Motivating Minds How To Promote Engagement and Participation in K-12 Classrooms

MotivatingMinds
MotivatingMinds
How to Promote Engagement and
Participation in K12 Classrooms
Elisheva Zeffren
ROWMAN& LITTLEFIELD
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Copyright 2017 by Elisheva Zeffren
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This book is dedicated to all my students, past and pres-
ent, every single one of you. You have given me some of
the best days of mylife. Thank you.
Contents
Preface: Are Students Unmotivated These Days? ix

Acknowledgmentsxiii
1 Creating Anticipation 1
2 Using the Fun Theory to Engage Students in Learning 15
3 Pursuing Wonder 33
4 Musing for Mental Exercise 43
5 Sending Students on Discovery Missions 55
6 Promoting Participation 63
7 Coaching with Cooperative Learning 111
8 Practice Prime Problem Solving 135
9 Discovering with Cognitive and Social Experiments 147
10 Conducting Surveys 159
11 Fostering Public Speaking 177
Bibliography195
Student Testimonials 199
About the Author 203
vii
Preface: Are Students Unmotivated
TheseDays?
Many educators thinkso.

In a survey conducted across America, Iasked veteran school teachers
whether theres a difference between students of today and yesteryear. Here
are a number of responses.
Instead of asking, Can you help me come up with a better idea? students
ask, Is this idea good enough?
Instead of asking a probing question about new material, students ask, Do
we have to know this?
In the past, students would ask, Did anyone get a hundred on the test? How
many? Today they ask, Did anyone fail? How many?
Instead of musing about ideas, students muse about people.
Instead of accepting story reading with anticipation, students count the
pages.
Instead of saying what they dont understand, students remark, Idont get
the whole thing.
Instead of taking the risk of answering a question in class, students say,
Idont know when the teacher calls onthem.
Instead of helping each other problem-solve, students remain indifferent to
their classmates predicaments.
Instead of investing in healthy social interaction, students prefer the side-
lines.
Instead of communicating with coherent language, students express them-
selves in broken statements: Its kinda hard to explain, its like one thing,
not the other, if you know what Imean.
ix
x Preface: Are Students Unmotivated TheseDays?
When Iasked these educators what we should do to motivate students,

they remain defeated and despondent. Disregarding remedies, they reiterate
their plight.
One middle-school teacher wrote:
What can we do? How can we motivate students who have stopped trying and
challenging themselves? They are fundamentally lacking. They have cabbage
patch heads. When Iask a student what happened in the Korean War, he says,
we were liberated from Korea. When Iask another student the name of the
current vice president, she says, Sarah Palin.
A high school teacher wrote:
These children are not interested in improving. Worse, many children cant
improve. They have shown us their limited brain capacity, deficient skills, and
narrow thinking. They arent headed anywhere good.
Do you agree with this bleak census of our students motivation today?
Idont.
Heres what Ibelieve. If enough educators tell us students lack the essen-
tials, we will eventually believe it, accept it, and do nothing to change it.
Before educators bemoan a sad state of affairs, they need to check their per-
ceptions. Are students really that hopeless? From these previous responses,
Ican tell despairing educators got it partially wrong, confusing laziness or
ignorance for the lack of intelligence. What other inaccuracies can you detect
about these educators beliefs?
Heres what Idont believe. Irefuse to accept that students these days have
no motivation to learn. Idont believe students have the inability to think
hard. Ihave yet to determine that students have forfeited the joy of good read-
ing. Icannot conclude that students would rather clown around than join in
profound discussion, that they dont care enough to problem-solve for them-
selves or others. Ihave yet to meet a student who has no curiosity, doesnt get
angry about injustice, or doesnt enjoy a personal challenge.
Furthermore, Ihave never met a child who doesnt crave a better life, a
shy child who doesnt long to learn social skills, a loner who doesnt ache
to belong, or an inarticulate student who doesnt yearn to speak eloquently.
Ihave yet to encounter a school child who doesnt like to discover new things,
doesnt enjoy experimenting, or doesnt have questions about human nature.
Most of all, Ive never come across a child who cannot learn.
I have taught for over twenty years in vastly different cultural and aca-
demic settings, working closely with students age twelve to adult. In addi-
tion, Ihave observed and substituted scores of classes from inner-city public
schools to elite private schools. During mid-winter breaks, Ive visited the
most unconventional schools from Windmill Montessori School in Brooklyn,
Preface: Are Students Unmotivated TheseDays? xi
New York, to Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Massachusetts. What

