Successes – Secondary 2009
Share one quality questioning strategy you have tried that has been successful. How did the students respond? What do you think contributed to the success?
78 Comments
- Emily Pierce replied:
I have used wait time one and two. I really need to focus this year on wait time two because I really struggled with this last year. This year I am sending home a letter to the parents and students explaining what wait time one and two are and their purposes. I have had a lot of success with wait time one. I noticed that kids were really thinking about what was being asked and not shouting out. It took patience to teach them to think and not shout out and I feel that I got really quality answers back. I noticed that they really waited to raise their hands because they were actually taking the time to come up with something concrete. I used random calling out (I used popcicle sticks with their names on them) and THIS REALLY worked because they knew they could be on the spot and they wanted to be prepared.
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:44 pm. Permalink.
- Gaynell replied:
In addition to bringing students and teachers into the conversation by explaining your use of wait time, what other strategies are new for you this year?
September 8th, 2009 at 2:53 pm. Permalink.
- Mike Fetsko replied:
I used some whiteboards as a means of sharing data and lab/results. Each group displayed their data and results on a white board and then they were asked to share. It was excellent! My students, after a brief moment of uncomfortable waiting, all shared data and exchanged ideas and suggestions. I was able to get my points across without ever having to say them…the students stated them for me!
September 14th, 2009 at 11:02 am. Permalink.
- Andrea Liverman replied:
I decided to use more complex prompts for the writing in my French 4 IV class. When we studied the past tense, instead of just asking “What did you do last summer?” The prompt was: “You are an alien who has just returned to your home planet from a voyage to Earth. Describe this trip to your fellow aliens.” The kids really enjoyed this, as it allowed them to be creative. They didn’t get so caught up in the mechanics, even though they still had to watch the grammar and spelling.
September 14th, 2009 at 11:44 am. Permalink.
- Chris Bennardo replied:
Wait time was the hardest thing for my kids. They were eager to blurt out an answer (usually wrong) with little thought, almost like a game show. It was a contest to see who can answer over the other. The pensive individuals were in the melee. With a little coaching and explanation the kids saw that a generous portion of thought created richer, deeper answers that simply “George Washington!”, “F=ma!”, or “Lady McBeth!”.
September 14th, 2009 at 7:57 pm. Permalink.
- Chris Bennardo replied:
My computer science students appreciate the creative aspect like this, since this type of teen knows well obscure science-fiction references and literature. I think this type of student latches onto such imaginative topics as a vehicle more than another student, but I have nothing to support this. Maybe it’s becuase their teacher (me) can reference Harry Potter as an example of database hierrchies in the same breath, and the students are there with me.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:00 pm. Permalink.
- Chris Bennardo replied:
I used think-pair-share with my students and have the students write the answers on the white board. It make for a more dynamic environment to the the different perspectives on an open-ended approach. In fact, it created more material to use for the next section of students.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:05 pm. Permalink.
- Gwen Hutter replied:
I thought introducing wait time at the start of the school year would be a great idea. When I ask my students to restate.. they do just that… restate like I did not hear them the first time. They tend to elaborate little and be complacent with short phrase answers.
I find it difficult not to give students some type of emotional feedback (for wait time two), like “good idea”. I am able, however to restate their ideas and that seems to make them feel encouraged and get others’ more willing to add their ideas.
September 14th, 2009 at 9:43 pm. Permalink.
- Gwen Hutter replied:
I used the human bar graph with my students in a getting to know you activity. This activity went extremely well. I did not have to explain how do a bar graph on paper. Discussing what we saw as an answer to each question, helped them see relationships between numbers and between each other… THANKS
September 14th, 2009 at 9:47 pm. Permalink.
- LaTizzia Bullock replied:
I agree. I have been trying to extend the wait time for responses as well. The students appear to be engaged and excited about the lessons so they respond readily with excitement and conifdence therefore extending the waiting time has been interesting.
September 15th, 2009 at 2:17 pm. Permalink.
- Kate Poprik replied:
In my math class I have utilized the appointment worksheet where students had to find people to ‘meet’ with at certain times. This seemed to help with the students getting to know each other but also maintain focus on the task. Every 4.5 weeks though I am thinking about switching the appointments with new ones so that they will be able to work with everyone by the end of the year.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:24 am. Permalink.
