Saturday, August 3, 2019

Five ways to phrase questions to engage all students

Inspired by five weekends in August ... weekend edition ... sharing five fives on Saturday this month to celebrate #MTBoSBlaugust!

How can you phrase questions to engage all students in participating in class?  Here are five ideas ... 



Be specific about waiting:  "Don't raise your hand; I want everyone to have time to think about this!  Be ready to explain your process in 57 seconds ... setting the timer now for think time!"   







Choose a few students to share their work:  "Take a minute to visualize this problem.  Can you write or sketch a possible [solution, example, counterexample]?  As I walk around the room, I'm going to select 3 students to share their work with the class."





Encourage more than one correct answer:  "Create an example to support this [problem, statement, scenario] and write it down.  In a minute we will share examples to see how many ways the [problem, statement, scenario] can be supported."






Check individual work:  "Put the next step on your whiteboard; be ready to explain why this step is necessary. I'll take a tour of the room to see your work; I may ask you to share your reasoning."  






Encourage sharing:  "Stop and jot down your thoughts on this problem.  In a minute you are going to share your ideas with your partner."





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