The ‘Tuning Fork’ of Teaching:

The Use of Exit Tickets As a Way to Cultivate Reflective Learning

Among Select Grade Ten English Students from Piapi High School

A Research Proposal Presented to the

College of Education - Center of Excellence

Silliman University

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Subject:

ED 74 (2018)-A

Teaching Internship

Submitted by:

Somido, Michael Joseph A.

Taub, Rica Angela B.

Villarosa, Hardy Allen L.

March 2023
A. Context and Rationale

We do not learn from experience…

We learn from reflecting on experience.

—John Dewey

It is but natural to man to think and feel; this is possible because of our faculty of

experience. What sets us humans apart from other creation is our ability to process our

experiences and to make the most out of it. We do this by consciously pondering on our thoughts

and ideas, which in essence, is encapsulated by this one word: reflection.

The Art of Reflection

Reflection is a process of exploring and examining ourselves, our perspectives, attributes,

experiences, actions and interactions. It helps us gain insight and see how to move forward.

Gillett, Hammond and Martala said that:

Its power lies in being able to help you develop your understanding of the way you learn, the
subjects you are studying and to define your longer-term goals. It can help to promote critical
thinking and problem-solving skills, both of which are key to academic success. But it has
further uses that relate to life skills: it is an essential part of personal development and prepares
you for the world of work, encouraging you to develop the habit of analyzing your actions or
events and considering the consequences. (2009, p.164)

Reflection attempts to move beyond simply describing events. It aims to:

● be considered, thoughtful, analytical

● be honest – even when this is difficult or uncomfortable
● be rational and distanced (Although it often deals with feelings and emotions, we try
to look at them dispassionately)
● relate experiences to wider contexts, other perspectives and theoretical frameworks
Reflection in the Classroom

Reflection—a process where students describe their learning, how it changed, and how it

might relate to future learning experiences (“Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind,” 2008)

—is a skill that often goes undervalued in classrooms that are packed with content. It is a simple

thing but it can create ripples of impact on a student’s awareness of his learning.

Given the importance of reflection, we need to have it in our classrooms. The goal of

reflection, according to Yancey (1998) in Reflection in the Writing Classroom, is as follows:

In method, reflection is dialectical, putting multiple perspectives into play with each other in
order to produce insight. Procedurally, reflection entails a looking forward to goals we might
attain, as well as a casting backward to see where we have been. When we reflect, we thus
project and review, often putting the projections and the reviews in dialogue with each other,
working dialectically to discover what we know, what we have learned, and what we might
understand. (p. 6)

Additionally, there are two purposes of reflection according to Ryan’s (2013) “The

Pedagogical Balancing Act: Teaching Reflection in Higher Education”:

1. Reflection allows students to make sense of material/experience in relation to

oneself, others, and the conditions that shaped the material/experience;

2. Reimagine material/experience for future personal or social benefit (p. 147).

The Lack of Reflection during Modular Distance Learning

Reflection is an important part of learning. It lets the students process the information
they have learned and lets them think about how they can use the information in real life.

DepEd emphasis Reflective Learning by explicitly stating it in DepEd Order

Memorandum No. 21, series of 2019, entitled “Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic
Education Program,” under V. Policy Statement, section e., where:
 Unfortunately, the unprecedented CoronaVirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

came and it changed the way learning happened in the Philippines. When the Department of

Health categorized COVID-19 as a state of public health emergency, DepEd had to think of ways

to deliver quality education without the risk of exposing the students and teachers alike to the

contagious and deadly disease.

This is where the Modular Distance Learning (MDL) and the Self-Learning Modules

(SLMs) were born. Former DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said, “The SLMs and the other

alternative learning delivery modalities are in place to address the needs, situations, and resources

of each and every learner and will cover all the bases in ensuring that basic education will be

accessible amid the present crisis posed by COVID-19.”

The SLMs were good at assessing the aspect of knowledge but it has its own limitations.