Ihave learned from all these experiences is that students are highly motivated
peoplewhen educators tap into their brains.
A student is always motivated by a fun class, by creative thinking, or by
a teachers welcoming word. Students are motivated by rich, complex ideas
that have few predictable qualities and sound sophisticated to their ears.
Theyre motivated by hope; comradery; and a comfortable, safe atmosphere.
And heres what Iknow for certain.
All students have the ability to drastically improve their minds.
The worlds leading brain SPECT imaging specialist, Dr. Daniel Amen,
has proven this phenomenon. The most important lesson Dr. Amen learned
from looking at 87,000 brain scans is that the brain can change and grow
healthier. This neuroplasticity means that we can become more intelligent.
Brain power isnt fixed as we originally thought. Plus, when the brain gets
unhealthy or weak, we can rehabilitate it. New learning, among other brain
smart techniques, not only strengthens the brain but makes it better. What
we think is lost can be turned around. Even brain damage can be reversed.
The reason we have to work harder these days to see childrens potential
brilliance is the mere fact that children have taken on some really bad habits.
Born into a world that entertains and amuses, students have grown indolent,
choosing to spend time on easier activities. Many have forgotten how to
produce instead of self-amuse, to think about ideas, and to pursue excellence.
Yes, some brains may have atrophied over time, but they can spring back into
full vigorous activity. The most amazing thing about the brain is how quickly
it can regain its original shape or betterone.
So heres a thought. What if we shared with our students what we know
about their brainthat its the most complicated organ in the universe?
That it contains 100billion nerve cells. That each nerve cell makes con-
nections with up to 100,000 nerve cells. That information in their brain
travels 268 miles an hour. That their brain can expand its intelligence
through new learning. What if we showed students brain scans of people
whose brain structure improved over time with brain smart diets? What
if we assure students well teach them how to improve their brains? What
if we worked on doing just that? What if we believe in their struggles?
What if we believed in students progress? What would happen to students
motivationthen?
Its vital that students think independently and collaboratively to tackle the
challenges of todays fast-paced society and ever-changing world. Of course,
educators must make subjects intellectually challenging and ask questions
that delve deep into learning, so that students can move beyond surface think-
ing to acquire and evaluate new knowledge. Yet todays students need more
practice and support than ever to use their minds. And the process must have
a fun quality to compete with the world of gadgets and video games.
xii Preface: Are Students Unmotivated TheseDays?
With the idea of stimulating students minds, Idecided to write a book that
stresses strategies feasible for all children no matter their attitude or current
performance level. My goal in writing Motivating Minds is to help educators
facilitate the learning process by creating, monitoring, and assessing effective
deep learning in the contemporary classroom. This book is full of academic
talkmetacognitive and life skill activities that give students opportunities
to engage in learning with alacrity and pleasure.
My colleagues and Ihave tried all the techniques in Motivating Minds.
Weve received excellent feedback from students by way of their personal
achievement and test scores. It is my hope that with utilizing the techniques
in this book, you will witness a transformation in your classrooms and school.
Just remember: Our students are teachable. They are reachable. And when we
educators motivate students to learn, we arent just changing an attitude for a
day, we are changing brainspossibly forever.
Thank you for reading Motivating Minds!
Best Wishes,
Elisheva Zeffren
Acknowledgments
It is with overwhelming gratitude that Iwould like to thank God. Without

