What happens when a student raises their hand?...

What REALLY happens when a student raises their hand?...

We have all been in a classroom, our own, or while observing some else's classroom, when the teacher asks the most amazing question! ... The teacher gives students time to think and reflect, and some hands fly up to answer... maybe even most of the classes hands.  Then,  what happens next?... the teacher calls on the first student to answer and set the stage, or bar if you will, for other comments.   As a few more students answer,  some students hold back from sharing all together for fear of judgment in front of their peers.  With each response the window into student thinking becomes more narrow.  What just happened?... The teacher just got a great snapshot of a few student's thinking, ... but what about the rest of the class?... Who had something to share, that we could have ALL learned from?... Maybe it was that perfect "wrong answer" from a learner's perspective that would give everyone an aha moment of clarity. 

So many great tools for capturing students thinking came from our struggles to engage students during the pandemic such as, Jamboard, Peardeck, Nearpod, Desmos, and others . When we pair these tools and strategies with individual accountability student thinking and learning become visible, and are the driving force that moves the learning of every one forward.

Some strategies  that make thinking and learning visible to  both students and teachers are:

• engage the body and the brain by using simple white boards for individual or small group responses - ask that insightful question, then  see and use the responses of ALL of your students to reflect, and ask another question that leads to deeper learning.

• Socratic seminar - where students debate a question or topic in small groups holding each other accountable for contributing to the discussions. 

• 5 practices for orchestrating discourse - a step by step formula for anticipating student thinking and responses, and crafting just the right questions to move thinking and learning forward.

So, ... instead of asking those perfectly crafted questions to a FEW students, ... try using a visible learning tool or strategy so you can see ALL of your students' thinking!