- Kate Poprik replied:
I agree with you Gwen, it helps the students to visualize what is happening with the numbers and how they relate to each other. A suggestion to expand on this would be to have a large sheet of art paper and have the students stand ontop of it in front of the number or label. Have someone trace around the students to create the bars so after the discussion you can hold it up for the students to see the bar graph on paper as well. This will help them see how the human bar graph relates to ones drawn on paper.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:27 am. Permalink.
- Virginia Brown replied:
Ginny Brown
I have used wait time one and two for all my classes. In waiting it has allowed my students to think about the question before answering. Where I used to have only one student answer a question I know have more than one student answering the question. Using wait time two has allowed my students to embellish on their answers. They are allowing themselves to think things through before answering. They are not in a hurry to just give an answer.September 16th, 2009 at 3:23 pm. Permalink.
- Sheila Foster replied:
The quality questioning strategy that I have used is wait time. During discussions and lecture, when I ask my students questions, I do wait several seconds before I allow them to respond and before I respond to them. I have experienced success using this technique because I introduced the norms for learning to my students. They are aware not to blurt out answers. Their responses vary from student to student. For the most part they are trying to get use to the idea of having the few seconds of silence especially when I don’t respond right away. They seem to be wondering if they have the right answer.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:24 pm. Permalink.
- Virginia Brown replied:
Andrea it sounds like you hit on something that gives your students a chance to be creative. I did this with my culinary art students in asking them what kind of a restaurant would they like to open and operate. The responses were outstanding. I am sure you got some great responses from your “aliens.”
September 16th, 2009 at 3:58 pm. Permalink.
- Virginia Brown replied:
When my kids started blurting things out I had to explain to them about wait time and wait time two. When they realized it was okay to stop and think and when I reminded them about our “morm” about being respectful things went much better.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:01 pm. Permalink.
- Mickey Futrell replied:
I used wait time when asking my students some questions. It’s really hard, but I had a student who answered a question and I waited and they continued explaining while I was quiet. She ended up answering in a very good way, better than I expected! I can’t wait to try it more!
September 17th, 2009 at 9:04 am. Permalink.
- Tom Gallo replied:
I find that the kids are actually better at this than I am! Just this year I added a section into my labs that is basically a post-lab class discussion. The students present their work to each other, and get to ask questions and make comments during that process. It’s so hard for me not to jump in, but when I can hold on to my comments long enough, eventually the kids raise their hands and say exactly what I was thinking. It’s working really well so far!
September 17th, 2009 at 10:24 am. Permalink.
- William Alston replied:
I have attempted to utilize wait time with my self-contained class. Explaining to the children is a must, more importantly explaining the purpose of the wait time. We have tried it in two seperate instances, both times the I am the one who forgets to wait.
The other issue that I am having is introducing wait time to my collaborative teacher/student. We as teachers haven’t had enough time to work on it and discuss it together, so we have yet to try it so far.
If anyone has any suggestions as to how to work on it, or introduce it in a collaborative environment I would love to hear it.
September 17th, 2009 at 12:08 pm. Permalink.
- Andrea Liverman replied:
I used to do this as well and I hit on a way to make handing out/getting back the boards quicker. I went to Ukrop’s and got some paper bags. In each bag I placed an eraser, an eraser (or some paper towels) and a little bottle of water. This way, they only had to pick up a bag and return one. It sure made it a lot easier to do this kind of activity.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:26 pm. Permalink.
- Andrea Liverman replied:
I’ve found that when I use wait time, my students become uncomfortable and start to elaborate, sometimes adding incorrect information just to fill in the silence. Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can facilitate this better?
September 17th, 2009 at 2:28 pm. Permalink.
- Andrea Liverman replied:
I meant “dry erase board” instead of and only one eraser. I need more caffeine!!!
September 17th, 2009 at 2:35 pm. Permalink.
- Andrea Liverman replied:
It’s hard for me to not jump in also! I have to allow the kids to search for the answers instead of just feeding them to the information. I guess my problem is that I expect them to use wait time, but I’m not modeling it very well. I’ll have to start counting to three under my breath to remind myself to stop blurting out the answers.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:37 pm. Permalink.