Aside from participation and output presentation in class, one of the biggest factors that the

SLMs was not able to cover was Reflective Learning. Students were not able to process their

learning because they were heavily focused on finding the answers to the questions in the module.

According to an online survey conducted by a multisectoral organization called Safe,

Equitable, Quality and Relevant Education (SEQuRE), blended learning, online learning, and

modular learning all resulted in students "learning less" than the traditional face-to-face setting

did for 86.7% of respondents, 66% of respondents, and 74% of respondents, respectively.

Additionally, senators questioned a Department of Education (DepEd) report that claimed 99% of
students in public schools had passing grades in the first three months of the academic year

(October-December 2020). Given that many students had difficulties with distance learning, the

lawmakers were perplexed by the high passing rate. They cited cases where parents or other

family members ended up responding to learning module exercises.

Furthermore, stated in an online blog published by Helpline PH (2021) entitled

“Disadvantages of Modular Learning,” among the apparent limitations of SLMs were that: 1) not

all students do their modules wholeheartedly; and 2) modules were solely for formality cause and

not internalized by the students. As stated from the blog, it became significantly evident that the

SLMs lacked cultivating reflective learning. It somehow merely focused on the lower order

thinking skills of the students, making the learning modality tedious and dull, demotivating

students to learn about the lesson topics laid out in the SLMs, and accomplish tasks and activities

only for formality’s sake.

Exit tickets to facilitate reflection

Originally, Marzano (2012) developed the teaching strategy Exit Ticket to “obtain

information about students’ current level of understanding.” Moreover, exit tickets also provide

quick, simple, and useful assessments that support student connections to the curriculum, self-

reflection, and a goal for future learning (Marzano, Owen & Sarles, as cited in Danley et al,

2016). In an age of accountability, exit tickets provide the teacher with information about

students' attitudes, misconceptions, and retention of the material covered in class (Soto & Anand,

as cited in Danley et al, 2016).

However, for the purpose of this study, the researchers will use exit tickets to facilitate

reflection among students. Fisher and Frey stated in Checking for Understanding: Formative

Assessment Techniques (2007), "When teachers regularly check for understanding, students

become increasingly aware of how to monitor their own understanding." This means that teachers
play a vital role in helping students reflect on what they learned and consciously think about what

to do with that new found knowledge. But how can teachers effectively make the students reflect

on their learning?

Teachers can facilitate reflection among their students with the use of exit tickets. Exit

tickets collect feedback on students’ understanding at the end of a class and provide the students

with an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned (The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for

Teaching and Learning, n.d.). They can be helpful in prompting students to synthesize and

integrate the information gained from a lesson.

See, think, wonder

See, Think, Wonder is a thinking routine established by Harvard University’s Project Zero.

Through the routine, students are encouraged to make thoughtful interpretations through careful

observations. As the name implies students have to see, discuss or record details noticed, to think,

discuss their thinking through inferences or connections, and to wonder, questions they wish to

know more about (Edwards, 2021).

The routine can either be used at the beginning of a unit or at the end. Using the routine at

the beginning can motivate student interest or connect it to a previous lesson. If the routine is

used at the end, it will encourage students to further apply their knowledge and ideas.
 Figure 1. See, Think, Wonder Activity Template
B. Action Research Questions

The study focuses on the use of exit tickets among Grade 10 English students, together

with their subject teacher of Piapi High School, A.Y. 2022-2023. This aims to answer the

following research questions:

1. How can teachers objectively measure his/her learning objectives?

2. How can teachers facilitate realizations and reflections from students about the

lesson topic discussed?

3. How can the students intentionally reflect on their learning?

C. Proposed Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy

Lynch (2016) conveys that the goal of assessment is to collect pertinent data on

student performance or development. Teachers can use this information to tailor their lesson

plans by considering the degree of competence of each student as well as the students'

particular preferences. Moreover, daily feedback on the teaching and learning process is

provided by continuous assessment. Assessment can increase the effectiveness of instruction

and learning. Additionally, it promotes the idea that teaching is a formative process that

develops through period with input from the learners.

