Whip Around

Whip Around is a student participation strategy

Each student in the room takes a turn responding to a posed question with quick answers. Teachers use seating order (or another easy-to-follow order) to avoid having to constantly facilitating which student answers next. Responses should come very quickly, so the question must be precise.

This activity gives students practice with explicit turn taking, validates everyone's responses, and allows for precise, focused responding.

Pitfalls: The strategy can fall victim to the "I agree with Suzy" issue.This may be OK for some types of questions, but for others it may fail to elicit the thinking you are seeking from each student. If the question is not sufficiently precise, the whip can take a long time. If the intention is for the whip around to be an extended activity, consider combining with other strategies so that it deepens student thinking beyond the initial question. Manage time carefully, because this strategy can lead to inequitable student voice as early students get more attention and later students are asked to keep it short.