- Jean Whitfield replied:
I’ve tried to teach myself to use wait time so far this year. In order to do that, I attach a studen’t name to the end of the question, but only after the wait time. It’s not so hard to do, as I’m learning names, and they don’t come to mind quickly. The challange is to discourage answers that are just called out.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:51 pm. Permalink.
- Martha Livingston replied:
As a Title I reading specialist I do not start reading groups or formal coaching activities the first two weeks of school. However, I have found Wait time I and Wait time II very effective when I am doing 1 X 1 screening and I ask a student to give a retell or answer a direct question. As I listen to student’s response I have thought about the zone of proximal development (ZPD) trying to determine the level of the knowledge the student has gained from their reading and then tried to use cues, clues, probes to help them to clarify and expand on what they are trying to say. I have tried to scaffold my questions based on where the child’s ZPD is based on their first response. For some students who can’t seem to remember much of any thing it has really been helpful to go back to the basic knowledge who, what, when and where questions and be sure they were able to get the foundation knowledge they need to move to more inferential and in-depth responses. I am looking forward to working with small groups and sharpening my skill at this type of scaffold questioning.
September 17th, 2009 at 5:31 pm. Permalink.
- Debbie Spiegel replied:
I chose to start with wait time two. From the first day of school, I was using it. I was even using it with the parents who came to visit, so that they would understand the concept. It has been going well. My accelerated classes, however, did seem to be more impatient, but once explained, they also understood the process. The only glitch is that after about a week of my instruction, I turned my class over to a student teacher. With everything that she is trying to remember to do (that we do by habit now), and keeping up with classroom management, she tends to forget to do the wait time. Once she becomes a little more comfortable being the teacher (in the next week), we will get back to focusing more on wait time.
September 18th, 2009 at 4:41 am. Permalink.
- William Alston replied:
In some classes wait time becomes too much time. A lot of students are afraid to express themselves in fear of getting the answer wrong. We discussed this as a class and encouraged them that we weren’t looking for a right or wrong, but we really wanted to hear their thoughts.
Taking the pressure off about the grade has increased the amount of responses in some of our classes.
I’d be interested to hear anyone’s thoughts on how to get students to open up and speak freely, when they are only concerned about their grades.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:10 am. Permalink.
- Augusta Kuchinski replied:
I have used wait time as a way to get my students to put greater thought into their answers. By reminding them that it’s okay to take a moment to gather their thoughts, they don’t blurt out the first thing that pops into their heads as frequently.
September 18th, 2009 at 2:29 pm. Permalink.
- Carla Carrubba replied:
I have introduced wait time throughout this week. At first, it was difficult for me to remember to wait for Wait Time 1 and 2, because many of the questions I was asking only required short, recall responses. Most of the time I caught myself responding too quickly, and slowed down. As the week progressed, and students delved a little deeper into the scientific method and experimental design, my wait time improved. I found that as I asked higher order questions, it was easier to wait for a longer period of time and I received responses that showed students were really understanding what I was teaching. Additionally, Wait Time 2 gave me a chance to think of more complimentary and constructive responses to students.
September 18th, 2009 at 6:29 pm. Permalink.
- Carla Carrubba replied:
I like your idea of adding the student’s name to the end of the question. I’ve tried the same thing this week and found it to be helpful. I’ve caught a couple of students by surprise, although that wasn’t my intention at the time. I find that my collaborative students have more difficulty waiting. They think anything less than an instant response means that something is wrong. This is something I’ll be working on in the future.
September 18th, 2009 at 6:33 pm. Permalink.
- gjlyman replied:
Kate,
Your idea makes me think about doing it at the base of the stairs or bleachers and taking an aerial shot – pictures say a thousand words. Thanks for the idea…September 18th, 2009 at 8:14 pm. Permalink.
- gjlyman replied:
I think you are onto something. The more people involved in the process (both teachers and students) the more likely there will be success implementing strategies and greater chance for impact on student learning. Students seem to like to take responsibility for reminding you to use wait time. I’m glad you are sharing this with both your collaborative teacher and your students. Let us know how it goes as you work through the process.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:18 pm. Permalink.
- gjlyman replied:
Who has ideas we can use to help our students who are quick to respond (whatever the reason)?
