What It Is
Thumbs Up/Down Vote is another one of those quick techniques that many teachers use frequently. It is simply a yes/no vote with students putting their thumb up if they agree and down if they disagree. This simple technique provides a quick reading of the class, but to make it meaningful, it should be used as the second or last part of a Ripple. In other words, the vote ought to represent deep thinking that has already occurred, and for which you have already required evidence from each of your students.
How It Works
- Ask a question for which a yes/no or agree/disagree response is appropriate. As students to complete a Quick-Write or to do a Think-Pair-Share where they explain their selection and justify their thinking.
- Ask students to put their thumb pointing up if the answer is yes or if they agree. You can also give in-between options (for example, thumb sideways if they agree with qualifiers). Before or after this step, ask students to share their rationales for their responses.
- Don’t forget to follow-through. If you ask students to vote, don’t move on until all have done so.
How to Ensure Higher-Order Thinking
To ensure that student votes represent higher-order thinking, this technique should be used as the second or last step of a Ripple. The Ripple describes a questioning format in which students work individually, then in pairs or small groups, then in a whole group format. Prior to asking for an up/down vote, be sure that students have done the rest of the Ripple. Ask them to justify their responses on a Quick-Write. Link your Thumbs Up/Down Votes with a quick Pair-Share in which students justify their rationale for voting the way they did.
Add the in-between options. Rarely is anything black or white. Allow students to put their thumbs at an angle or sideways to take the middle road. Practice creating statements that cab be either true or false depending on the rationale. The key is that students are able to justify the response that they selected, even if they selected a neutral response.
Source
Himmele P., and Himmele, W. Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner. ASCD, 2017, pp.58-59.