This comes from Katie Slusar and Pippa Boyns.
Who is it for?
KS3 groups or anywhere you want to encourage (or discourage!) contributions.
Outline of idea
Version One – targeting a quiet pupil
Give pupil anywhere between one and five contribution cards. These should be small pieces of paper or card, could have a C on it to identify it or be a nice colour. When pupils make a contribution during whole class discussion then you take away one of their contribution cards. The aim is to get rid of all of your cards by the end of the lesson.
Version Two – targeting a more enthusiastic pupil
Give pupils anywhere between one and five contribution cards. These pupils have been known to dominate class discussions/make poor or inappropriate points. They therefore have to think carefully about when and what they would like to contribute to lessons. Once again when they make a contribution a card will be taken away. When they have no cards left their contributions will no longer be accepted.
How it worked
This has worked successfully in a geography classroom and allowed for all pupils to get involved in the learning. Pupils are at the stage where they will help themselves to contribution and make decisions about the number of cards they take per lesson. This has also improved the quality of the contributions which students are making.
Next steps
Pupils naturally get into the cycle of managing their own learning and meeting targets. They also become more aware of other pupils around them.