September 18th, 2009 at 8:29 pm. Permalink.
- Carol Pugh replied:
I have been overwhelmed with the start of the school year and some issues at home. As a result, I have not been very good about trying to do new things. When the dust settles after next week, I plan on using wait time one and two. I think it is going to take more training for me than them to get used to it! At the beginning of the year, I told my kids not to blurt out answers and not to raise hands — I would call on them. They complied nicely, but I fell back into my old habit of essentially asking them to blurt out answers.
I am also having some difficulty keeping the Quality Questioning activities separate from another group in which I am participating (several of our QQ group are also part of this other work group at Deep Run). My mind is spinning! It’s not that the two approaches are so different; they actually dovetail quite nicely.
September 18th, 2009 at 9:19 pm. Permalink.
- Carol Pugh replied:
Oops! I should have read both posts before leaving my comments. Based on what I read in the other post, my reply really belongs there!
September 18th, 2009 at 9:25 pm. Permalink.
- Rose Paluch replied:
I read Gaynell’s message at 11:30 p.m. on Friday Sept. 18th. That reflects my week. I have a collaborative class for U.S. History and we have been using small white boards to write responses. I have made this accomodation to wait time so that the students can get comfortable with participating first. I have several ESL students and other learning challenges. This is my first step.
For my AP course, we did a debate on whether Columbus deserves the credit enough to have Columbus Day celebrated. After reviewing the materials to prepare the decisions, the students were broken into the sides based upon their vote. Each student would restate the last students’ response and then state their own. No one knew who would be called upon so everyone had to hear the comments in order to be ready to respond. The students liked that everyone was delayed in their fiery speech for the student holiday because they had to stop to remember what the student before had said. I will be doing a people graph for the 9 Steps on the Road to the Revolution. The students will rate the greatest cause (I am leaving out Lexington and Concord since these are skirmishes). I am going to do this with collaborative U.S. too. The students want to share their opinions. My only worry are the ESL kids who ask me regularly to speak more slowly. Chicago city speed talk – really working at it!September 18th, 2009 at 10:46 pm. Permalink.
- Gary Colletti replied:
In the first week, students created their own Norm posters, and we took much time to establish good classroom procedures that weere generate dfrom their own discussions. We spent most of the first week on these procedures, with myriad discussions. I am glad to have taken the time. Whereas we would have been choming at the bit to get to content, establishing these norms were highly beneficial. By the end, we were able to accomplish something it normally takes until November to achieve – students speaking one at a time, calling each other (rather than my doing it) – and agreeing and disagreeing productively.
September 19th, 2009 at 12:18 pm. Permalink.
- Cluny Brown replied:
Hello All!
I have used PowerPoint to create mini posters for my room. I use historic images and add quotes they need to know or that really speak to me. This year I also posted the norms on my wall – with some humorous images. I had the students do a scavenger hunt of sorts in the room and asked them to tell me what they thought my class would be like judging by how the room was decorated. I got some TERRIFIC responses. Many said that they could tell that the students’ voice was important in my classroom. I refer to the norms often during class and the students seem to understand them and why they are important. I still struggle with wait time (both 1 & 2) but my students are doing beautifully. Again, by introducing the concept early, and having the students weigh in on what it means to me and to them, seems to have helped. There are still the eager answerers, but the quiet/think time is happening. Very exciting!September 21st, 2009 at 9:08 am. Permalink.
- gjlyman replied:
I’m glad you see the connection to other work you are doing. QQ is not a separate, stand alone program.
September 21st, 2009 at 9:30 am. Permalink.
- gjlyman replied:
Hooray! Thanks for sharing this success. Slowing down – to speed up.
September 21st, 2009 at 9:32 am. Permalink.
- Mike Fetsko replied:
I think you just have to be patient. It is early in the year and the concept of wait time is new to them. Yes, they have had to ask/answer questions before, but not in this type of a classroom dynamic. As the year progresses, I think you should find more and more students feeling more and more comfortable to speak up. Some students will never speak up… I am looking forward to the time when all (ideally) teachers are using QQ techniques…then the kids will always be ready to go right from the first day.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:48 am. Permalink.
