. Peer instruction is one of the most powerful and effective pedagogical tools for developing student confidence and enthusiasm, and iClickers have helped tremendously in facilitating this process in Adam’s classes. How can students complain about math when it is incorporated into a game, a social network and a system for developing leadership all rolled into one?

So what's so different about a class that is developed using peer instruction? What does it look like in terms of class activities and what replaces the information exchange that would normally take place during a more traditional lecture format? Let's take a look at one of Adam's classes:

Like many professors at Saint Mary’s College, Adam teaches classes that range in number from five to thirty undergraduates. Adam has found iClickers to be effective for both small and large classes. Traditionally, some students in Adam’s classes excel in math and others are notoriously confused. In addition to the inevitable gaps in understanding between students in any given class, there are also students who rule the class because they are perceived as “high status students” by others. These are the students who jump up to participate and always seems to have the right answers. And while their energy is great, invariably such students overtake the class and keep the students who are having difficulty from getting the attention and assistance they need to absorb the material, not to mention the times when the high status students are actually off the mark and lead others in the wrong direction.

What to do? How can we reach the students that are afraid to speak up or ask questions for fear of looking bad in front of their classmates? One solution is collaboration. Students who work in groups not only master social skills that will help them to solve problems outside of math class, but also learn to communicate effectively using math vocabulary and language structures that carry over into other subject matter. In addition, the confidence that develops from helping other students may in turn help them become more comfortable with the uncertainty and risk necessary to shift deeply ingrained misconceptions or faulty reasoning.

So this is great news, but how can I incorporate iClickers in an effective way in my own class? Well, here’s how Adam does it. First
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