Description: Stack a red and green Solo cup together and place on each lab table/group work area. The colors allow groups to signal the teacher in various ways depending on the situation. Green on top may mean everyone’s doing great, our group has no questions at this time, while red on top means someone here needs help or has a question. Colors can also be used to indicate a group’s progress on a task. Green may mean the group is still working, while red signals that the group is finished and ready to be tested/have you check its work/or give it something else to do. Once the red cup is up, the teacher responds as soon as possible. Meanwhile groups are expected to keep working.
Rationale: This strategy allows groups to communicate their needs or status without having to stop working, unlike the alternative (hands raised, eyes following you as they call out your name). Lay the groundwork for this by telling them that the cup is not a demand for your immediate attention, it is a notification. You will honor it by getting to them as soon as you can, but meanwhile you expect them to keep working. This strategy is life-altering!!! It has two huge benefits: 1) it creates a calmer, less stressful environment in the classroom (because a bunch of students aren’t waving their hands in the air, and/or calling your name!); 2) most of the time as they continue working and talking to each other, students solve their problems themselves and put the green cup back on top before you ever get to their table. As a result, this strategy not only makes teachers’ lives easier, it strongly encourages student problem-solving and self-reliance.