 A teacher might incorporate assessment in a variety of methods during class

discussions. The main goal of assessment, whether it be formative or summative, is to

ascertain whether the students have effectively met and completed the predetermined

learning objectives for a lesson topic. Assessments, as stated in an article published by

Edutopia (2008), generally answers the following questions:

1. "Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?"

2. "Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?"

3. "Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?"

While there are many forms of assessments, for this study, the researchers hope to

introduce and integrate the use of exit tickets as a form of formative and reflective assessment.

Firstly introduced back in 2012 by an educational researcher named Robert J. Marzano, in its

simplest form, an exit slip (or exit ticket) is an index card or piece of paper on which

individual students respond to a prompt from the teacher and is given to students at the end of

a lesson or class period. These prompts may range from a series of questions posed by the

teacher in the paper to gather information on the students’ level of grasp of the lesson topic.

The exit tickets that the researchers envisions to utilize contains prompts directly

inspired from the “See, Think, Wonder” method formerly established by Harvard University’s

Project Zero initiative. Based on the method, the researchers will craft the prompts in the exit

ticket which are guided upon the three domains taken from Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

(Cognitive), Skills (Psychomotor), Attitude (Affective). As such, these prompts will become

the following:

Knowledge: I see/think that the lesson…

Skill: During the lesson, I did…

Attitude: I feel/wonder how the lesson…
 Along with the prompts, the researchers add three reflective questions to further

enhance the reflective learning experiences of the students. These questions are as follows: 1.

What should I do with what I’ve learned and how should I respond to what I didn’t learn?

2. Based on what we learned today, what might we learn tomorrow?

3. How have I been changed by what I’ve learned?

From these proposed exit tickets, it is with utmost hope and confidence of the

researchers that it will help the teachers in assessing the students’ overall performance and

learning of the lesson topic, determine whether the learning goals and objectives have been

successfully met and achieved, and the students will be able to immerse themselves in a

meaningful reflective learning experience.

D. Action Research Methods

a. Participants and/or Sources of Data and Information

This study is an action research, with respondents composed of 46 Grade ten English

subject students handled by their English teacher, Mr. Francis Chiu, under the section Saturn

from Piapi High School. They will be given a prepared set of questions that will elicit their

answers based on their experience of using exit tickets to cultivate reflective learning.

Furthermore, some students, together with their subject teacher, will be invited to participate

in a short semi-structured interview to get more insights. Respondents will be asked verbally

on the constraints and potentials they have observed with the use of exit tickets, and further

recommendations they can suggest to improve this strategy.

b. Data Gathering Methods

This study utilizes both the qualitative and quantitative approaches, therefore the

researchers will be employing two data gathering methods: questionnaires and interviews.

The questionnaires will contain open and close-ended questions regarding the use of exit
tickets at the end of every lesson. The data gathered from the questionnaires will be used to

assist the researchers in formulating questions to be used in conducting effective follow-up

interviews. The data will also be analyzed through the quantitative approach.

Short interviews will be conducted as the second method for gathering data. The

researchers will randomly select a number of respondents from the students and their English

teacher for the short interview. The short interviews will serve as a follow up to the

questionnaire and support the data gathered from the questionnaire. The questions will

revolve around the respondents’ experience in the use of exit tickets, recommendations, and

how exit tickets have helped the respondents. Before conducting both data gathering methods,

the respondents are required to fill a consent form.

c. Data Analysis Plan

In order to analyze quantitative data from the questionnaires, the researchers will use

Descriptive Statistics to describe the data and to get a macro and micro-level view of the data

collected. The data will be converted to percentages to identify recurring and least used

themes. This value or index computed will summarize or represent the heap of data collected.