Him Iwould not have one thought inside or outside the classroom. When
inspiration strikes, Iknow He has granted me that inspiration. Ithank Him
for my every success and for giving me opportunities throughout the years to
work with the most wonderful principals, staff, and students.
I am forever indebted to my father, Gavriel Zeffren, who has championed
my teaching and every single endeavor of mine from day one. Iwould like to
thank my mother Linda Zeffren of blessed memory, for her unwavering belief
in me and my writing. No one gave me a better understanding of people and
their motivations than Mama. Thank you to my second set of parents, Aunt
Roz and Uncle Lenny Leffler, for their love and input.
Nowhere in this world can a person find better siblings. My siblings
constantly reviewed parts of the manuscript and checked up on its progress.
Thank you Yocheved Cohen, Dovid Zeffren, Paltiel Zeffren, Matis Zeffren,
Nechama Rosenberg, Miriam Zeffren, Avigayil Wolf, and Sara Muller.
Thank you for spending time pointing out small and large errors. Thank you
Nechama for reading my chapters on demand even on vacation. Thank you
Avigayil and Sara for reading my chapters late at night. Thank you Miriam
for listening to me day in and day out. Thank you all for the contagious enthu-
siasm with which you responded to my ideas, and for the most annoying but
motivating question, When are you publishing it already! You are the best
sisters and brothers. You are my heart.
Special thanks to Mrs. Fraidy Friedman, my first employer and mentor,
who took a chance with me. Ill never forget her constructive criticism of my
English lessons. Mrs. Friedman would peruse every batch of papers Igraded
and give me additional feedback. She would grade the worst essays for me
so that Icould learn how to do it. Despite her busy schedule in school and at
xiii
xiv Acknowledgments
home, Icould always reach her by phone. Her constant praise and encourage-
ment gave me the confidence in my rookie days to teach in high school.
My ongoing career in education has afforded me rewarding relationships
with many other principals. Iwould like to thank my current employers,
Rabbi Michoel and Mrs. Esther Levi, Mrs. Shoshana Herzka, Mrs. Yentee
Sonnenschein, Mrs. Miriam Ungar, and Mrs. Bracha Wrona. Iam also grate-
ful to the principals who allowed me to carry out my teaching methods at a
postgraduate level. Thank you, Mrs. Mina Steinharter, Mrs. Hannah Stern,
Rebbetzin Devorah Leah Goldberger, and Mrs. Hindi Moskowitz.
Thank you to the following people for scrutinizing parts of the manuscript
and giving it their all. Thank you Raila Brejt, Rochel Dobin, Kiki Ehrenpreis,
Mrs. Zissel Keller, and Vitty Rottenberg-Mermelstein. Amost heartfelt
thanks to Yocheved Mahana for her teaching expertise, magnificent exam-
ples, and for spending hours producing the bibliography. Thank you to Adina
Reichman for her typesetting skills and constant good cheer. Thank you to
Dr. David Lieberman for his invaluable advice and guidance. Thank you to
my loyal friend, Mrs. Miriam Weiss, for sharing her wisdom as a top-notch
principal and for her constant support throughout this project.
From my first email exchange with Sarah Jubar, acquisitions editor at
Rowman & Littlefield, I met serendipity. I could tell Sarah was an expert, and
knowing Id be putting my manuscript into her competent hands, gave me an
instant sense of calm. Thank you, Sarah, for your wise and warm feedback.
A special thanks to the rest of the Rowman and Littlefield crew, especially
Emily Tuttle, assistant editor, for her helpful assistance and suggestions,
Caitlin Bean, production editor, for her direction and encouragement, and the
design team for their beautiful book cover. All my challenging work paid off
because of you.
Chapter1
Creating Anticipation
Well, said Pooh, what Ilike best, and then he had to stop and think.
Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a
moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you
were, but he didnt know what it was called.
A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
WHAT HEINZKNEW
Back in the late 1970s, Heinz wanted to show off the thickness of its ketchup
in comparison to other national leading brands. But, still using glass bottles
in those days, Heinz knew consumers might see thicker ketchup as having the
drawback of taking longer to pour from the bottle. To eliminate this notion,
Heinz brilliantly played at the end of its commercials, the chorus Anticipa-
tion is making me wait (from Carly Simons Anticipation) to impress that
the taste of Heinz Ketchup is worth thewait.
Heinz knew what we all knowthat anticipation builds suspense. Antici-
pation is the reason children love those lollipops with the gum inside. Antici-
pation makes shopping a sensation. Its the reason people wait on long lines
for tables at popular restaurants. Anticipation lures a million people to Times
Square on New Years Eve in the dead of the winter. Anticipation is the name
of the worldsgame.
Anticipation of a more intellectual and meaningful level motivates minds
in the classroom. Educators can market lessons with the promise of a thrilling
experience. Scientific research shows that we are naturally wired to anticipate
positive experiences. As such, there is no reason why we cant get kids just
as excited in physics as in baseball.
1
2 Chapter 1
When our anticipation is ignited, the brains frontal lobe releases dopamine,
a hormone that makes us feel good. The brain doesnt differentiate between
anticipation for one thing or another. Therefore, when you create anticipation
in the classroom, students will respond with exuberance. And when you are
good for your word, students want to come back formore.
The following tactics are sure to increase anticipation in the classroom.
SEND STUDENTS ENTICING INVITATIONS
Heighten anticipation by sending or handing out invitations for upcoming

classes. Words you might use on the envelope:
Top Secret Information Inside

For the Adventurous Eyes of Class 710Only
Time-Sensitive Material
Money-Making Opportunity for Ms. Santos Sixth Graders
Words you might use inside the envelope:
Ready to become a wizard? Bring a brightly decorated wand to class

tomorrow.
What: Akite-making class. Why: To learn the science of flight. Where:
Marine Park. When: September14. Please wear sneakers to school.
Congratulations! You have been chosen the [purchaser/designer/treasurer/
consultant/advertiser/manager, etc.] of your groups campaign. Please bring
a special campaign notebook with you on Monday, November27.
Want to make some money? Get ready to open a manufacturing company!
Read this information to choose your financial venture. An important meet-
ing will take place on Tuesday, December5.
USE ANTICIPATORY STATEMENTS AT

THE ONSET OF THE LESSON
Welcome wizards! Your wands are blinding my eyes! Ready for me to

show you how to tap into your magical powers?
Take a look at this beautiful day! Soon our kites are going to be dotting the
skies!
Your community helpers have so many exciting things to discuss with
you. Theyre waiting for you right now in the first-floor meeting room.
Lets begin our meeting for all entrepreneurs who want to fill their pockets
with extra money!
Creating Anticipation 3
CREATE YOUR OWN TUNE FOR

