Evaluating Nearpod as an Anticipatory Set Tool in Secondary Mathematics Education

Abstract

An important aspect to teaching is finding the most effective strategy for starting a class period that allows for continued discussion and connecting key ideas throughout the lesson. The purpose of this qualitative study is to discover how using Nearpod as an anticipatory set encourages students to make connections within the material for high school math students. An Algebra II teacher was the participant of this study. This study was a qualitative case study with notes on lesson plan design, planned Nearpod activities, and a reflection from the teacher through an interview. The data collection consisted of digital notes taken during and after the interview. The data and participant interview supported the idea that Nearpod anticipatory sets increases students’ willingness to participate in discussion both at the beginning and throughout the rest of the class period. The results showed that Nearpod anticipatory sets are beneficial for promoting discussion, reviewing fluency skills quickly, and having students create predictions further into the lesson.