You ask a question. A student responds, but the answer is shallow. by Miranda Powers

Turn & Talk

mpowers163 — 2024-03-11 19:19:16 UTC

Immediately give students a chance to talk to a partner to go deeper with their thinking. Then ask for volunteers to expand upon the initial idea or add a new idea of their own.

The Power of Why

2024-03-12 17:13:02 UTC

I follow up with Why do you think that and provide student think time. I tell student I will go back to them for an answer. I then make sure to go back, so they know I will :)

"Because"

2024-03-12 17:13:07 UTC

When students greet each other I encourage the use of the phrase "parce que" meaning "because" to explain how they are doing. The word "because" forces deeper thinking and more thorough communication. I used this when I taught law classes at the college and graduate level and 1st-3rd grade writing workshops. Now, in French classes I can get more out of students just by almost training them to always add "parce que" wherever they can in a conversation.

Who needs to know this information?

2024-03-12 20:35:29 UTC

Sometimes the most direct route to engaging a mind is an indirect question. Going deeper on a shallow response can look like analyzing why the information might be important, or who the information might be important to. Contextualizing ideas will bridge the student to other connected concpets that they may be overlooking.