How does it work?:
A problem is presented to the whole class or a small group. Students are given time (1-4 minutes) to silently and mentally figure out the answer. Students then share their answers and explain their process to a partner, the class, or a small group. As the students are sharing their thinking, the teacher asks questions that help them clarify their thinking to make sense of the problem and its solution(s).
How does it work?:
At the end of class, the students summarize the important points of the lesson. The teacher creates a prompt to guide the students’ focus to central ideas, & connections to other lessons. The 2 minute video above has some great ideas.
* Some students find it easier to use graphic organizers to summarize their ideas. I included some examples in the resources link.
How does it work?:
This is a small group strategy that involves each student taking a turn to complete a step in a multi-step problem. This video does a great job of explaining how the activity can be structured.
How does it work?:
Ask students to explain/label each step in the problem they are solving, & justify why they are using that step. An early modification can be to have the steps listed out of order already, & ask the students to put them in order, then justify or explain why each step is necessary. It is very similar to how Khan Academy videos demonstrate solving an equation, only written instead of verbal. This video is a great example.
How does it work?:
Put a warm-up problem up on the board. Hand out index cards to all the kids, and have them write their answer. Collect the cards, and sort them into "Yes and No" piles. Look for a "favorite" wrong answer (most common mistake, demonstrates the principle well, etc.). Analyze the incorrect answer together, starting with pointing out what is correct about how the problem was worked out.
*Also known as, Analyze, Evaluate, & Create
Type up several statements related to the material you are teaching, some true and some false. Divide the students into pairs. Each pair gets a set of all the statements. They divide them into true and false and then check them. Once each pair’s separations are correct, the students explain what is incorrect about the false statements, and restate it so it's true. Then, they write two true and two false statements related to the material that has not already been covered, swap them with another pair, and then sort and fix them one more time.
How does it work?:
Create a statement or question for students to ponder that has the potential for multiple answers. Organize the room into four areas (corners) and label with four different options (i.e. strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree; four categories; four solutions to a problem. Give students time (2 to 5 minutes) to think about the question, develop a response, and take a stance. Ask students to move to one of the four corners that best represents their response to a question. Direct students to discuss the reasons for their choices . Groups then share their reasoning with the whole class. Students may change sides if they are persuaded by another group's reasoning.
How does it work?:
Elaboration questions are a teaching strategy that promotes deeper learning by asking students "why" and "how" questions to connect new information to existing knowledge. This strategy, often known as elaborative interrogation, encourages students to analyze and explain concepts rather than just recalling them, strengthening memory and comprehension.