THE ICE CREAMTRUCK
Everyone has pleasant associations with the ice cream truck. Who doesnt
like ice cream? The tune, though, is what sent you running to your mother for
money and then toward the ice cream truck with anticipation. Perhaps that tune
today still conjures resplendent memories of sprinklers, Frisbees, cookouts,
and other summer sensations.
Create your own tune that signals something special. For example, a mel-
ody can introduce story time; a jingle, calisthenics; and a chime, round-the-
table discussions. When the sound rather than the time predicts something
fun, students react with anticipation instead of expectancy.
To keep the tunes fresh and exciting, change them up. For instance, you
can play a whole selection of melodies to signal story time instead of the same
melody over again. Likewise, if you choose to introduce student presentations
with a crescendo of music, you can heighten appreciation by playing a differ-
ent crescendo for each presentation.
BRING IN CURIOUS OBJECTS
Bring in something curious to trigger surprise. It can be a reptile, a model of

a skeleton, or a bottle of shampoo. Having students wonder What does this
have to do with anything? is sure to increase anticipation. Just make sure
your curious object ties in well with the lesson.
DO SOMETHING STRANGE
Do something out of the ordinary to make students sit up and notice. For
example, one teacher takes out a stick during class and started balancing it on
the palm of her hand. Another teacher walks into class miming instructions,
and the kids have a ball trying to figure out what she is saying. But, once
again, these teachers have a planone to teach about the center of mass, the
other to teach about body language. Clearly teachers defeat the purpose if
they do something strange just for the sake of entertainment.
CREATE INTRIGUING HEADLINES
Years ago, AOL did a clever stunt that attracted attention to top stories. Who
could refrain from checking out the full story after reading their enticing
4 Chapter 1
headlines? Take a look for yourself. Here are a few of AOLs top story head-
lines (August8, 2012):
Boy Startled by Animal That BargesIn
His dad kept asking it to please go back outsidebut the creature didnt have
any intentions of leaving without looking around.
What Came Right Into Their LivingRoom
***
He Cant Believe Whats BehindWall
Something inside this home seemed fishy, so investigators set up a stakeoutand

what they found was truly shocking.
Why Police Were Called Immediately
***
New Human Species Discovered?
In 1972, researchers uncovered this craniumbut a new find has experts

believing that this is a very different kind of human.
See Rest of This Fossil (And Why Its soOdd)

Go ahead and copy the AOL of yesteryear. Create intriguing headlines for
top stories. Present them to your class, and youre guaranteed a Pavlov effect!
Atop story can be anything you want the children to read or listen to with
anticipation (i.e., an article, book, or classroom lesson). Heres a sampling of
few top stories and their headlines:
For introducing Margery Williams book, The Velveteen Rabbit:

What Leads Us to Genuine Love?
An unexpected brilliant answer from an unlikely source
A fifteen-minute read that can change your destiny
For an article on the dangers of aspartame:

The Sweet Poison the FDA Didnt Want to Approve

Substance we consume daily that is making ussick
Astounding research that will make you stop reaching for certainfoods
For a lesson on villains in literature:

Five Greatest Villains in Literature
They come to haunt us in our dreams, but we love it when they make
us scream.
What makes villains captivating?
Another idea: Have your students create top stories for their book reports,
compositions, essays, reports, and projects. Then pass around their top stories
to the class. After reading them, students will wait with baited breath to read
or listen to their peers full report.
MAKE STUDENTSBEG
Want to draw your students into your lesson in one fell sweep? Heres a tactic
that makes students salivate for information: Prepare a juicy personal story
that relates to the lesson. Begin to recount the experience with a suspenseful
statement only to abruptly change the subject so that the kids are left hanging
for a while.
For example, years ago, Ms. Quinn was almost hit by a stray bullet. She
thinks the story a great preliminary for a discussion about lawsuits. Casually,
she begins the lesson by saying, Some years ago, Ihad a little brush with
death. Then, pretending to think twice about disclosing the incident, she says,
Nah, forget it, and asks the class to take out their homework. Naturally, the
kids protest vehemently: Youve got to tell us first what happened! And so
she does. Needless to say, Ms. Quin has the class riveted to her story and the
subsequent lesson. Nothing gets the attention of the class more readily than a
teachers grudging willingness to share something that accidently slipped
out of her mouth.
USE POSITIVE OR HAPPYWORDS
Drive anticipation with positive or happy words that make people see the task
in a favorable light. For example:
Lets spring to our computer stations to practice writing HTML codes!

Lets stand tall and proud as we listen to this patriotic song!
6 Chapter 1
Im going to hand out these colorful papers for practicing our college ad-
mission essays.
Lets make a record today by challenging ourselves with five toothpick
puzzles!
DRAW A NAME FROM ALOT
Instead of asking for a volunteer, draw a students name from a lot. The antic-
ipation of who will be picked to assist with the activity captures the attention
of the class and gives the winner special recognition.
This tactic works especially well for giving out roles for plays or recit-
als. Instead of the same outgoing kids getting the parts, pulling names from
a lot gives everybody equal chance to participate in roles. The whole class
becomes invested in the turnout and feels a sense of fairness in the outcome.
BUILD CURIOSITY FOR READING
Raise anticipation for reading by asking the class to answer a list of questions
related to the reading content. Students can work on the answers individually
or in pairs. Following the discussion of these questions, students will read
with eagerness to see whether the authors message or viewpoint matches
theirs and/or their peers.
Examples of questions for younger classes based on Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson:
Why might some children feel like they dont fit in with the rest of their
grade?
Can people from different backgrounds become best friends? Howso?
Can big children invent a magical place for themselves that they believe in?
Howso?
How should one behave toward a classmate who bullies or tries to control
others?
Examples of questions for older classes based on The Book Thief by Markus
Zusak:
If you would personify death, what would be its message to humankind?

