Yes, #stickers in High School #WebDesign! #busedu

Call me crazy (it's probably true) but I am SUPER BIG into formative assessment and not taking grades until they really mean something. So, in my Web Design class where we focus on hardcore coding for the first two months, it's critical that students are challenged and provided feedback daily. My solution? Stickers. Yep. STICKERS.

That's the back of my web design book. It's a book I print up each year (I've considered going digital, but part of the "always on computers in a lab" part of me appreciates making them write in a workbook old school from time to time.)

So, most days, I put up a coding bellringer. It's a simple webpage. They have to start from scratch and try to recreate it in a suitable amount of time (typically 10 minutes, but right now, I'm pushing closer to 15). Sometimes, I hold it until the end of class instead and then the clock really ticks since the bell is going to ring. I'm using Emoji stickers this week, but some weeks it's animal stickers or Star Wars stickers or whatever random stickers I pick. I have a book of holiday stickers that I've used for years.

Here's my rule: I will check your codes and see if you did it and give you a sticker IF AND ONLY IF it's right on the first try. So, you have to check and double check and triple check your codes before you call me over. In a rush? Call me too soon? Forget to close the body? NO STICKER.

It's a bit fun and not super competitive until the smarty pants kids don't get their stickers on the first round and the slow but sure kiddos start to feel like they are the real winners in the bunch. I love it and it gives me an excuse to buy stickers. 

Scratch and sniff, anyone? :)