Teaching with Intention Chapter 4

Putting Your Thinking On Display

"I do, WE Do, YOU do" is a great way to show students your thinking.  Here is a video from The Teaching Channel that shows this method in action.

I am very detailed as I do the "I DO" portion.  I think out loud as I am modeling the expectations for the students.  I sometimes even deliberately make mistakes and then show my thinking as I fix the errors.  As we do the "WE DO" portion, I encourage the students to think aloud and to share their thought process.   This gets them thinking about the "YOU DO" which is independent work.

Encouraging Your Students to Think

A few years ago I was told to not let a students "opt out" of answering a question.  That's it.  Just don't let them "opt out" and I was sitting there thinking so you mean we just let that poor kid sit there, all eyes on him, as he fumbles for the "right answer".  And that is exactly what this person who was passing this information along had meant.  Miller does a great job of explaining what it really means to not let a kiddo "opt out" of answering or sharing their thinking.

 Students don't have to have the "right" answer, but they do have to show their thinking.  Even if they aren't "right", their thinking is important and should be heard.  It took awhile (especially with first graders) for me to realize that they don't have to be "right" in order to share their thinking, but they should be able to explain how they got there.  Miller suggests several ways to encourage students who may struggle to put their thoughts together, others who have those crazy bizarre thought processes that make you go "huh?",  and kiddos who's thinking may be totally off track.  How you word your response to student thinking can either hinder or encourage your students to think.  You can grab up this free printable to use in your classroom when you are practicing "thinking" and supporting thoughts in the classroom.

Head on over to Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd or Positively Learning to link up your own blog post for this week's chapter.  And thanks again to Kindergarten Smorgasboard for this great book study!