Furthermore, the 6 steps of Thematic Analysis by Mortensen (2020) will be used to

transform qualitative data into interpretation. Thematic analysis looks at patterns of meaning

in a data set and is useful in finding out about people’s experiences, views, and opinions. The

specific steps are the following:

 Figure 2. Thematic Analysis Framework

1. Familiarizing yourself with your data.

2. Assigning preliminary codes to your data in order to describe the content. 3. Searching

and creating patterns or themes in your codes across the different interviews. 4.

Reviewing themes.

5. Defining and naming themes.

6. Producing your report.

E. Action Research Work Plan and Timelines

The researchers have planned out the timeline of this study, so that they will be guided

and to ensure that their study will be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-

bound.

Activities 2022 2023

DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY

PRE-RESEARCH

Setting
research
questions,
objectives, and
design.
Creating a
research map

Identifying
primary sources

Writing a
research
proposal

Creating survey
questionnaires and
formulating
interview
questions.

DURING RESEARCH

Implementing the
research design
and collecting data
through
questionnaires

Implementing
the research
design and
collecting data
through
interviews

Interpreting
gathered data
● Organizing
and naming
similar
themes

● Computing
quantitative data

Formulating a
conclusion
Writing the report

POST-RESEARCH
 Proof-reading
the research
report

Submitting the
first draft

Revising and
editing the
research report

Submitting the
final paper

F. Plans for Dissemination and Utilization

Schools are slowly lifting up restrictions that were implemented during the pandemic.

Schools are now returning to the way they were before the pandemic. However, shifting from

online distance learning to face-to-face is not without its challenges. These challenges may have

come up from the transitioning between an online setting to a physical setting, or it could have

even existed before the pandemic. One such challenge the researchers have identified is that

teachers may not be able to objectively measure whether their students have successfully met all

of the learning objectives set for a lesson. In relation to the aforementioned challenge, would be

that students do not have an immediate avenue to reflect on their learning during class

discussions. Therefore, the researchers propose the use of exit tickets after every lesson to

address the challenges mentioned. The researchers aim to find out how effective exit tickets are

in cultivating reflective learning.

The researchers believe that the results of this study will be of great benefit not only to

the teachers but also to the students as the aim of this study is to find a way, specifically the use

of exit tickets, to ensure that students are given an avenue to reflect on what they have learned

about a particular lesson. After having conducted the study successfully, the researchers hope to

present their findings in a panel. Through the panel discussion, the researchers will be able to

share their findings as to how exit tickets prove to be effective in cultivating reflective learning,

as well as the experiences of the students and the teachers who were involved in the study. The
researchers will also be tackling the negatives of this strategy as well as to identify how it could

be improved.

The researchers will be deployed to a public school where they can conduct this study.

Since schools are slowly returning to face-to-face learning, the study will be conducted

physically in the school. The surveys and interviews will be conducted face-to-face. One positive

of conducting the survey physically with the researchers present is that if there are any questions,

the researchers can directly entertain them. The researchers will be choosing their students and

cooperating teachers as the respondents for this study. This will be convenient in conducting the

study as well as communicating with the respondents. The researchers will also be utilizing

technology in conducting the study. Technology can be used to disseminate information

regarding the study as well as to serve as a communication tool between the researchers and the

respondents. The exit tickets used for the duration of the study will be created through various

computer applications.

G. References

Basco, R. (2021). Exit Slips As Predictor of Academic Performance. Journal of Education,

Management and Development Studies, 1(2), 52–61.

https://doi.org/10.52631/jemds.v1i2.31

College of Liberal Arts. (n.d.). The Purpose of Reflection. Purdue College of Liberal Arts.

https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/icap/assessment/purpose.html Danley, A.,

McCoy, A., & Weed, R. (2016). Exit Tickets Open the Door to University Learning. InSight:

A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 11, 48–58. https://doi.org/10.46504/11201603da

DepEd prepares Self-Learning Modules for education’s new normal. (2020, July 2).

https://www.deped.gov.ph/2020/07/02/deped-prepares-self-learning-modules-for-e

ducations-new-normal/

Edutopia (2008, July 15). Why Is Assessment Important? Retrieved December 16, 2022 from

https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-
importance#:~:text=Assessment%20is %20an%20integral%20part,%2C%20in%20some%20

cases%2C%20funding.

