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Scottish School's Game-Show Style Classroom Getting Good Reviews
Strathclyde University in Scotland has incorporated a rather unorthodox teaching method - and it's working. Students in some classes at the university are engaging in a trivia-show-based teaching method. This new concept, where students use handsets to answer questions, has lead to higher grades among students of the classes. At the root of it is the interactivity that the handsets bring to the classroom.
Throughout the lecture, multiple-choice questions are posed, which the students answer via their handset. If the majority of the class answers correctly, the professor moves on with the discussion. However, if many students miss the question, the professor knows to stop and elaborate or go through that issue again.
The system, which was developed in Hong Kong and researched in the United States, works for several reasons. It brings an element of fun to the classroom. The novelty of the quiz-show style questioning is not lost on the students. It forces students to pay attention to the lecture because they are being quizzed. It also creates a more dynamic atmosphere between the professor and students and helps to initiate class discussions. And all of this helps the professor better design his or her lecture for the next session.
The handsets, which cost some $4,000 per 100 students, have now also been designed as portable handsets. The university had originally had them installed as fixed parts in the classrooms. Professors say grades are improving as a result of the new system. More students are passing with higher grades, and fewer students are transferring out of difficult classes that incorporate the handsets. Extensive research conducted in the United States showed similar results
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