What does a person need for survival? To live a happy life? Please explain.
Do you think theres any life sorrow a person cant survive? Why or
whynot?
How powerful are books? Can they save lives? Howso?

Why do people conform to or rebel against societal expectations?
ASK STUDENTS WHAT HAPPENSNEXT
Theres an added excitement to discovery when students predict an outcome

based on prior knowledge. Everyone looks forward to finding out whether the
result matched his previous thought. These are questions that call for prediction:
What do you think will happen to the crickets chirping as the temperature
changes?Why?
Do you think someone will come to Sashas rescue in this story? Who?Why?
Do you think youll be able to carry on a short conversation while doing
aerobic exercise? Why or whynot?
Do you think gas prices will rise or fall in the following weeks? Why or
whynot?
What do you think will happen to Moose in the next chapter of Al Capone
Does My Shirts?Why?
TRY AN EXPERIMENT
Conduct a simple experiment with the class that will make them anticipate the
results. Heres what the educator mightsay:
Alexa, please place an ice cube in two separate cups. Sprinkle salt on one
cube. What do you think will happen to the salted cube? Lets check on the
cubes in ten minutes to see the result. (Lesson: the characteristics of water)
Lets blow up a balloon and have someone burst it. Iwant you to notice
whether you first see or hear the balloon burst. (Lesson: light waves)
Lets take a high-angle and low-angle shot of a subject in this classroom
and see what that does to depth. (Lesson: creating two-dimensional photos
that appear to have depth)
Im going to wet these towels and hang one to dry inside the classroom
and the other outside. Lets check out how they feel tomorrow morning.
(Lesson: air and environment)
TRY SOMETHINGNEW
Does a spontaneous idea ever come to you during class? Go for it. Preface the
activity by telling students something like Iwant to try something new ...
8 Chapter 1
or Ive never done this before. Lets see what happens.... Students love it
when the teacher is unsure of the outcome and is part of the experience too.
Heres what the educator mightsay:
Class, Im curious about something now. Im wondering if we will agree

upon the three most important words in this ad. Read the ad carefully. Lets
see which three words we all choose.
Ihave a sudden idea. Someone read dialogue from Of Mice and Men,
and lets see if people can identify whos speaking and what the dialogue
reveals about the character.
Class, this activity just came to mind. Lets watch a cartoon together and
see which laws of physics are broken or exaggerated.
Ive never done this before, but lets see what happens if each row works
on revising a different category of faulty sentences. This way Ithink we
might cover more ground when we review.
HINT TO SURPRISES
We hint all the time. For instance, your son Ricky wants to know what you
got him for his seventeenth birthday. You say, Ill give you a hint. Its bigger
than a laptop. In response, Ricky cries, What is it? to which you say, Its
something youve been wanting for a loooong time! Now Ricky is jumping,
What is it? What is it? and you reply, Well, lets say it is something that
will take you places. At this point, Ricky is squawking, Where is it? and
you say, Here are the keys. Ricky snatches the keys and runs off to the
garage to test-drive his new Hyundai SonataGLS.
Well, maybe you cant afford a Hyundai Sonata GLS, but you get the gist of
building suspense through hinting. If you had just sprung the news on Ricky that
you got him the car/scooter/bike, you would have spoiled part of the excitement
of getting the gift. That goes before divulging any exciting information. You
want to hint to the news so the recipient can more fully enjoy the experience.
Now back to the classroom. Suppose you want to inform your class of an
upcoming trip to the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. If you
say, Guess what? Were going on a trip to a spy museum! surely the class
will break out in cheer. Yet cant you imagine louder cheering had you first
hinted to the event before mentioning it? (e.g., Guess where were going
next week, boys and girls?)
HINT TO INFORMATION
Incidentally, you can create a high degree of anticipation by hinting to edu-

cational information in class. While hinting, even those who initially didnt
have an interest in knowing the information suddenly become curious to

