Carousel: A Teaching Strategy?

This does not happen to be a circus or amusement park ride method in class. It just follows a rotation manner and uses it in a teaching strategy.

The “carousel” happens to be a teaching strategy. Its general purpose revolves around several questions, determined by the teacher, and the use of small groups. The strategy details each group starts with a poster, which has one question, and has three to five minutes to write anything pertinent and appropriate to the question. After the time ends, the groups rotate to the next poster and see if they add on or give evidence. After every group goes around once, the original group has the same time to prepare to later debrief the class of their question. Within the strategy, there is a probable incorporation of “appropriate scaffolds for your ELs,” if one has any students of this nature. (Fenner, 2017)

In terms of mathematics, one example of an algebraic lesson, based on the order of operations, or PEMDAS, comes to mind. However, along with a question, the poster also showcases an expression. Thus, the question relates to the expression, such as: What is the third operation of this expression: 3(6 * 2 – 5) + 4 * 3? Here, instead of just solving the problems, students will have to read the problem and question closely and solve appropriately. However, with this rotation, different answers may emerge, and students would have to find why certain answers came to be. Throughout the strategy, the teacher may monitor any student and provide feedback, such as asking how they came to determine their answer. Other supports would be to allow any form of answer, such as written text or drawing, and to hand out a word bank or bilingual dictionaries, surrounding the order and the operations in PEMDAS.            

In English classes, this strategy may work well when given a book that the class has read, such as Othello. The teacher may give topics instead, such as themes, symbolism, critical events, characters, and so on. Here, the inclusion of supports, such as visual responses and small group discussion during the exercise, may work as well. Thus, all students may help each other and build greater understanding of the tasks at these certain posters. Teachers may also follow students through their monitoring and provide appropriate feedback.

In social studies classes, the use of the carousel strategy also may work when there can be debate during historical events. An example would be during the Civil War and having posters either having point of views of people from the North, the South, the undecided, or states who supported the North but allowed slavery. Here, individuals may give any type of response on what they believe is important about these sides, in an appropriate manner. Teachers may monitor and give feedback at a good pace and even provide some modeling on how they would like to see students respond to these posters, along with the other supports previously mentioned.

Overall, this strategy may prove risky, in terms of the limited amount of time a class may have. However, it is a risk worth taking to see if it would make students have a clearer comprehension of the lesson they are being taught.

Bibliography:

Fenner, D. S. (2017). Unlocking English Learners’ Potential. Sage