A Ticket to Exit

And that's my cue to exit. The five-minute bell for gym sounds throughout the whole school, and teaching seniors sometimes proves to be a challenge once that Pavlovian sound echoes quietly outside. The question becomes, "How do I motivate seniors the period before their lunch or gym period once that bell chimes?" More importantly, how do I use that time in a meaningful way to evaluate student growth and gather information to drive my instruction?

Exit tickets and end-of-period challenges are great ways to review valuable course content and keep students engaged as the clock ticks closer to the bell. The information generated from these tools can also drive future lessons in which material may need to be retaught, revisited, or revised.

Get Techie

Formative assessment tech tools are always a hit. Gamifying the student experience is a great way to motivate and re-engage at the end of the lesson. Students often become competitive and eager to participate. My favorite end-of-lesson review games are Quizziz and Quizlet Live. While Kahoot is a classic, Quizziz allows for more individualized pacing, and Quizlet Live tasks students with talking about the content as they rely on their group to succeed.

A Google Form survey quickly gathers data that can be projected to the whole class. Checkbox questions create a bar graph, and multiple-choice response questions become pie charts that help both teachers and students understand the class's progress with specific concepts and learning targets. Free-response questions can then be used to gather more individualized data and feedback.

If a teacher is hoping for more individual feedback, a tool like Padlet can quickly create a place in which students can share their reflections, links, resources, and videos. This tool can become a Flipgrid, a survey, an idea board, and more. With so much flexibility, the use of Padlet as an exit ticket provides teachers with a full picture of what students accomplished in a given period or what they might need work within subsequent lessons.

Another tech tool I have been recommending to colleagues during observations is Socrative. This webtool is older, but the auto-generated exit ticket works well in a short time frame and can gather a comprehensive look at student progress. This tool does have a quiz feature, and teachers can pre-build more extensive formative assessments, but it also has quick questions that teachers can push out at the moment. Having the data collected electronically makes it easy for teachers to reflect on the outcomes and use that information to create instructional choices for the next lesson.

Get Crafty

 As winter approaches, creating a reason for students to become active can liven any classroom. Giving students a specific prompt and a small piece of white paper, have them respond, crumple that paper, and throw it. By throwing a "snowball" around the room, students will not only have an excuse to let out a little energy but also can learn from someone else's experience. Once they catch a snowball, students should read and reflect on what another person said. Teachers could even craft a second-round snowball fight by having students read and write a response.

Another crafty strategy to evaluate student learning is to create exit bins in which students place a name tag, paper, or other items in a folder or bin that indicates whether they've nailed a learning target, are still working, or need additional help. Having a physical exit activity can encourage students to talk and reflect on class content while they leave the classroom.

My favorite crafty exit ticket is customizing post-it notes. Customized post-it notes have so many uses. I have printed rubrics or questions to consider on my post-it notes. I have also made a generic, "What stuck today?" post-it note. Students can then place these post-its on a board, on the door, or in a specific column or location to indicate mastery of the day's learning target. Students love the customized post-it, mainly when I use my Bitmoji as part of the process.

Get Talking

An active class increases engagement. Have students get out of their seats in the last few minutes and vote with their feet. Using the four corner method, students can vote on their progress of the learning targets, their opinions on course content discussed, or even share what they are in the learning process.

Students can also talk by delivering a one-minute elevator pitch selling a concept, idea, or connection they have made throughout the period. This elevator pitch is a persuasive exercise that could become a competition with students voting on the best response. It could also be a great way to share out group work or final thoughts on a debatable topic. Whatever the case may be, a quick one-minute sales pitch can make learning memorable.

If there's an extra moment in any class period, taking the time to have a social-emotional check-in with students can be helpful. Have students check in with a peer, share a highlight from their days outside of class, or celebrate positive events happening in the school community. Taking time to talk to students and build relationships will enhance the classroom climate and lead to more productive, positive experiences moving forward.

Whether we teach students all day or for only 45 minutes, sending them off in an engaging and energized way leads to wonderful conversations and classroom learning in the future. Every moment with students is valuable and should be utilized, but the manner in which those precious closing minutes are directed can vary based on the needs of the students and the class climate. It is okay to talk, have fun, and connect with one another; it is okay to build community. Planning these activities with intention can make any end-of-lesson experience a hit!