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This can be done with large classrooms as well. It would need you to have some other tools to help with pulling studnets back into the class. Some ideas might be:
*  an online timer that can be projected.
* Twitter hashtags for students to respond to
* Polleverywhere to survey students in the audience
*Kahoot - really fun way to get all students engaged

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* Trust needs to be established
*Call out a characteristic for one of the individuals who are being quiet (Blonde hair or blue eyes shares next)
Twitter hashtags for students to respond to
* Polleverywhere to survey students in the audience
*Kahoot - really fun way to get all students engaged
*Padlet like this one can be a great place to have students respond to material as well
*Edmodo is a great tool that is like an educational facebook which will allow for discussion, assignment uploads and connects to Google Drive

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Real world problems are all around us. So, why not allow students to come up with a real world problem they want to solve. Have them work in a group to research and determine some possible solutions.
Genius Hour concept could be used for this too.
Below is a video of my fourth graders applying for a grant to remake their classroom. I asked, Iin relation to the environment/classroom, what would make learning better for you? The students had to research and write the grant proposal. Then they had to create a video and build it using a software online. Last, they had to present it to the school board. (We won the grant)

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Question: How did the ideas of irrational numbers evolve?
* Have student read two articles below:
* Hippassus
*Pythagorus allegation of murder
Discussion
* Did Pythagorus do it?
*Should we rename the  Pythagorean Theorem if he was a murder?
* Explain what hippassus figured out and provide an example problem to support his theory.
* groups can solve each other's problems

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Video playlist- Have students watch a video about a topic of interest, create a question over it and present it to another group.

Experiments can all have questions to begin the problem solving step. Ask the students to discuss the elements of the experiment, variables and hypothesis before, during and after. How did their reflections or thoughts change throughout the experiement process?

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Oh this is an area I love, but I am going to keep it minimalistic so others can share too.
* Twitter hashtags for students to respond to
* Polleverywhere to survey students in the audience
*Kahoot - really fun way to get all students engaged
*Padlet like this one can be a great place to have students respond to material as well
*Edmodo is a great tool that is like an educational facebook which will allow for discussion, assignment uploads and connects to Google Drive
*Todaysmeet- is an excellent resource to give everyone a voice
*Powtoons or VideoScribe- to create whiteboard animation videos about a question posed and require them to respond to each other's posts with a scribe or powtoons video.
* Have students create a meme as their response and then get them to discuss which meme fits the question the best.

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Whiteboard animation can be a great tool in the learning process.

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Ask a broad question like this and use it in each subject area
What about science is beautiful?
How does symmetry in math create beauty in nature?
What is a beautiful moment in our history?
How do characters in your favorite novel model beauty?
Have them answer with a video, movie, animation, experiment, art, music they create, photography of something symmetrical in nature,  or essay.
Below is a sample of a student project answering this question as a creative component in my Senior English class.

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Project for my Senior English Class. I asked them to give three words that makes them beautiful.

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It can be challenging at first, but you have to show them you are not going to answer. They are responsible for the learning, so let them own it.
*Ask a question and give them time to answer. This may mean you ask a question and then turn with your back to them, marker in hand and wait...wait...wait. * Silence is uncomfortable so they will talk eventually. ( I have a way of making sure I give them enough time. I say in my head "BE STILL, and Just Breathe. Then I take five long deep breaths.)
* Ask one question at a time
* Give it to them visually not just orally, ahead of time to let them think and process.
* have them share in partners and/or small groups first before sharing whole group

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Understanding the cultural perspectives of your class is important. So, it is always vital to have established a sense of trust, care and community in the classroom first. We do not want to single out students, or shame anyone. So, early on I tell students I only have one rule in my classroom: "Be Yourself." This means everyone else must do what it takes to allow everyone else to be who they are. Then we establish social norms and I require students sign it, so if we ever have issues we can refer back to our social contract. This can help with the trust building. Then the questions that you feel might single students or demographics out, I ask students if they want to be the one to ask it. You have to have trust built there, and if it is not there, I would suggest you run it by some colleagues first. You can also have it as an online discussion on twitter and get students to invite their friends to reply or respond so it is not just your classroom. Post it to social media and you will get a flurry of activity and the added benefit of outside perspectives. These can be brought in for classroom discussion.

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I think the bad questions are the ones we do not give students time to answer. We have to ask one at a time and give them time to answer it. Do not rapid fire questions. If the question does not require thought, and is a simple yes or no it could be a time waster. A bad question in my book is one that does not enhance the learning and conversation, but derails it, has a hidden agenda or takes away from the learning objectives.

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Understanding the cultural perspectives of your class is important. So, it is always vital to have established a sense of trust, care and community in the classroom first. We do not want to single out students, or shame anyone. So, early on I tell students I only have one rule in my classroom: "Be Yourself." This means everyone else must do what it takes to allow everyone else to be who they are. Then we establish social norms and I require students sign it, so if we ever have issues we can refer back to our social contract. This can help with the trust building. I refer to the norms multiple times throughout the year. (I revisit each month as well to determine if we need to make changes or add something)

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EVERYDAY... You may not do the activity I used, but every day students should come to class and have the chance to think through a question and discuss. Collaboration is vital to learning, so they need time to think as individuals, partners, small groups and whole group. It could be as simple as asking, how has your thinking changed since our last class?