know it. Ill give you an example:
Suppose you want to show the class Earthrise, which is perhaps the most
influential photograph taken in the world. Youd surely ruin suspense by dis-
playing the photograph and saying outright what it is. For example, Here is
the first photograph of Earth as it appears from deep space.
Youd build suspense, though, by hinting to the subject of the photograph
as demonstrated in the following dialogue:
Teacher: Right here Ihave one of the most famous photographs ever taken in
the world. Can anyone guess the subject?
Class: Elvis? Mickey Mantle? Michael Jackson?
Teacher: Not even close. Iwill give you a hint. There are no people in the
photograph.
Class: Niagara Falls? The Manhattan Skyline? The bombing of Hiroshima?
Teacher: Nope. Ill give you another hint. The photograph was not taken on
Earth. Can you guess the subjectnow?
Class: Black space! The moon! Another planet?
Teacher: Yes, you got it! But which planet? Tabitha and Liam, please come up
here and remove the poster from its tube and hold it up for the class. TA DAM,
TAM DAM! Which planet do yousee?
Class: Mars? Venus? Jupiter?
Teacher: (laughing) Ill give you the biggest hint yet. The name of this photo-
graph is Earthrise. Can anyone guesswhy?
Class: The planet is Earth! The earth looks like its rising! And thats the moon
below!
Teacher: Right! This photograph was taken by astronaut William Anders during
the Apollo 8 Mission in 1968. It was the first time people saw the Earth as it
appears from themoon!
By giving little clues, the teacher succeeds in transfixing her audience.
DIFFERENT WAYS OF HINTING WHEN

THE CLASS IS STUMPED
When the class is stumped, always try hinting to answers instead of giving
them awayif only to watch how the class rises to the challenge of coming
to the answer.
10 Chapter 1
Types of Hints:
Feed the class letters: The answer starts with a T. Then keep adding
letters until someone gets the answer.
Give the rhyme: The answer rhymes with adore.
Allude to a close association: The answer begins with the sound a sheep
makes or The answer is also a name for every person in this classroom
or People sometimes plead this amendment in court.
Describe it in words: You do this when you know something is your fault
but dont want to accept the blame or You tend to lose this when you get
dizzy or Its a phrase that means something isnt clear-cut or one way or
the other.
Give a phrase association: The answer reminds me of rolling hills or
Glass Menagerie or free thinkers.
Give a crossword puzzle clue: AKarl Marx society/fast and turbulent wa-
ters/book location.
Use the phrase you wouldnt want to: You wouldnt want to do busi-
ness with this person or You wouldnt want to do this in the rain or You
wouldnt want to find this in your sandwich.
Hint to whats missing: Something is missing in the right side of the equa-
tion or Something is missing in the second to last sentence or Some-
thing is missing in this poll.
Say what the answer isnt: It isnt something you do with your hands or The
answer isnt health care or The answer has nothing to do with the title.
BRING IN ABOX
Bring in a wrapped box with something inside that connects to the lesson.
Place the box on the desk while you teach. At the end of class, ask students
to write down what might be in the box. Hint to the item. For instance, Its a
machine you use to serve dinner, a third-class lever. Answer: pair of tongs.
Take out the item. Anyone who guessed correctly gets extra credit.
WRITE THREE PROPHECIES
Write three insightful statements or comments you guess students will say
about subject material. Tell students you bet theyll come up with those state-
ments. For example, Ibet youre going to have these three brilliant insights to
say about civil engineering. Then read your statements to the class at a lessons
conclusion. Guessing at your prophecies motivates students brains and creates
an anticipatory air throughout the lesson. To raise the ante, you might award
extra credit points to those students who come up with the insightful statements.
This initiative works for discouraging unwanted comments as well. Lets

say you dont want students to point out the obvious while watching a video
clip (e.g., the speakers baldness). To dissuade this ungracious behavior, you
can tell the class, You might feel like pointing out the obvious while watching
this clip. Iwrote three statements obvious to this clip that Ill read at the end
of the video. If no one mentions this list, everyone gets an extra credit point.
DISCOURAGE TO ENCOURAGE
Practice a little reverse psychology to spur students concentration by speak-

ing doubtfully about the classs ability to do something. The task then turns
into a challenge. For instance, Mr. Beckett, disappointed in recent classes
for not putting their minds to an audio task, tells his homeroom class, You
know, Ithink we should just skip this next radio talk. My recent classes didnt
get the faulty reasoning in the conversation, and Im not ready to endure that
aggravation again. Instantly, a protest goes up in class as students insist upon
listening to the talk. And guess what happens? The class figures out the faulty
reasoning in no time. Use this tactic only as a last resort or your students will
catch on and discontinue to prove you wrong.
COUNTTIME
Tell students what to expect in a short period of time. Watch them refocus
their energy and anticipate the moment.
In five minutes, youre going to know what causes you to laugh!

