Teaching Tool:
Admit, Exit Slips

Admit and exit slips are small pieces of paper on which students respond to a thought-provoking question or statement. The slips are also completed quickly -- usually in five minutes or less -- but they differ in timing. Admit slips are done before or at the start of class, while exit slips are completed after class or at the end of the day (or period). Both invite students to reflect on the material presented during class and share their observations with the teacher.

Admit and exit slips help you gain a sense of student confusions about key ideas, reports high school reading teacher Doug Buehl. "You gain insight into how students are thinking about the material, and you may see a need for further teaching or reinforcement. You can also identify how students may be personalizing the information."

Some of Buehl's favorite assignments include writing about a significant or surprising fact that was learned during class, sharing something that might be confusing about the material or a question that the student still has about it, and choosing a quote from a reading that is worthy of discussion and telling why. By utilizing open-ended questions with no "correct" answers, Buehl empowers his students and students feel that their thinking is prized and appreciated.

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Daily Exit Slips Help Teachers Know What Students Really Learned

09/14/2010