- Gwen Hutter replied:
I love the idea of having the students wrap up labs. I find that reflection of labs is one of my my weak points. I think I will use this as a warm up/reflection. It will help to further their comprehension/ knowledge and be a great board for further concepts. HIP HIP HORAY. I can use these higher order thinking strategies with VGLA and Science.
Thank you for your post!
September 24th, 2009 at 9:52 pm. Permalink.
- Rose Paluch replied:
So do I. This really helps me assess understanding. There is no shame in answering and no one sitting back while one student answers all the questions. There is no time limit and it allows students to find their answers in their own work themselves. It is quiet and everyone is treated equally. I am on the same page as you are!
September 26th, 2009 at 12:16 pm. Permalink.
- Rose Paluch replied:
Carol,
I am with you. I did finally make time in my AP U.S. class. I would think that you could use the clock/appointments method so that the students can work out/check problems without losing a lot of time (except our Monday schedule with the fire drill so you only have 30 minutes kind of day…). I also am merging Balanced Assessment with QQ so I never know exactly what my mindset was until I realize what I did later. I think you would agree that we are 100% conscientious of both programs and will probably integrate the two groups into lessons over the course of the year. It is just the usual beginning of year schtuff that we have to drudge through first.September 26th, 2009 at 12:20 pm. Permalink.
- Teacher replied:
WHOOPS forgot to post by September 18th BUT….
I have been using wait time one and two as well. It’s proven to be difficult, but like with any new skill, it just takes practice to become natural! I’m also trying harder to really follow what the students are answering. It sounds bad, but with so much going on in the classroom (and I am a QUITE distractible person…), often when students go off on a tangent I lose track of what they’re talking about! And as my fellow English teachers know, students get off on tangents quite a bit…
I’m doing a lessons soon where I have students design their OWN quality questions, since I think knowing which questions to ask is just as important as being able to answer a good question.
September 26th, 2009 at 1:35 pm. Permalink.
- Mike Fetsko replied:
I just make a game/joke out of it, especially at the beginning of the year. When I want to use wait time, I will typically say “wait for it” or out loud count to 3 or when someone starts to blurt I kiddingly cut them off…we have fun with it and I get them to wait. When I am looking for a quick, choral response I will often ask them to sing. They do not really sing, but they understand what I am looking for. I just try to have fun with it.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:01 am. Permalink.
- LaTizzia Bullock replied:
I think sending a letter home to parents and students explaining wait time is a good idea. In our staff development meeting I noticed a teacher in the QQ video explaining wait time 1 and 2 and it appeared to be helpful, as a result I explained it to one of my classes as well and noticed a difference in my students responses.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:16 am. Permalink.
- LaTizzia Bullock replied:
I used think-pair-share as well in explaining Marketing’s DECA Diamond 4 key points. I asked the students to think about the 4 areas and paired them into 4 groups. The examples and ideas they shared with the class were very well thoughout and on point.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:25 am. Permalink.
- Larry Goldman replied:
Since as a GED instructor with students at many different levels working on different things in the same classroom, I have found success using Wait Time I and II with individual students. A lot of my student’s initial responses are along the line of “Just give me the answer Mr. Goldman,” to which I just smile and shake my head and wait. Since I need to constantly keep other students on task while working with individuals, it has been easier in the past to just show them how to find the answer rather than wait. Now, I may acknowlege or encourage other students in the classroom to keep working but I do wait until the student I’m working with completes the answer before moving on. At times I may give direction to a student and tell him/her that I’ll be right back for an answer while I deal with another situation in the classroom, giving them more time to formulate an answer.
The main skill I want them to develop in preparation for the GED test is understanding the reason for their answer. Wait time II is extremely important for the development of this skill. On the GED formatted multiple choice question, accepting a mere letter or number for answer without an explanation can lead to students guessing or copying from each other. Now that they know that I’m going to wait for a full explanation of their answers, they formulate more complete explanations the simply the correct answer.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm. Permalink.
- Emily Pierce replied:
Wait time is a strategy that I have tried last year and was not too successful. This year I explained to the kids and sent a letter home to the parents so that everyone was in the loop on why we do wait time. Wait time II is not the easiest thing in the world–it takes patience on both the teacher and the students’ part. I can see thought that I am getting much higher quality answers since they are given some time to really grasp what I am posing.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:10 pm. Permalink.
