Dot Voting

Dot voting is a quick, visual way for learners to show what they think is most important from a set of options. Each learner gets a fixed number of votes, typically five to ten, which they distribute across the options however they choose. They might spread their votes evenly or weight them heavily towards one item they feel strongly about.

The technique is closely linked to diamond ranking and priority pyramid but is faster and works well with larger numbers of items. It is particularly useful for developing and using success criteria. Present learners with a list of possible success criteria for a task, give them ten votes each, and let them decide which criteria matter most. The resulting pattern shows the class's collective priorities and opens up discussion about why certain criteria were chosen.

Learners must justify their voting. "I put four votes on that one because..." is the sentence starter that turns a simple voting exercise into genuine thinking. The act of distributing limited votes forces decision-making. You cannot vote for everything, so you must weigh up relative importance.

Display the results visually. The pattern of dots makes priorities immediately clear and creates a natural talking point.

Dot voting develops the "Plan" strand (determining success criteria), the "Develop" strand (forming opinions and making decisions), and the "Reflect" strand (reviewing outcomes). It builds cross-curricular numeracy through interpreting data and works across all AoLEs.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens helps you track where prioritisation tools appear in your curriculum, building progression from simple dot voting in primary to more complex ranking activities in secondary.