Get Them Talking

Does this sound familiar?  

Anticipating the second week of school, you wake up on Monday morning only to find that you have no voice.  I have had that expectation for the past 20+ years.   But it doesn't have to happen.

I once attended a conference in which the presenter had the audience imagine a school day like this: The teachers ran out of the building at the final bell, racing to their cars, excited about the rest of the day, like they had been freed from a cage.  Conversely, at the same school, the students drug their backpacks behind them, drained of energy and slumped into their parents' cars anticipating sleep on the short drive home.

Here's a tip for saving your voice and your energy while building confidence and critical thinking in your students. 

GET THEM TALKING

But not only talking, get them in the habit of providing LONG answers to short questions  or prompts, like; 

• Will you explain your answer? 
• What do you think?
• How did you figure that out?
• How did you know that?
• What are you still struggling with?
• Explain the evidence you have for . . .?
• Tell me more
• What are you wondering about?

Of course, using Bloom's as a guide you can come up with many, many more.

The most important part about getting them to talk is . . .  wait for it . . . . (exactly that).

If students anticipate the traditional 2-3 second wait time, they may hope to wait it out and escape having to answer, this gains them nothing.

Don't let that happen.  Remember, it's your voice and your energy that you will preserve.  But most importantly, it't the student confidence and critical thinking you will build.