Electronic classroom response systems (or CRS) are tools used to engage students in material; promote discussion; and offer teachers an immediate way to measure lesson and learning effectiveness. Their benefits are well understood for large class sizes and lectures. However, we have been interested to study how they might perform in small classroom settings and to assist educators and students to overcome social and pedagogical constraints peculiar to Japan and ESL contexts. It’s mainly been our wish to find ways to circumvent a certain reticence on the part of students to participate more dynamically in classroom discussions and to offer feedback as to their comprehension of concepts. In this paper we begin by describing the general rationales for using CRS and some description of practices employed. This includes some anecdotal reflections. We then describe our very simple (and small sample size) survey results on student perceptions of the system(s). This generally revealed CRS to be positively viewed on self-assessment of performance and engagement; and as a continuous assessment tool (and welcome alternative to traditional mid-term and final exam formulae). Lastly, the authors discuss CRS juxtaposed with traditional and new constraints in teaching and urge educators to reckon with the cognitive and wider culturally affected and adapted attributes of today’s students
