Effective Pacing of Activities

Effective pacing of activities in a classroom ensures that students remain engaged and active in their learning process.

• Opportunities to Respond (OTR): Provide frequent and varied opportunities for students to actively engage with the material, ensuring they have many chances to participate.

• Active Student Responding (ASR): Encourage students to actively respond during lessons, which can include answering questions, participating in group discussions, or collaborative activities.

Goal:

Aim for around 12 responses per minute but adjust based on the type of activity and context. Some activities may naturally have fewer responses. 

Tools:

• Choral Responding: answering questions orally as a group.

• Written Responding: using response boards or cards (e.g., “agree/disagree,” multiple choice (“A/B/C/D,” “true/false”), which allows for quick visual checks of understanding.

• Physical Responding: gestures or movement (e.g., thumbs up or down)

• Think-Pair-Share: Students think individually, then discuss with a partner before sharing with the class.

• Whiteboard Responses: Students write answers on individual whiteboards and hold them up for the teacher to see.

• Clickers or Apps: Use student response systems (e.g., clickers or educational apps) to gather instant feedback from all students.