- Emily Pierce replied:
Larry,
Your post is very much like the issues I was having and I see that we have the same result now that we really have taken time to understand WHY we are using wait time–what are we really trying to get out of it? Well, quality answers of course and I think we are both having success. Have you tried randomly and equally calling on students? I just started that this year and its great. I have popcicle sticks separated by class and I have a cup I pull from when I am asking questions. I then put the stick back in the cup so that there is a chance the students can be called on more than once! This REALLY works well with wait time because they are alert and prepared.
Did you explain to your students what wait time I and II are and why you are using these strategies? I did not do that last year but I did this year and I even sent a letter home to the parents so that they were informed as well. This really worked because it has made the waiting less awkward. I still am impatient with wait time II–how did you over come wait-time II? What advice can you give me?
Thanks!
October 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pm. Permalink.
- Emily Pierce replied:
Hi Carol!
Everyone has been overwhelmed this year and with all the bad stuff going on, its no wonder you are having issues. I am always here too if you need anything.
I have a letter that I sent home to my kids’ parents explaing wait time I and II and why I use it. I think that by having everyone on the same page, it works even better. I will be happy to email the document to you.
I do agree, especially with children, that consistency is major. What can we do to be more consistent? Here is one thing that I do. I randomly call on kids through my popcicle stick system. I have popcicle sticks that I separated by each class and I do this so I am randomly calling on people and I even put the stick back in the cup so that there is a chance that they can be called on more than once per session…this keeps them on their toes and I have gotten even higher quality answers with this and incorporating wait time I and II.
How do you do with each wait time? I am better at wait time I, for sure. Do you have any suggestions for me to learn patience and rememberance about II?
Thanks!
Emily
October 6th, 2009 at 2:24 pm. Permalink.
- Larry Goldman replied:
I like your idea of having students design their own quality questions. I’ve used this with some success with more advance GED students where I have them write questions about something that is inferred rather than directly stated in a passage. Inferred information, unstated assumptions, and fact/opinion questions are difficult concepts for my students to understand. Having them try to write these kinds of questions has helped some of them.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:32 pm. Permalink.
- Larry Goldman replied:
This is such a positive strategy for building a learning community. It’s a great way to get everyone involved and break down classroom cliques. I’d definitely switch appointments at least every 4.5 weeks to keep the classroom relationships changing. I wish I had a classroom where I had the opportunity to use this strategy, but my students seem to know each other from negative interactions in school and on the streets that it’s hard to get them to work together. As the year goes on, and I get to know who’s who, I’ll be able to pair them up more successfully.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:48 pm. Permalink.
- Augusta Kuchinski replied:
I like your strategy for keeping both parents and students in the loop about wait time. Wait time won’t be successful unless the student’s understand its purpose. Including the parents opens up the opportunity for reinforcement at home, as well.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:29 pm. Permalink.
- Augusta Kuchinski replied:
Though I’m an art teacher, I find that I don’t always present projects in the most creative way. Your post has inspired me to try more creative ways to introduce projects to my students. Even though art is inherently creative, it’s still sometimes a challenge to get certain students motivated. This is great way to engage students and make them think more creatively.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:41 pm. Permalink.
- Linda Korpics replied:
I am doing alright with Wait Time 1 but continue to struggle with wait time 2. My children get restless. We need patience and more practice.
October 8th, 2009 at 3:00 pm. Permalink.
- Martha livingston replied:
I am a Title I reading teacher. I have had difficulty with students giving wrong or only partly right answers. this past week I was helping my fourth grade students learn about estuaries, the four Virginia rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay and the five geographic regions of Virgina. I would have them read a section about estuaries with the instruction to be able when they finished reading to tell me one thing they learned about estuaries. They would finish reading and then look up with eager faces and stick their thumbs up in the air to indicate that they had something to share. When called upon they would provide inaccurate and scrambled information. I did several things. (1) First I modeled the answer and had each student repeat the answer. This was somewhat successful but still something more was needed. (2) I turned the information into a “The Most Improtant thing about estuaries” three voice poem. We read the poem in rotating fashion until everyone had a chance to read all the facts. Then I modeled answering while they looked at the poem to see if I was able to include all the important information correctly. Then I let each student have a go at telling me what they knew about esturaries. After two days of a half hour session on each day I was about to give up. Amazingly on the third day one girl came to group and announced that she could tell me what an esturary was. She then proceeded to fluently and accruately define and talk about esturaries. The other two students followed suit. After that we covered the rivers of Virginia and the five regions in record time. They seem to have gotten the idea of how to listen for important facts in the reading and then explain it in their own words. I feel confident that if they are called on in a whole class setting to answer questions on these topics they will, given wait time to think, be able to respond accurately.
