I used to think elementary when I heard someone talking about math stations. Four or five years ago a mentor of mine taught me that math stations are not only doable in middle school, but middle school students still love them.
And y’all I haven’t looked back since.
I love me some stations.
What does this have to do with QR Codes?
When I first began implementing stations I was on the hunt for activities that students could work on without me holding their hand. QR Codes was one of those activities.
By adding QR Codes to my task cards students are able to check their answers on their own.
No more, “Mrs. Weaver, is this the right answer for #2?”
QR Codes have freed me up to work with small groups.
I have found that this type of activity also encourages students to take ownership of their learning. Could they just scan the code and have the answer? Absolutely. But what do they learn from that? This is the type of conversation we have often when we first start doing task cards with QR Codes. Students are encouraged to do the work before scanning and then if they make a mistake and come up with an incorrect answer they are encouraged to figure out their mistake on their own.
I love seeing the growth in my students over the year using these task cards.
Quiz and Test can be scary words for students. If I can assess my students without using those two words or without making it feel like an assessment? Well I’m here for that.
Plickers is a great formative assessment tool. When I first started using Plickers a few years ago it was free. Sadly you now have to pay for the full version.
But don’t let that deter you.
You can ask up to five questions at a time using the free version. This still works perfectly as a warm up or an exit ticket type activity.
If you have never used plickers, here’s a quick run down of how it works.
Students each have an unique qr code that they use to answer multiple choice questions. You use your device to scan the qr codes to record answers. It’s immediate feedback for everyone. You can read more about them in this post I wrote a few years ago.
Classroom Documentation…there’s a fun topic.
You can use QR Codes to help you with documentation. I love this idea from Preppy Zesty Teacherista.
Have students scan a QR code to document no homework, or leaving the classroom for the bathroom or nurse, or being tardy. The options are endless.
Want to get students excited about a free pencil or a fun little eraser? And I’m talking Middle School students.
Amp up the anticipation of rewards with QR Codes.
Students love the anticipation of not knowing what little reward they will receive. I find it fun to watch them act like they know or remember each QR code. Most of these rewards cost me nothing and students seriously love it. It’s a game of chance.
Last but not least, use QR Codes to help your students study and prepare for an upcoming assessment. When you make that study guide, add a QR code to it that links students to a helpful youtube video.
You could even have your students find the videos for you.
When they get home and need a little extra help on that one problem, they can scan the QR code and watch a video that explains how to solve the problem.
Do you use QR Codes in your classroom?
How do you use them?