In three minutes, you will understand how Siri knows what youre saying!
In two minutes, Iam going to introduce you to the person who invented
words!
In twenty seconds, youre going to fail on a grand scale and learn some-
thing fromit!
In fifteen seconds, youre going to see these raisins dance!
REVEL IN THE MOMENT
Get all hyped up in the heat of a teaching moment, and your students will jump
out of their skins in anticipation of more information. Heres what you mightsay:
Class, do you know that at this very moment, Im going to teach you a
writing skill that youve never learned before, one, so easy to implement,
that will make your paper look instantly sharp! Are you ready?
12 Chapter 1
Whos ready for the best advice in the world about making a good impres-
sion?
Icant believe how well this experiment worked on you people! Can you
guess what its about? Lets head back to class to discussit!
Do you understand the significance of whats about to happen? Afamous
author is going to walk through our door! My heart cant take this!
ENDORSE PHOTOGRAPHY
Encourage students to take group photographs with their finished products

after activities and projects. Post these photographs on the bulletin boards
in class and in the corridor. The anticipation of taking the photograph and
the energy that exudes from photographs charges the air with excitement for
future lessons.
LEAVE YOUR CLASS OFF ANTICIPATING

FUTURE LEARNING
Any of the following ideas will have students bounding into class the
nextday.
Express your excitement for the next days events:
Icant wait to start the program tomorrow!

Icant wait to read your sentences tomorrow!
Icant wait to see what you bring in tomorrow!
Icant wait to hear about your observations tomorrow!
Icant wait to listen to your presentations tomorrow!
Icant wait to do another experiment with you tomorrow!
Mention something incredible youll be doing with your class:
Tomorrow Im going to teach you how to gain respect by correcting a few

habits. (Lesson: emotional intelligence)
Tomorrow Im going to show you how to memorize a list of twenty items
on the spot! (Lesson: the link system)
Tomorrow Im going to show you how to dust for fingerprints. (Lesson:
genes)
Tomorrow were going to create all colors of the spectrum by mixing
combinations of the primary colors, and black and white. (Lesson: color
theory)
Tomorrow were going to test how fast you react. (Lesson: measuring
and graphing reactiontime)
Tomorrow Im going to teach you Shorthand! (Lesson: quicker and cool-
er notetaking)
Alternatively, you might warn students not to be absent. You might say,
Dont be absent tomorrow/this Thursday/next Tuesday! and the class will
know they are in for something magnificent.
Send students off with a curious task to do for a future lesson.
Dont explain why youre asking them to do the task. This way, theyll
speculate about the purpose and anticipate the lesson. For example:
Look into your trash can at home and write down an item you can possibly
reuse in some way. (Lesson: recycling)
Write a logical sentence using five words that begin with the same conso-
nant. (Lesson: alliteration)
Collect three different rocks and bring them to class. (Lesson: classifying
rocks)
Write a caption to a photograph that will make the class interested in
knowing more about the photograph. (Lesson: suspense)
Draw a map of your block and the important places in your neighbor-
hood. (Lesson: creating a digitalmap)
WHATEVER YOU DO, DONT BE PREDICTABLE
Remember, anticipation ignites the passion for learning so that students lis-
ten, retain, and apply information. As anticipation increases so does students
investment in learning. Therefore, never do anything completely predictable
in class. Why? Because the opposite of anticipation is predictability. Your
neighbor, Mrs. McKenzie, who sits on her porch every morning for two hours
until she goes in to watch her soap opera is predictable. You dont want to
be likeher.
To escape the predictability trap, scrap the idea of giving your students a
schedule of the week (yawn!). Dont make Tuesday grammar day (yawn!).
Refrain from giving students a point-by-point syllabus of the year (double
yawn!). Dont give booklets of dates for upcoming homework assignments,
tests, or presentations (doom and gloom!). Yes, you want students to plan their
time well, but furnishing set schedules cements the message that you are stuck
in routine. And that makes you and your teaching formidable and uninspiring.
Give students due dates as you assign work: These op-ed articles are due
in two weeks, November30. Make students aware of a test at the end of a
14 Chapter 1
unit. Your test on probability is next week Wednesday, February9. With

ample time to prepare or study, students will appreciate the heads up and meet
individual tasks with vigor, unencumbered by knowledge of future impend-
ing deadlines.
To give students a reason to anticipate your class, always project yourself
as a creative, ever-growing, inspiring individual. Imbue lessons with hope-
ful expectation. Never begin or carry out lessons the same way. Your class
should never get tired of learning. You want students to come to class think-
ing, Iwonder what we are in for today? and leave school with something
to clamor about.
How will you give students a reason to anticipate your class?
Chapter2
Using the Fun Theory to Engage

Students in Learning
Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.
Joseph Chilton Pearce
THE FUN THEORY
In a Stockholm, Sweden subway station, a Volkswagen initiative (of the

Volkswagen Foundation) set up a musical staircase to see if people would
choose this healthier option over the escalator. That day 66percent of the
subway commuters chose the musical staircase, proving Volkswagens fun
theorythat fun can motivate people to change behavior.
Does this fun theory carry a message for educators? Ithink so. It would
stand to reason that if educators want students to do something when students
would rather notmemorize information, think in a more abstract way, write
compositions, learn historical facts, problem solve, concentrate on a process,
or work on projectseducators would reap greater benefits if theyd make it
fun. Luckily, with the enjoyable activities below you can engage students in
quality learning without too much effort.
Bring on the Songs, Jingles, and Rhymes

