I wrote recently about the benefits of random selection over ‘hands up’. Lolly sticks are a really simple way to randomly select children, but like anything they need to be used properly to ensure the intended positive outcome. Here are some tips:
A cup containing flat wooden sticks (‘lolly sticks’) with names on, one per child.
ask the question before picking a stick out of the cup
use a variety of questions, not just recall
give children time to think, and jot
let children talk to a partner
always put back the sticks so that children know they may be asked again
use the sticks genuinely as they are intended (e.g. don’t use tricks such as colour coding to select specific children; if you want to ask a specific child, just ask them – no need for lolly sticks!)
always use lolly sticks positively, never punitively
