It sounds impossible at first-- to have every student answer every question. However, it is totally possible!
Picture this:
You're giving a lecture. While a few students are attentive, most of the class is completely out of it. You pose a question to the class, and (of course) the same 2 students raise their hands. This is the third time in a row! So, what do you do? Do you cold call? Ask for new people to raise their hands?
You could, but there's another way.
In the same scenario, you can still call on one of the two star-students. However, this time, follow up with this simple question.
"Who agrees with (student's name)'s response?" and raise your own hand to demonstrate how you want your students to respond.
Take a moment to remember when you were in high school, or even in college. You've seen it for yourself. The instructor asks a question, and someone else takes one for the team and responds. If the teacher confirms that the answer is right, the class moves on. But here's the scary part. You don't remember the correct answer the student shared- or even what the teacher asked in the first place! Put yourself in the student's shoes once again, but this time, imagine that your teacher asks "who agrees with Julia's answer?" Suddenly, you have to ask yourself the teacher's question. You have to come up with a solution, and you have to respond. The result? Students become more aware of what they know and don't know, and the teacher performs a formative assessment of the students.
This is a great way to CFU (check for understanding). This strategy provides a lot of flexibility and potential points of engagement. For example, a followup question could be "can anyone add (or want to add) to Julia's response?" Teachers can also say "(student's name) why do you agree (or disagree) with Julia's response? This is a great way to keep your students' attention because now they are held accountable to participate.
Consider adding the "Every Student Answers" strategy to your teacher toolbox!😄
Picture this:
You're giving a lecture. While a few students are attentive, most of the class is completely out of it. You pose a question to the class, and (of course) the same 2 students raise their hands. This is the third time in a row! So, what do you do? Do you cold call? Ask for new people to raise their hands?
You could, but there's another way.
In the same scenario, you can still call on one of the two star-students. However, this time, follow up with this simple question.
"Who agrees with (student's name)'s response?" and raise your own hand to demonstrate how you want your students to respond.
Take a moment to remember when you were in high school, or even in college. You've seen it for yourself. The instructor asks a question, and someone else takes one for the team and responds. If the teacher confirms that the answer is right, the class moves on. But here's the scary part. You don't remember the correct answer the student shared- or even what the teacher asked in the first place! Put yourself in the student's shoes once again, but this time, imagine that your teacher asks "who agrees with Julia's answer?" Suddenly, you have to ask yourself the teacher's question. You have to come up with a solution, and you have to respond. The result? Students become more aware of what they know and don't know, and the teacher performs a formative assessment of the students.
This is a great way to CFU (check for understanding). This strategy provides a lot of flexibility and potential points of engagement. For example, a followup question could be "can anyone add (or want to add) to Julia's response?" Teachers can also say "(student's name) why do you agree (or disagree) with Julia's response? This is a great way to keep your students' attention because now they are held accountable to participate.
Consider adding the "Every Student Answers" strategy to your teacher toolbox!😄