During my first week at my new school, I was introduced to using popsicle sticks to call on students. I had never heard of it, but it was highly recommended by the administration staff. I can recall my principal meeting with me for my teacher evaluation, and she suggested that I use the sticks for student engagement. There was also an all staff email sent out from a fellow teacher stating she had ordered sticks and was selling them. I quickly responded, stating I had 150 students, and within a day, the sticks were in my hand. According to Marzano, this strategy is titled “random names.”
My first staff meeting began with using random names. We were in a classroom and were instructed to do a read, write, and discuss activity. All the teachers read a passage, which was timed, wrote a short paragraph, and discussed the paragraph with our elbow partner. Teachers were smiling and sharing their paragraphs until the facilitator, the teacher leader, drew a stick out of a jar. The facilitator politely asked a question about their response. After the first response, she continued to draw names. I was nervous and so was my elbow partner. We both let out a nervous chuckle when our names were not chosen. However, we discussed how we were prepared if she called our names because we did not want to be shamed in front of our coworkers.
That was my firsthand experience, a little nerve wracking. I used the strategy in all my classes every day. My class began with a grammar bellwork review, a daily lesson, and an exit slip or closing question. I used the random names quite frequently, especially when seeking answers for the grammar review. Students would cringe and sigh when I pulled out the sticks, but they appeared to be engaged. Teachers were told at a staff meeting not to allow someone to pass the answer when their stick was drawn. I incorporated that too within my class. If a student’s name was drawn and they did not want to answer a question, I would give a wait time and encourage them to answer. It worked almost every time, except for one reluctant student. Just like me during the staff meeting, the anticipation of having your name being chosen and being prepared was the motivating factor in making this strategy work. Tell me your experience with random names. Does it work in your class?
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