Consensogram

Courtesy of Langford International, Inc.

This is an example of another improvement tool that we use in class. Sometimes the "consensogram" is used to help us make decisions. It "...is a statistical survey that measures an entire group's perception of effort, committment, understanding, etc." In this case, the students were deciding if they were ready to learn a new lesson in our math curriculum. The students anonymously write on a post-it note, a percentage (10% increments) that reflect their feeling about the question. The post-it notes are then collected and organized by students. The students then discuss the results and make a decision. In this case, the results were fairly divided. Some students felt confident enough to go forward based on their understanding of previous lessons while others weren't quite ready to take on a new math concept. The student "feeling" was to review the previous lessons taught.

It's too often that things are done to students without giving them a chance to voice their own ideas or feelings about their learning. I believe that students and people will care more about their learning when they get to play a part in the process of decision making. 

Think of a time when you got to make your own choice in the classroom or at home. Did it change the way you did something? How? Why is decision making important in your life? What can you learn from decision making?    

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone