These chapters include the techniques presented in K12 NPD. In the blog, feel free to talk about the techniques presented by K12 as well as the other techniques in the chapters.
Chapter 1: Setting High Academic Expectations: No Opt Out, Right is Right, Stretch It, Format Matters, Without Apology
Chapter 4: Engaging Students in Your Lessons: Cold Call, Call and Response, Pepper, Wait Time, Everybody Writes, Vegas
I really like the concept of No Opt Out. When I start a lesson, I don't mind if students put up a IDK when we go over the questions (objectives) for the lesson. At least they are saying something and are engaged. At the end of a lesson, however, I do not allow IDKs- even if one student has to copy from another student. At least he/she is writing it down at least once. I do cold calling to keep everyone engaged. Cold calling isn't something new, like the K12 people were making it out to be. I remember my teachers doing it when I was in school - and that was longer than I care to admit. It kept us on our toes and prepped for class.
ReplyDeleteI try the no opt out, during class but I do not get 100% participation. Sometimes it takes so long to encourage responses that I move on. I need to prompt the students better and let them know I need them to participate, then maybe set the time.
DeleteYesterday I went over the slope/intercept form of a line a multitude of times with various students participating...then I finally had a page with many many reply options and tried to actually force everyone to participate since I figured everyone would finally be able to answer the fairly straightforward questions....I HATE to call on those who don't want to answer...but everyone was very accommodating about it!! and we all cheered when done...I truly object to the way the leader of the online PD for this book makes everyone participate every single minute...I don't want to attend her classes...it is too uncomfortable. I would rather be engaged if the lesson is appealing...and that is hard in math often...but it is my goal to make them want to pay attention. I often learn a lot just listening...and there are classes I attend that I pay total attention to, but don't ever participate...I think a gentle mix is the answer...we are dealing with fragile kids, many of whom don't like school (and especiallly math)!!!
DeleteI definitely need more work on the "No Opt Out" and "Right is Right" technique because I always feel that I need to get through material while I am in classconnect and so I don't always wait for them to give the answer, or I just correct it and move on. I sometimes find it hard also to wait on their chat if they don't use the microphone. My ideas are, first, to really try hard in CC sessions to let them give the full answer and to also make sure I give adequate feedback on assignments in order to receive the correct answer that way.
ReplyDeleteAs for Chapter 4, I feel that I try to use several of the techniques by cold calling students to respond, call and response, and pepper. However, like I mentioned earlier, I may not always call on several students to get the correct answer, I may just say the answer myself and then move on. I do see that it is really important to allow the students to give the correct answers, however, so they learn the objective!
Right is Right is a difficult one for me as well. I get so excited that they are close and end up just tweaking it for them to the correct answer. I see why I really need to hold them to the higher standard of getting 100% the correct answer though.
DeleteI did an activity the other day where I allowed the students to do their discussion in class. I had them "stretch it". I was amazed at how it took the whole hour- they LOVED stretching it. They went in different directions and thought critically and deeper than I thought possible. It taught me a lesson- sometimes we think something should just take 5 minutes- because we have thought about a topic over and over again as teachers- but these kids= they hadn't thought about the topic before. They wanted to talk about it= so we stretched it and talked about it from lots of angles for 60 minutes and wow- it was a really great lesson for all of us- including me!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!!!
DeleteI should mention that we actually ended up in a format initially where I had them in breakout rooms in groups of 3. where they put their comments on the whiteboard in boxes, and then they were also chatting and using the mic- then we came back to the main room. It was great- everyone was engaged in the discussion--
ReplyDeleteI really detest cold calling....as one of those students who like to sit and absorb what I am learning, I know that it isn't always necessary to be an active participant to be learning. I also think it tends to embarrass students....and in our online setting, makes them so they don't want to come back. I do have hidden polling for questions and require students to answer that way....if they don't respond, I remove them from the class. I really don't like the examples they gave of having the class say something like, "Class tell Jimmy how to find a subject in a sentence." Talk about making someone feel inadequate and stupid.....I don't use this in my class, and I won't in the future. I do like the stretching....I tend to always add a bit more information, or ask them to if they aren't quite getting there with the answer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with calling someone out like the example - it is really intimidating especially for SPED kids. However, I don't have a problem asking for another student to give the answer and then have everyone repeat it. I have been working on my students to Name the Steps especially in GUM and finding out the parts of a sentence. I actually don't have another strategy for that then doing it the same way for each sentence - subject, verb, complement, then modifiers (phrases, clauses, etc.).
DeleteI completely agree with you Virginia on cold calling. I don't like to do that either because I would hate to embarrass someone. In this setting we can't see facial expressions. In brick and mortar I would cold call on students but I would be careful when calling on struggling students. Online, it is hard to tell if they are not responding because they aren't paying attention or if they really don't understand. I use stretching a lot! I think math really lends itself to stretching. Asking the how or why also helps me figure out if they truly understand and can transfer the knowledge.
DeleteI think cold calling has to be done in a no pressure way, with a back way out if they aren't sure what the answer is. Otherwise it can be very embarrassing to be cold called on and not have a clue what the question was or what the answer is. That is why I pair cold calling with no opt out. I provide them a way to essentially "redeem face" if they don't initially know the answer. I have even praised students for making errors to show others what mistakes to look out for.
DeleteFor cold calling I use the hidden polling tools mainly. As Jenni said, without seeing the students faces you do not know if they are struggling or not paying attention. I do not want a student not to come to class because they do not want to answer a question over the mic.
DeleteI have done cold calling during class reviews, but I actually just have the students do it as a way to select who is playing the review game next. So, I like that the students never know whose turn is going to be next so they have to pay attention but it is for a game, so the pressure is really not there. My only concern with cold calling or "popcorn" as I think of it, is that sometimes there is the student who is last to be picked and that can result in hurt feelings.
DeleteLast year when I taught the struggling Mathematics group, I used no opt out. Since this group struggled to work with the concepts given, I was getting a lot of "I don't know." I don't agree with that. They always know something even if it isn't the exact answer I am looking for. They might be part way there. So I told them if they really weren't sure they could ask someone for help, kind of like calling a friend. It took a few weeks, but after making the original student who was asked the question say the answer even after someone else had given it, made a huge difference in class participation. I did preface my requirement with the understanding that no one knows everything and sometimes we need a little help getting to the answers, but after we know the answer, we should all be given the chance to say the correct answer. Eventually they all got to used to the fact that they would have to answer, so they might as well do their best to start with. Otherwise they would have to have someone else explain the answer and then repeat it.
ReplyDeleteI use no opt out as well, paired with cold calling. I will often cold call and if the student does not know the answer we will "phone a friend" and work the problem out together. The students know that our classroom is a safe place and that it's okay to make a mistake.
DeleteMy thoughts:
ReplyDeleteStretch It is sooo important, and as others have pointed out, interesting to the students. I am trying to use it in conjunction with Cold Calling, so that as a team, each student giving a little more input, we come up with complete answers. I am one who was intimidated by Cold Calling as a student, also, but I think it stems from a lack of confidence. I know that I personally have become more confident with answering questions in front of a group as my responses have been gently elicited and my contribution validated. I also don't want to make my students feel bad or put on the spot, but I believe as I help them see that this is an important part of their learning, they will become more comfortable with it. I think a big problem with our society and young people right now is what I call the "spectator mindset." Many think it's enough just to sit and watch, and that this counts as living. But they and we don't really learn (or live or experience fulfillment) until we are the ones doing the thinking and participating. By pushing students to put their thoughts into words, I think Cold Calling can help change that.
Everybody writes: I really like this technique. It's fast, it lets everyone know you are expecting a response, and it allows you to quickly assess student learning. It also brings energy to the class to see all those responses popping up in chat. Perhaps I could use everybody writes in conjunction with stretch it . . .
As Rachel mentioned earlier, Cold Calling has been around for quite sometime.... It is something that I need to do more of though. I do ask for responses, however, I don't call on specific students and it seems to be the same students that are always happy to respond. I have started waiting for everyone to respond by check marks, etc... to let me know that they are still 'with me'. I used to just get a few and move on, now if I don't see a response from everyone I will make a comment and wait. If I still don't get the responses I will move the student to a break out room. This has been successful. The other thing that I have changed that is eliciting more responses is I don't give full extra credit points unless the student participates. As I said, I have seen a lot of success with this and it has been a good way to check for understanding with exit tickets.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is far from being something new. I let my students know early on that first, my classroom is a safe place- we are all learning and none of us has all the right answers. They also know they are expected to participate in order to receive credit for attending. They have to come prepared with notebooks, pencils and mic working. They were informed of my expectations early on so it is working well for me.
ReplyDeleteCold calling is not something new, we used it as popcorn reading and to answer question. I think clear expectations are essential to student achievement. I believe WYVA has some incredible teachers because so many of them already use many of these tricks of the trade!
ReplyDeleteI love the Right is Right because it helps kids save face and give them an opportunity to learn the answer as well. Everybody wins! I learn so much from my colleagues during collaboration and visiting their classrooms, but have not had time to visit this year. This is on my list for next semester to see different examples. I know that the cold calling the way it was presented in the NPD was not necessarily a hit because we have a different set up than many of the larger virtual academies. Our kids come wanting to answer questions, so it is hard to make sure everyone gets called on unless you use cold calling. In the NPD, it was presented as this could be a negative approach which saddened me because I think we as teachers should be as excited to be working with our kids as they are when they are called on. Most my students are very eager to be called on when I asked a question, so attending a NPD that kind of "scolded" attendees about how they should and shouldn't be using this technic really didn't encourage the use of cold calling.
ReplyDeleteCold calling is a tried and true method. The key here is to make sure students are aware that they can be called on at any time to set the precedence. I used the popsicle method in B&M so I wasn't calling on the same students each time and they knew they could be called upon. I have used may different versions of cold calling. Sometimes in primary they are still developing social skills are are afraid to take the mic so I will ask those who have an answer to share to raise their hand and then I call on random hand raisers. I've also used everyone draw on the board to choose their answer. I think the important aspect is just finding new and different ways to engage students to keep them wanting to come back to class. Changing methods is a good practice.
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of cold calling in my classes. It seems like there are always that one or two that want to answer everything, and then the ones that just sit back and don't want to respond. When we are reviewing quizzes I select a student that has the correct answer and have them write their response in the chat to share with the others. They all seem to participate this way because they know if they are called on they are correct, so are not embarrassed to write a wrong response. Then the ones that are wrong are able to review the correct answer.
ReplyDeleteI do a similar technique when reviewing for tests...I shut off the chat so I can see the answers but no one else can...then I say hurrah as the answers are entered....sometimes it is hard to keep track of everyone, but it is amazing how many more respond if the chat is not visible than when it is open....I open it so we can all put in the emoticon to indicate they are awake???like the thunderbolt, or the kissing face, or the heart...they ALL respond when I ask them to do that...it is worth the few extra seconds it takes and often kids who don't ask any other questions or give any answers will add the emoticon...math is dull, so whatever it takes!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, I like that idea a lot. I always forget I can shut off chat, but that would help you make sure that everyone is responding without the pressure or embarrassment of being wrong. Good idea!
Deleteguess I shouldn't say math is dull, but it can put some students in a trance like state????I love math, but I must admit it is not the same for all...so I will do what I can to get them going!!!
ReplyDeleteI believe cold calling is a very important tool we can use. I try and keep the cold calling an open ended question so the student does not feel they have to be right or wrong. I also "cold call" after students have used the polling tool and gotten the answer correct. This way I know they have the correct answer to share.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jennae. Asking open ended questions with cold calling is an important way to keep the kids feeling safe and wanting to participate. Wait time is an important part of cold calling as well, I believe. I have a lot of students that raise their hands quickly just because they want to talk. Wait time provides others a chance to share their answers after being given some time to think.
DeleteI really have been trying to work on my Wait Time as discussed in Chapter 4. I think it is harder in an online environment because you can't read facial cues to get students through that awkward wait time to speak up. I have said several times, that "We aren't moving on until I see responses" and that generally helps but there are always a handful of kids that are not participating. Sometimes I'm not even sure if they are there or maybe just having technical issues. Any tips on getting all students to participate?
ReplyDeleteI try really hard to give the kids wait time for I feel this is so important. That's one of the reason's I use the timer so much. I also feel that cold calling should not be done unless you can come up with some type of way to not really put a child on the spot. I tell all of my kids that everyone will have a question and it's okay if they don't know the answer, that's why we are here - to learn.
ReplyDelete