Teacherless Learning: The Lecture Free Classroom

By Chris PickeringMLA Citation: Barnes, Larry J. "Lecture Free High School Biology

Using an Audience Response System." The American Biology Teacher 70.9 (2008): 531-36. Web. <

http://www.nabt.org/websites/institution/index.php?p=174>.

Audience Response SystemWhat is it?

A small, handheld remote for recording students’ responses for given questions.

Answers go straight to the teachers computer and they can see how the students’ did on the questions.

Advantages and DisadavtagesEnhances

questioning during lectures

Enables cooperative learning groups

Positive relationship of learning outcomes

Can be used in anonymous surveys

Should not be used every day of the school week

Can be frustrating using a new piece of technology

The ResearchStudy conducted on 43 sophomore biology

students in an Idaho high school.Students took a 30-40 question pretest and

post test at the beginning and end of three units.

During the three units, two class periods used the audience response system, two did not.

The audience response system was used in groups. The students would split into small groups and answer 50-60 questions approximately 2-3 times per week.

The ResultsUnit 1 saw a 18.8% gain between pre-test and post

test for the audience response classes and a gain of 18.3% for the lecture based classrooms.

Unit 2 saw a 20.4% gain between pre-test and post test for the audience response classes and a gain of 12.3% for the lecture based classrooms.

Unit 3 saw a 12.2% gain between pre-test and post test for the audience response classes and a gain of 13.9% for the lecture based classrooms.

With the three lectures combined the students who used the lecture free technology did 2.6% better overall.

Students Thoughts Anonymous survey results from 41 sophomores about lecture free vs.

lecture-based teaching and the use of Qwizdom remotes.

Agree Neutral Disagree I liked the “lecture-free” approach more than the “lecture-based” approach.

51% 22% 27% The “lecture-free” approach was more frustrating than the “lecture-based” approach. 44% 29%

27% I feel that I learned more from the “lecturefree” approach than I did from the “Lecture based” approach.

51% 20% 29% I had to use my brain more in the “lecturefree” approach than I did in the “lecture based” approach.

68% 22% 10% Working in small groups to answer questions on Qwizdom is a better way to learn than working individually.

68% 25% 7% Rather than all “lecture-free” or all “lecturebased” approaches, I think a mixture of the two would be best.

64% 29% 7% Working in small groups to answer questions on Qwizdom helps me learn more than taking notes from Powerpoint presentations.

49% 32% 19%

Cooperative Learning GroupsAudience response systems are a great way to split students up into

groups and let them work together.Also, they are a great way for assessment.Students can work to figure out answers for questions and the

teacher can see how well they are understanding the material.Cooperative learning groups give students the opportunity to talk to

each other and hear a different perspective other than the teachers.The lecture free classroom can be used in any subject area. The teacher should split the students into groups and have them

answer questions from the text or questions that the teacher has provided.

The best way for high school students to learn is for communication to take place between not only the teacher and students, but between the students themselves.

The lecture free audience response system is a great way to do this.

Quotes from the Students Themselves “I like doing the research and learning myself or with others because I

can’t concentrate when I have to listen for a long period of time.” “Lecture-free I think is more interesting or active compared to lecture-

based where you just take notes and is kind of boring.” “I like the lecture-free approach much better because when you use the

Qwizdoms you actually have to understand and comprehend it and with lecture I tend to zone out and copy the words.”

“I like the lecture free because it makes me use my brain more and is more challenging. The lecture based is kind of confusing to me.”