They're called EXIT CARDS and I give them out to my players once practice is over right before they go home.
Here is the process of making, distributed, and using the Exit Cards:
1) After looking over my practice plan for the day I review what ideas/skills/plays we are going over
2) From there I consider what I want my team to take away from the day's practice
3) Next I develop a question, based on the most important theme from our practice, that requires a thoughtful response
4) I write the question out on 10 index cards (1 for each player). On the front of the card I label the date and practice # and write the question. The back is where they provide their answer
5) At the end of practice I give them each a pen and their card and have them write their name on it. I reiterate that the response should be thoughtful.
6) After they finish I collect the cards and file them in each girl's section of the index card box.
7) When I go to plan my next practice I review the thoughts they wrote down on their index cards. I am then able to gauge where they stand on certain ideas, and how deep their understanding really is.
8) Finally, I plan my next practice according to their level of understanding of what we reviewed yesterday.
What the Exit Cards are good for:
- a quick assessment of how much players understood from the practice session
- how much focus they had during the session
- they reinforce important ideas by having the player rethink about what they just learned
Other uses for Exit Cards:
Not every Exit Card has a question specific to something we just covered in practice. Sometimes the questions/topics are:
- Specific Individual Goals
- Team Goals
- Something you want to work on
- A class you need help in
- Ways we can improve as a team
- etc
You can use the Exit Card idea in any way you'd like. It can even be distributed to your players before a classroom/video session to sort of see where there minds are coming into a session. I've found the Exit Cards to be a good tool for our program.
Til next time
thirteen.
