What are the best ways to use online polls in a flipped classroom?

In a flipped classroom, online polls can be powerful engagement tools. Before class, use polls to assess students' prior knowledge on the upcoming topic, allowing you to tailor in-class activities accordingly. During the lesson, incorporate polls to check understanding, encourage participation, and promote active learning. Use the real-time feedback from polls to adapt the pace and content of your teaching. After the class, review the poll results to identify areas where students may need additional support, helping you focus on their specific needs in subsequent lessons. Overall, online polls in a flipped classroom can enhance student engagement, inform instruction, and create a more interactive and dynamic learning environment.

In my experience students love participating in online polls and viewing the results. Allowing students to respond annoyingly in a poll takes pressure off students who may not feel comfortable sharing aloud. I’ve used polls as a formative assessment tool with great success.

Online polls can enhance the flipped classroom model by engaging students in pre-class preparation and stimulating discussion during in-person sessions. Prior to class, polls can be used to gauge students' understanding of assigned material, allowing instructors to tailor lesson plans to address specific areas of confusion. During class, polls can promote active participation by soliciting opinions and encouraging debate. Additionally, they enable real-time assessment of student comprehension, guiding instructors on when to delve deeper into certain topics. Overall, online polls effectively foster a collaborative and interactive learning environment in a flipped classroom setting.

Online polls can be used as a way to formatively assess the students before beginning the face to face component of a lesson. Students can provide insights into their understanding of the content that they have engaged with in the flipped scenario so that teachers can then decide what direction to take the remainder of the lesson. Polls can be a great tool to start discussion and debate as well. Anonymous polls allow students to be more open with their responses, while identified polls allow teachers to gain a deeper insight into each individual's needs.

I've been using PollEverywhere, Quizzis, Google Forms, Forms and even embedded app polling systems (e.g., Teams, Line, Facebook, Instagram) depending on the purpose and audience

For basic use cases, Google forms provides a decent amount of flexibility and gives you the information that you need in Google sheets. There are feature rich options out there. However, one of the main things you want from a poll is that it is simple to use and people can respond easily without getting two bogged down by any of the technical elements of the program.

In a flipped classroom, optimise online polls by setting clear objectives, choosing user-friendly platforms, and ensuring consistency. Diversify question formats, allowing anonymity for honest responses. Provide immediate feedback using real-time results and integrate polls seamlessly with lesson content. Customise polls for specific topics, encourage peer collaboration, and utilise data analysis for targeted interventions. Support technical issues, prompt student reflection on results, and establish a routine for regular engagement. These strategies create an effective and dynamic flipped learning environment.

Online polls can be powerful tools in a flipped classroom, adding a layer of engagement and assessment to your teaching. Use them to gauge pre-existing knowledge before diving into new concepts, assess comprehension during or after online materials, and generate discussion around key topics. Don't be afraid to get creative! Incorporate polls into interactive activities and simulations to make learning dynamic and help students apply knowledge in real-time. Remember, polls are just one piece of the puzzle – use them alongside other assessment methods to get a well-rounded picture of your students' understanding.