Quick Writes/Entrance Tickets
A quick write is a fast and easy way to get participants to collect their ideas and put them into writing. During a quick write, give participants 2 to 10 minutes to write a response to an open-ended prompt or question. Participants can jot their thoughts on a piece of paper or large notecard. Quick writes can be used before a module or lesson (called an entrance ticket), during a module or lesson, or after a module or lesson (called an exit ticket) to encourage participants to think about what they already know about a concept or to reflect on their learning.
If you use a quick write as part of an introduction, you can get a quick measure of participant’s past experiences with the topic so you can better tailor your message to their level of understanding. You can also use a quick write as a quick knowledge check to help you and participants monitor their comprehension. Because time is limited and the focus is on content, it is important to stress to participants that grammar and spelling are not graded in a quick write activity.
Writing is a challenge for some participants and adding a time limit can increase the stress they feel to produce something of value. This activity may also be challenging for non-native English writers. Depending on the size of the group, you may find it hard to find enough time to review dozens of quick writes. Also, it is often difficult to read other people’s handwriting, especially when it was hastily written.
Instructions
How to use a quick write as an entrance ticket:
- Write an open-ended question or prompt.
- Print the prompt and instructions for the activity on a half sheet of paper.
- Distribute the entrance ticket to participants as they enter the classroom.
- Explain the activity and set a timer.
- Collect the unsigned writing sheets and review them on your next break.
Instructor-Led Training
Instead of collecting the quick writes/entrance tickets, you can ask participants to share their writing with a partner or table group. Then, ask table group representatives to summarize the ideas shared at their tables. You can also put a digital twist on the quick write and ask participants to compose a response in the form of a Twitter message using a hashtag unique to your class or a text message to you. To avoid sharing personal information, you can install a free app to set up an alternative phone number that connects to your smart phone or other device.
Web-Based Training
Instead of setting a time limit, you can set a word limit (e.g., Twitter’s 240-word limit). You can ask participants to post their quick write/entrance ticket to the course discussion board at the start of a lesson or module.
Web Conference Training
You can use either the public or private chat function on the web conference platform to collect participants’ quick writes/entrance tickets. Some platforms allow you to save and print out chat threads so you can review and analyze them later.