You know the scene…
As a teacher, you ask a question.
A student gives the correct answer.
You either smile, nod, or reaffirm them before quickly moving on.
Then you ask another question.
A different student answers, incorrectly this time.
You give them that “are you sure” look, ask them a second time, or say something like, “Nice try, but that’s not quite right.”
Then this second student either gives you another answer, you guide them to the correct answer, OR you call on another student to help out.
It all seems harmless right?
But…are you really helping your students? Are you really pushing them to think more deeply and provide rationale for their thinking?
Here’s an idea:
When a student gives a correct answer, ask “Are you sure?”
Chances are pretty good that if this is a new concept in your classroom, you’re going to catch that student off guard. They’ll probably hem and haw a bit, particularly if it’s an easy answer. They may wonder why you’re “picking” on them, or they may get very self-conscious.
However, if this becomes a regular concept in your classroom, students will soon realize that you’re not second-guessing them to be rude. Rather you are asking them to explain their thinking. You want them to be able to go into detail about their rationale.
Plus, this method allows you to really push your students. Make them explain their reasoning when they are right and wrong. Often students who give a wrong answer and then asked “Are you sure?” will come to the right answer with very little, if any, extra prompting needed by the teacher. When they are forced to think about the answer and their logic for getting to that conclusion – they’ll often realize where they went wrong. And even if they are unable to articulate where they went wrong, there’s a good chance you as the teacher will be able to help them because you’ll understand their thought process better.
So today I challenge you.
Question your students more. You obviously can’t do this with every question you ask throughout the day, but start doing this 2-3 times a day – for both right and wrong responses. See how your students react. See how they pay more attention to their responses. Watch how they grow and mature.
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