October 8th, 2009 at 7:56 pm. Permalink.
- Martha livingston replied:
Another thing that might work is to use the “Four Heads together strategy”. In that strategy all four students have to be prepared to answer the question and they can help each other prepare which should increase the accuracy factor.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:00 pm. Permalink.
- Martha livingston replied:
I have found that requiring students to place their hands with thumbs up on the table in front of them to be helpful in containing over zealous answers. This physical response tends to be more grounding then hands flapping in the air. It is also helpful to then use pop cycle sticks or tongue depressors to select who actually answers the question.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:05 pm. Permalink.
- Tom Gallo replied:
Yeah, I’ve found that if you remind them of our rules… THOU SHALL NOT BLURT! They are much more respectful to each other and wait for each student to answer. I had a great moment the other day when a student was struggling with a tough series of questions, saying all true statements, but none of them quite what I expected. I kept leading her on and the kids were so helpful and supportive once I reminded them of our rules.
October 9th, 2009 at 8:43 am. Permalink.
- Tom Gallo replied:
I used a similar method (Mike and I teach across the hall from each other) and had similar experiences. The students in my case came up with an activity based around a kickball game. The directed themselves and came up with physically relevant statements while working in a group. The practice of using the norms helped them maintain a polite atmosphere while working on the lab. Very fun!
October 9th, 2009 at 10:16 am. Permalink.
- Larry Goldman replied:
I just start counting to myself after a student responds to see if they are going to add anything. After about 5 seconds, I ask them if they would like to add any details or examples. Most of the time the answer is “No” though they since they expect me to ask more, some are beginning to expand their responses.
Thanks for the popcicle stick idea.
October 9th, 2009 at 3:00 pm. Permalink.
- Jean Whitfield replied:
Thanks for this insight! I’ve had trouble trying to wait after I get an answer, but now I can see it’s because I’ve only using recall questions. If I come up with higher level thinking skill questions, the wait time will be necessary.
October 9th, 2009 at 7:40 pm. Permalink.
- Gaynell replied:
Nice to be able to share with colleagues that teach in close proximity.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:33 am. Permalink.
- Gaynell replied:
So now that we are into a rhythm with school – how are students doing with WT1 and WT2?
October 12th, 2009 at 9:37 am. Permalink.
- Gaynell replied:
I was recently introduced to a protocol for student generated questions. After a reading or lecture, students create 3-4 questions for which they want others feedback/perspective. They then sit in groups of 3-4 and ask each other the questions in a structured manner and hear what everyone else has to say. It requires students to really think about what they want to know from others AND then listen to the answers. I’ll have to write it up and post is somewhere.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:40 am. Permalink.
- Debbie Spiegel replied:
I fight myself on the wait time two. I find myself in the same situation as Gwen, where I want to give the students immediate feedback/encouragement on their answers. I’ve had to reprogram myself to get the wait time two done. The classes were doing OK with it until my student teacher started; she’s just so excited that they are participating in the discussion, that I have to remind her about wait time.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:48 am. Permalink.
- Debbie Spiegel replied:
I’ve used this as well, but I find it to be more problematic with my accelerated students. They are in classes together for most of the day, so they already know each other. It’s not a getting to know you activity, but a race to see who can line up their friends first.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:50 am. Permalink.
- Carol Pugh replied:
I like the idea of creating your own posters! I got some photopaper (it’s more durable and looks more professional). I’m going to shake things up by putting up non-mathematical thoughts (imagine that!). I’ll also be posting the norms, which will serve the dual purpose of reminding ME as well as my students about waiting before answering questions.
I hadn’t thought about asking the students about what the stuff on my walls says about me and how things are run in my classroom. Even though it’s well into the first marking period, it might be interesting to hear what they have to say about what they expected and what they are experiencing.