Edwards, M. (2021, September 20). What is the See Think Wonder Strategy? The Reading

Roundup. https://thereadingroundup.com/see-think-wonder/

Entrance and Exit Tickets | Sheridan Center | Brown University. (n.d.).

https://www.brown.edu/sheridan/teaching-learning-resources/teaching-resources/c

ourse-design/classroom-assessment/entrance-and-exit

Fletcher-Wood, V. A. P. B. H. (2019, April 3). Using exit tickets to assess and plan: ‘The

tuning fork of teaching.’ Improving Teaching. Retrieved December 16, 2022 from

https://improvingteaching.co.uk/2016/04/24/exit-tickets-assess-plan/

Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero. (2019). See / Think / Wonder: A routine

for exploring works of art and other interesting things. Harvard.

https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/See+Think+Wonder.pdf

Helpline. (2021, July 22). Disadvantages of modular learning. Helpline PH.

https://helplineph.com/opinion/disadvantages-of-modular-learning/

Institute for Academic Development. (n.d.). Reflection: What is it and why is it useful? The

University of Edinburgh.

http://www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/iad/Learning_teaching/Academic_pastoral/Reflect/R

eflection_explanation_HO.pdf

Lynch, M. (2022, December 16). The Real Purpose of Assessments in Education. The

Edvocate. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.theedadvocate.org/real-

purpose-assessments-education/

Magsambol, B. (2021, July 20). Distance learning in the Philippines: A year of hits and

misses. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/distance-

learning-philippines-assess ment-2020-2021/

Mastromonaco, Amy. (2015). Exit Tickets' Effect on Engagement and Concept Attainment in

High School Science . Graduate Master's Theses, Capstones, and Culminating

 Projects. 184. https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2015.edu.10

Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program (2019, August 22).

https://www.deped.gov.ph/2019/08/22/august-22-2019-do-021-s-2019-policy-gui

delines-on-the-k-to-12-basic-education-program/

The 40 Reflection Questions. (2011). edutopia. Retrieved December 16, 2022 from

https://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/stw/edutopia-stw-replicatingPBL-21stCAcad-reflect

ion-questions.pdf

APPENDIX

a. Research Map
Research Questions Participants Instruments & Method of
and Sampling Types of Data Analysis
Procedures Data-Gathering
Generated
Techniques
 1. How can Select Grade 10 Instruments Descriptive
teachers English students Quantitative Statistics
objectively from Piapi High Data 1. Find the mode
measure his/her School Survey Questionnaire for each
learning ● 46 Grade ten A survey questionnaire question.
objectives? students Qualitative
from will be used as the primary Thematic
2. How can section Saturn Data Analysis 1.
teachers instrument for gathering Familiarizing
facilitate data/information yourself with
realizations and your data.
reflections from Short Interviews 2. Assigning
students about Short interviews will be preliminary
the lesson topic conducted with the English codes to your
discussed? data in order
teacher and randomly
selected students to support to describe the
3. How can the content.
the data gathered from the
students 3. Searching and
survey questionnaire.
intentionally creating
reflect on their patterns or
learning? themes in your
Data Gathering
Techniques codes across
the different
1. After weeks of interviews.
implementing the use of 4. Reviewing
exit tickets, necessary data themes.
will be gathered through a 5. Defining and
survey questionnaire. naming
themes.
2. The survey 6. Producing
questionnaire will be your report.
distributed among the
teachers and the students.

3. Researchers will conduct

follow-up interviews
among randomly chosen
students and their English
teacher. These interviews
will serve as validation to
the data gathered through
 the survey questionnaire.

4. Response from the

interviews will be
recorded. They will
supplement the data
gathered from the survey
questionnaire and provide
a basis for future reference.

b. Exit Ticket Format