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RELATIONSHIPS!!!!!!
Students should know you care, and that they are in an environment of learning and growth. You can help put their tummies at ease by giving them TUMS
T- Touch- handshake or high five (avoid this if the student culture is against touch)
U- use their name- make them wear name tags every day if you have to
M- Make eye contact when talking to them
S- Smile... Let them see you smile and get excited when they come into your classroom.
You can also start the year with something that is non-academic to get to know them and get them infused into the teamwork mentality. See my lesson on Teamwork.

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Just do it!
* Start out with one basic question to get students talking !
* Tell them you are trying something different, and you need their help to make it better.
* Give them an exit ticket to collect responses and let them help you through the process.

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You can give the students time to put in their own responses on paper, and then have them transfer those to the big posters. Then you could collect the papers from individuals. Or create an exit ticket so students leave a reflective, individual response.

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* If the activity is stale mix it up by having a video open class or Skype with another educator from somewhere else in the world. (I love my Hello little World Skype community)
* Change of scenery- Move the group outside
* Use timers to show students that though we can talk all day about a concept that brevity and getting to the heart of the issue is important
*change how they respond by having them create a Facebook live video response, or Twitter post, or having them create a Youtube video .

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Self-directed learning - Why is this a concern? Isn't our job to give them opportunities to think and problem solve without the need for the teacher? We are just part of the community not the sage on the stage. Instead we need to be a guide on the side and give them time to ponder and wallow with tough topics without always having our input. Gradual Release of Responsibility... I would think the only concern is that your heart and mind will not be able to manage the growth you see in the students when you really let them take ownership. I had a group of 4th graders I let do Genius Hour. I had 10 year olds research how the brain responds to different types of music, and I did not help them. When it was time to share their projects, I was not even needed as a moderator or facilitator. The kids were doing it all themselves. I still get goosebumps (even as I am writing this) when I think about it.

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I would think this is really important for this group of students. They will have time to hear things from different perspectives and tryout their ideas on each other.

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Model it... Record yourself doing it and let the PLC watch it and walk through it. Ask them to help you debrief it.
What went well?
What would you do differently next time?
How can your PLC team use this information to drive future instruction?
Plan a lesson together using this idea and record it. Then go back through the process. Once it is demystified and you realize you do not have to be in control it frees your entire world up to see a new perspective.

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Ask them... Ask them what they like to discuss, what is meaningful, what they want more of and how you can make learning better for them. I asked a group of lock up students this question and the answers I got changed my perspective. Just a warning...you have to be willing to hear what they are asking for and act on at least some of it. What you hear may surprise you and may sting a bit, but in the end it is about learning and growing so make it happen.

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AMAZING THINGS WOULD HAPPEN!
One idea I used in a 9th grade English class. They were always bickering, competitive, and did not want to read or write. So, I made them a deal. They could write the next essay question, but it would require they research and come prepared to debate it in class. I was truly not expecting many to do it. All 25 submitted a question... Then we as a class discussed the requirements for the assignment and they even created the rubric. Guess what, they did all the work, and the research, and they even told me how to grade them...We did one a month after that!

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Coach Carter (3/9) Movie CLIP - Push-Ups and Suicides (2005) HD

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Practice asking questions, scope the internet for questions and network, network, network. Find other educators who can help you ask genuine questions. It is even better if you can find individuals who are not as strong in your subject area to seek guidance from. This can be done in PLC groups or in an online group (Twitter is a great network, Edmodo has some good connections and Google Groups) or the members from this class!

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Create a question of the day. Ask the question at the start of class and tell students they will have to answer that question on the exit ticket. Give them time to reflect indiviudally, pairs and in small groups on the topic.
My last piece of advice would be to Let it go! Give up the control!

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Disney's Frozen "Let It Go" Sequence Performed by Idina Menzel

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What is a problem you see in your world?

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What is a problem you see in your world?

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Bullying was an issue these kids found was a problem. They created this video for the Governor's Anti-Bully summit and got in the top 10 from across Iowa. http://youtu.be/NAr-wYn9QEk

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Cardinal Fourth Grade Bully Busters work together to create a campaign to stop bullying in our community. The students attacked the mission, skyped with classrooms around the world, reached out to the entire community, took hundreds of pictures and video footage, and developed a video worthy of the Governor's Anti-Bullying Video Contest.

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Wow!  This is all great.  I can't wait for the semester to start.  I plan to try so much of this.  I plan to use Kahoot or something similar.  I plan to ask a question a day.  I will try the idea given to wait and give them time to answer by turning my back to the class with marker in hand and count. I'm going to use the time between my now and beginning of class to think of questions related to my discipline.  

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Wow!  This is all great.  I can't wait for the semester to start.  I plan to try so much of this.  I plan to use Kahoot or something similar.  I plan to ask a question a day.  I will try the idea given to wait and give them time to answer by turning my back to the class with marker in hand and count. I'm going to use the time between my now and beginning of class to think of questions related to my discipline.  