TurningPoint Case Study

Warren G. Harding High School

BACKGROUND

Warren G. Harding High School (WGH) is home to a diverse group of 1600 students. Darla Banks is an Intervention Specialist for students with multiple disabilities at WGH. As the eldest sister to four brothers, Banks always had a passion for teaching as she regularly instructed her siblings during childhood on various topics.

Earning a degree in Elementary Education, Banks graduated during the month of December when schools had already filled normal teaching positions for the year. After accepting a position in special education that she believed would be temporary, she dedicated the remainder of her career to the area. She completed additional coursework and spent the next 33 years in the profession. After her experience in special education, Banks' motto remains, "The impossible only takes longer."

THE CHALLENGE

In the past year, WGH adopted Turning Technologies' student response system and offered the technology to its teachers for classroom integration. While Banks knew that her students would face challenges using the technology, she was determined to provide the opportunity for her class to use the tool. Keeping her motto in mind, Banks approached the situation like she did all struggles with her class.

Knowing that there had to be a way that would make it possible for her class to use the technology, Banks incorporated previous teaching methods. She regularly utilizes the processes associated with symbol-based printing activities and decided that a few small adjustments were all that needed to make the system work in her teaching environment. Banks noted, "I try to incorporate everything that is available for my class. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. With this particular tool, it really worked and the students loved it."

THE SOLUTION

In order to simplify the process, Banks used a hole punch and placed yellow, blue and red colored circles on the 1/A, 2/B and 3/C buttons of Turning's ResponseCard RF keypad respectively. To take it one step further, she developed note cards that contained the word associated with the response choice, the picture associated with the response choice, and the color associated with the response choice that coordinated with the color on the ResponseCard.

Banks uses the system in a variety of ways, but recently employed it for a unit on fruits and vegetables, asking students to classify fruits or vegetables appropriately. While the class is not regularly tested, questions regarding units are often used to assess progress and knowledge gains. She also uses the system to ask everyday questions such as "What did you do over the weekend?" to engage students in conversation.

"When we used the system, the students are on-task, which is a huge accomplishment for my class," said Banks. "They were laughing, enjoying themselves and they all consistently responded. The students really got it and understood it. I was blown away by the results."

CONCLUSION

Banks continues to train and learn more about the system to implement it into her class every day. After further training, she has since replaced her answer note cards with the TurningPoint feature to "Convert to Picture Slide," which also has the ability to label each picture with its associated color. With the various ways to use the technology, she has already started planning for future implementation including the use of the system to ask students what they would like for lunch every morning. Since the system is so well-received by her students, she is working closely with her own professional development group as well as the trainers at Turning Technologies to expand her knowledge.

"Often my students see their brothers and sisters accessing technology or computers, and they are completely left out of that experience," said Banks. "To use something that they see other people using was so exciting to them. It is extremely popular with my class."

For more information about purchasing Turning Technologies' student response systems for your organization, contact us at 866-746-3015.