I hope to have more to report on my progress on implementing wait time by the time we get together on the 21st. My kids are used to me making “midcourse” corrections (I used a different arrangement of desks each week for the first 3 weeks of school!).
October 12th, 2009 at 5:21 pm. Permalink.
- Carol Pugh replied:
Thanks, Rose and Emily for your very supportive posts
I’m beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not an oncoming train!
October 12th, 2009 at 5:31 pm. Permalink.
- Carol Pugh replied:
I can’t find the post where you talk about using popsicle sticks with the students’ names to call on your students. What a cool idea!
I use a variation on the theme. On the first day of class, I give each student a blank 3×5 card, and ask them to write their name, nickname, and block number at the top. Then I ask them to write their favorite color, favorite type of music, and three random things about themselves. I used to introduce the student and then read their information aloud to the class. This year, my first class said that they all knew each other pretty well, and wanted to guess who the student was based on the given information. We had a blast, and when given a choice, all of my other classes (even those with 9th/10th/11th/12th graders who did not know each other) elected to do the guessing game version.
I now use the cards to call on students — seeing the information about their interests helps me to remember additional facts about the students, and not focus solely on their performance in class. I also use the cards periodically to award what I call “fabulous prizes” which the kids understand to mean chocolate.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:41 pm. Permalink.
- Carol Pugh replied:
I didn’t think about it, but I use the same variation on wait time with my math students. I have them do lots of classwork — practice is especially important in math! I walk around the room as they are working, checking answers as I go. If someone has a problem, I stop to show them where things went awry and then ask them to finish the problem while I move on to help another student. More often than not, they are able to figure out what to do next, so when I go back to see if they need help, they have moved on to the next problem. I also find that if students have to wait for me to come help them, they will often figure things out on their own, or consult with a classmate as to why their neighbor’s answer is correct and theirs is not. It is so cool to see the kids having earnest discussions about the material!
October 12th, 2009 at 5:48 pm. Permalink.
- Emily Pierce replied:
I have not yet used this strategy but I am planning a lesson around it–4 corners with words that have nothing to do with the lesson and have them relate to what we are talking about. I am going to use it for Cold War issues with my collab and c level classes. I am designing a unit on landmark supreme court cases and the interview design strategy with my honors classes. I am just worried abou the noise level. I have 30 kids in one of those classes.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:12 pm. Permalink.
- William Alston replied:
LaTizzia have you continued to use wait time in your class? If so, how is it going now that you are halfway through a nine week? Have you attempted to use it in more than one class or are you still sticking with just one class?
Again, the collaborative situation is getting better because we have two teachers and as Gaynell said the students love to remind us to wait. I continue to see that it’s a tough adjustment for the teachers just as much as it is for students.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:23 pm. Permalink.
- William Alston replied:
Andrea, my situation is not exactly the same, but similar. I often hear people or students say this subject or that subject isn’t my favorite. I’m currently teaching Biology and after reading your post, we asked our kids if they could pick any profession in the Science arean what would that be. The students had at first struggled thinking profession other than teachers. We took our subject Biology and broke down various profession that they could do, the students really were excited to see the various professions that were out there in just the Biology field.
I think it helped open their eyes to the fact that Science is a wide open field that can be very beneficial if you are willing to test and proove your opinion. And one thing that our kids have is an opinion.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:34 pm. Permalink.
- William Alston replied:
Mike you are right about being patient. Our kids are now enjoying the wait time, again, I think the teachers (collab and I) are having a tougher time adjust to waiting for the answer. I find that the waiting becomes and issue when we miss class for any reason…i.e. student holidays, assemblies, fire drills, etc…when we return from these breaks we as the teachers are in a rush to get the material covered wait time sometimes gets over looked…
October 14th, 2009 at 2:38 pm. Permalink.
- Gwen Hutter replied:
I used a dry erase boards for a few occasions for an informal assessment of vocabulary and for concepts. I put the dry erase boards and erasers out when the students enter the room. When we are ready to work, I pass out the markers (this trick only took me 4 years to learn or the stink of the markers made me feel sick). It is motivating and a great warm up. I also find that it fosters independence if you students are not allowed to raise their boards until you count.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:30 pm. Permalink.