Step 5: Using Technology to Elevate Student Thinking

While Timothy Patrick McCarthy uses classroom discussion to position students as knowledge holders, Dan Levy uses technology. By giving his students an iPad to solve problems on the projection screen, he reduces barriers for students to share their thinking with the class. This technique also makes the classroom more inclusive for those who might be uncomfortable coming to the front of the room to use the board or document camera. As students write their own answers, they surface misconceptions that the instructor might not otherwise catch; these misconceptions become important learning opportunities. Levy sums up the value of the technique: “Giving the iPad to the student is also empowering them to be part of the learning process, which in some way is a symbol of what I try to do in the classroom.”

Profiled: Dan Levy, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, teaches "Advanced Quantitative Methods" to 74 students at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Takeaway Tips

Start small. Especially at the beginning of a course, work to get students comfortable with public problem-solving using less complicated questions. Vocalize that your intention for using interactive problem-solving is to gain insight into student thinking, rather than as a way to simply distinguish correct from incorrect answers.

Examine thinking as much as answers. Use interactive problem-solving to check the effectiveness of your lectures and to identify which topics and skills students are mastering and which ones may require reteaching.

Communicate the value of well-reasoned wrong answers. For students, demonstrating thinking publicly can be uncomfortable, so making it O.K. to be wrong will ease some of that discomfort.

Related Resources

For tech support Dan Levy relies on HKS colleague Teddy Svoronos, who gives advice for writing on a tablet screen, useful for in-person and remote teaching. For in-person learning, the iPad can remain tethered to one spot in the room or, with slightly more sophisticated technology, become untethered and thus able to travel to students’ desks. 

This EdSurge article argues that technology can help instructors create inclusive classrooms, as long as they focus on building relationships with students. 

University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching provides a helpful guide on “Choosing Your Technology” to best serve your instructional needs.

Reflection Questions

What opportunities for students to share their knowledge with the class are built into your course? Which students are taking advantage of those opportunities? 

How might you use technology to make students’ thinking visible so that you can learn from their misconceptions as well as their insights?

Dan Levy highlights how technology can make participation more inclusive and make student thinking more visible. In the next video, we’ll learn more about disrupting the hierarchy that elevates “right” answers over “wrong” ones.

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