Ticket Out the Door

It is very important that teachers continually check for understanding throughout instruction to clarify or re-teach concepts as needed. There are many ways to do this but one easy strategy to implement is the “Ticket Out the Door” strategy which requires a student to share something they learned or questions that they have BEFORE they leave the classroom.

The “ticket out the door” strategy can help teachers determine comprehension levels of the lessons and activities in which their students are participating. This will help identify any topics or activities that may need further review and/or clarification.

Ticket out the Door is a simple strategy to allow a teacher to quickly check for student understanding of a lesson or a particular concept. It can also be used for students to ask a teacher any question that they may still have prior to leaving for their next class. Once kids are taught the purpose of the strategy and know that they must present the ticket to “get out the door”, it can help motivate them to attend better to the lesson and ask for clarification when needed. This strategy is adapted from Janet N. Zadina’s ‘Ticket out the Door’ in “Six Weeks to a Brain-Compatible Classroom.”

• Child's Age: 6-10, 11-13, 14-17
• Planning Effort: Low
• Difficulty Level: Easy

The teacher must create the “tickets” ahead of time and teach the students the purpose and use. Teachers can be creative with their tickets.

1. Teacher should decide how he would like to use the tickets and create them ahead of time. For example, a teacher may just use index cards or can be more creative and print a fun picture such as a “think bubble” or “lightbulb” and copy for each student. For a more environmentally friendly ticket, simply laminate the ticket and provide the kids with a dry erase marker so tickets can be re-used each day.

2. When it is almost time for the class to end, ask the students to complete their “Ticket out the Door” then stand by the door to collect the “tickets” as the students transition to their next class.

3. Ideally the kids should put their names on the ticket so that the teacher can differentiate instruction based upon student needs. Both regular and special education teachers can work together to help fill in the gaps for the students who are struggling.