Developing Creative Thinking Skills

I wont lie, I know how crucial technology is in school but I still struggle with technological
tools to use in a mathematics class. One lesson that focused on technology in my class was when
the students used clickers for a pre-assessment. Each student created four problems they felt
supported learning for the content as their homework the night before. They all had their own
clicker and I used each of the students problems as the questions using the document camera for
them to solve and then insert their answer on their clicker. The answers calculated privately and
we talked over the answers. Each student knew their number, so they received instant feedback. I
also received instant feedback on the class as a whole. I saw the excitement in the students for
their creation of their own problems and the success in their eyes. As a teacher, I loved having
the opportunity to guide the students to success if they were off track.
In a balanced mathematics program, the strategic use of technology enhances mathematics
teaching and learning. During my student teaching, the students liked this activity so much my
cooperating teacher added this to her unit routine for review before any assessment.
I believe that clickers support authentic instruction because each student gets the opportunity
to create a meaningful relationship between their answers and the action of using the clicker to
obtain immediate feedback. Clickers promote excitement in the classroom and valuable instant
feedback. Clickers can also be used for attendance, forced-choice assessment, warm-ups, exit
questions, and peer instruction to name a few.