Polls involve students responding to a question, often in the form of selecting a set answer to a multiple-choice question. Responses can be seen by the educator to check for understanding and may be seen or shared with the class.
Instructions
- Present a multiple-choice question to the students about a key element of content that has already been covered.
- Give students a few minutes to consider their answer and respond.
- Share the correct answer and allow time for a brief discussion where students can ask questions or share their thoughts.
- TIP: Digital polls allow for anonymous responses and the educator can easily see how many students chose each answer. Polls can be embedded in your PowerPoint using a QR code. For more information on digital polling, see Poll Everywhere @ANU | The Learning and Teaching blog for ANU and Combining Poll Everywhere with Pedagogy | The Learning and Teaching blog for ANU.
Resources
- A multiple-choice question
- For a digital poll: a poll set up using technology such as PollEverywhere. Students will require a device (laptop or smartphone) with an internet connection to access the poll
- For a low-tech poll: Polls don’t need to be digital. Students could, for example, be given mini whiteboards to write their answer on and hold up, or hold up coloured cards or numbers of fingers that correspond to their chosen answer.
Variations
- Make it peer learning: Get students to have a go at answering the question independently, then discuss it with a peer.
- Make it a game: Scatter polls throughout the course and treat them as competitive pop quizzes, keeping a scoreboard to create a sense of competition and motivation. This may work especially well if students are placed in consistent teams.