Classroom Management

 Classroom management is an incredibly important concept for teachers to master in order to ensure that students remain focused, engaged, and learning in the classroom. Students need to develop routines in the classroom in order to establish a normal classroom environment with norms that are adhered to on a daily basis.

One app that I have looked into a lot and really like is called "Stick Pick". Stick Pick is a great way to help teachers with class participation and ensuring that every student is heard from during a lesson. Teachers simply program the names of the students of their classes into the app and it will randomly pick a student's name to be called on. This is like an electronic version of the days when teachers would use popsicle sticks in the classroom in order to call on students.

Another interesting feature of the app is the ability to pre-input questions for a certain lessons and topics. This will also pose a question to the student whose name appears to be called on. Students do not need to do anything in order to integrate this app into the classroom - it is 100% done by the teacher! This would used in my classroom on nearly a daily basis in order for me to ask checking questions of my students throughout the lesson. The mystery of when they will be called on will help to keep them focused and it is a low-pressure way to keep the class engaged. Additionally, this will be done in my classroom throughout the entirety of the school year. 

While students may find this method of participation annoying at first, we will work to overcome their doubts as we progress through the year. This system will not be used to grade students on right or wrong answers. This is just looking to check their progress and it is perfectly acceptable if a student does not know the answer to a question or is confused. That is why I am doing this! This will be one of my daily tools for formative assessment. 

A possible downside to Stick Pick is that it is only available on mobile phones and not on computers. This requires me to have my cell phone on hand during class and could prove to be a distraction to me and my students during the lesson. Additionally, the app costs $3.99 in the App Store and is not free. While this is a minimal cost that could well be worth it for teachers, it is something to keep in mind when other teachers are deciding whether or not to incorporate the app into their classroom. I think that Stick Pick has great functionality for a high school history classroom and that it will greatly improve my ability to manage both my classroom and class participation.