Daily Participation
And Popsicle Sticks

If we are going to make certain that every child is successful in every class -- and thereby close the achievement gap by leaving nobodys child behind -- we must be sure that every student participates in every class every day. Larry Bell, author of 12 Powerful Words That Increase Test Scores and Help Close the Achievement Gap, offers many ways to ensure that all children participate every day, including the popsicle stick strategy.

I have seen this strategy used successfully in many elementary schools, but it can be easily adapted for use in all grades, Bell told Education World. With this strategy, the teacher writes each students name on a Popsicle stick. They hold the sticks in their hand and pull out names at random as they ask questions. With a system such as this one, all students must pay attention because they never know when the teacher might call on them. Once the teacher pulls out a students stick, the kid is not off the hook for the remainder of the class period; his or her stick is returned to the bunch.

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Daily Participation: One Key to Raising Achievement by Larry Bell

09/14/2010