Teaching Strategies - Exit Slips

Sooner or later I will actually talk about strategies that I did not learn in EDCI 747, but until then let's keep the review going.

The third strategy we learned was Exit Slips. If you are in your teaching career and haven't tried this strategy yet I highly recommend it!

What are Exit Slips?

Exit slips are a very quick and easy activity that help teachers understand how their students are doing at the end of a lesson or unit. They require very little effort and time. At its basic level, exit slips are a student's ticket out of the classroom - they cannot leave without handing in a slip of paper. 

How do Exit Slips Work?

Exit Slips involve anonymous writing - this gives the students the opportunity to express concerns, comments, and or questions about the lesson and/or unit they are studying. Because it's anonymous, it should not be part of a permanent record of learning - it is simply a way of bringing closure to what was learned.

A lot of the time, Exit Slips may require students to:

• Summarize
• Synthesize
• Evaluate 
• Project

Examples of Exit Slips:

• “The three best things I learned today.”
• “What was confusing about…?”
• “What problems did you have with this lesson?

 

Why Exit Slips?

Exit slips can be very useful and revealing about the day's lesson. If the students are retaining knowledge, the exit slip will demonstrate the learning. If the students are not learning, or are having difficulty with the concept or lesson, they are given the opportunity to express concern without feeling "stupid" or embarrassed in front of the class. Exit slips can also establish the direction for the next class. Based on the exit slips and student input you receive, you can modify or change the class you are about to conduct, or review the previous class in order to reinforce or clarify the topic/concept.

Reflection:

 

I really like this strategy. I was first exposed to it in EDCI 747 (English Methods) last term and I still think that it’s a great idea. I really like the aspect of anonymous writing, especially because I was one of the quiet students who didn’t like asking questions when I was confused. The exit slip provides students with the opportunity to share their thoughts, concerns, and questions without feeling stupid of threatened. It also provides the teacher with an opportunity to see if the students were in fact paying attention and learning.

I will definitely be using this strategy in my own classroom.