Are you familiar with the old song, Europe Here We Come, which includes
all Europes countries and capitals? What joy there was in bursting out that
song! Although Europe has somewhat changed, the song still comes in handy
today. When a student asks, Where is Lisbon?, a teacher can answer, in
Portugal. (And if the correct country doesnt come to mind right away, all the
teacher has to do is hum the words of the song to reach it.) Thats the power of
15
16 Chapter 2
a song. Some songs are just like tattoos for your brain, says Carlos Santana.
You hear them and theyre affixed to you. Theres great truth tothat.
The same goes for jingles and rhymes. Remember the jingles you learned
in school about the United States, the Periodic Table, or good manners?
Someone wakes you up in middle of the night and you can ramble them off,
no problem. What about the rhymes? Remember 7x7 roaches on a vine,
creeping and crawling all 49? How about Thirty days has September, April,
June, and November. All the rest have 31, except for February, it stands
alone? We remember these rhymes forever.
Whats the lesson? If you want students to learn facts with gusto and
remember them for life, bring on the songs, the jingles, and the rhymes. Dont
know any? Make them up or search YouTube where there are multitudes for
all topics from Ballad of the Alamo by Marty Robbins to The American
Presidents adapted by Genevieve Madeline Ryan to The Preposition Flow
Jingle by Jayne Henry. Better yet, have students write subject-based songs
and perform them for the class.
Give Three-Minute Brain Breaks

Research indicates that students learn better with brain breaks, short bursts of
activity that enhance blood flow and send oxygen to the brain. In fact, brain
scans show that cardiovascular activity lights up areas of the brain that allow
for better learning. Furthermore, studies prove that physical activity improves
test scores in core subjects such as math, science, English, and world studies
(Coe etal. 2006). Want to help kids concentrate better and retain informa-
tion? Break out some movement. The movement can come in any form of
exercise, but what do kids like most? Adance party.
Direct the Dance Party: Have a list of students favorite songs handy and
give the class a three-minute dance party during transitions: between subjects
and difficult concepts, before or after a quiz or test. Try a short Zumba rou-
tine, a little Irish jig, or free style dancing. For older classes, you might teach
a dance move (e.g., The moonwalk). Recruit students who have the skill to
take the lead. Students exult in these dance parties and sit back down, flushed,
with a renewed vigor for present learning.
Have Fun with Acronyms and Other Mnemonics

Memorizing improves rapidly for students when you teach them playful hints.
Begin with acronyms: Acronyms are great tools for memorizing hard-to-
remember lists, phrases, or sentences. Introduce the word acronym in class,
and clueless students will guess its anything from a chemical to a mean
Using the Fun Theory to Engage Students in Learning 17
dinosaur. Students, though, will quickly say, Oh! when you present the
acronyms they use in texting: TTYL, FYI, LOL. They will get a kick out of
guessing the meanings of less popular texting acronyms like AAMOF, IMHO,
CMIIW (meanings: as a matter of fact, in my humble opinion, correct me if
Im wrong, respectively).
Now shift over to more meaningful acronyms students recognize on a
daily basis without knowing their literal meanings. For starters, present a list
of common acronyms and let students guess the words they stand for, for
example:
FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation

PINpersonal identification number
CEOchief executive officer
ATMautomated teller machine
Next, show students how one can remember a series, order, or process, by
creating an acronym that brings the information easily to their minds. For
instance, a popular made-up acronym such as HOMES stands for the Great
Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. FANBOYS is another
common acronym for the coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, and so. DRY MIX helps one know how to graph variables: dependent
responding variable of Y-axis and independent manipulated variable on
X-axis.
Once students get the idea, they have fun making up their own acronyms
on a regular basis. During geography, when someone confuses the west and
the east, a student points out that the simple acronym WE does the trick to
remember the west is on the left of the map and the east on the right. To eas-
ily remember the duties of the president, a second student suggests the acro-
nym PECAN: pardon, executive, commander in chief, address (State of the
Union), and nations host. The class also amuses themselves by making up
sentences for extended acronyms. For example, to recall the orders of opera-
tions: parentheses, powers, multiplication and division, addition, and subtrac-
tion, students might suggestPriscilla passes more donuts and sandwiches
or Priscilla poisons my dear Aunt Stacy.
Continue with Other Mnemonics: After dabbling with acronyms, students
naturally begin using other hints between words and their meaning or func-
tion. Students produce clever hints to eradicate mix-ups. For instance, to
remember that a simile is a comparison using like or as and a metaphor is
a comparison that does not use like or as, this simple association mnemonic
does the trick: the word simile has an l as in like and an s as in as. The
metaphor shares neither letters.
18 Chapter 2
Fire-up Wise Technology

Intertwined in students lives, technology should represent more than Face-
book to your class. Engross students in online adventures that motivate
learning. If used correctly, these activities will give students hours of learn-
ing pleasure. Your class will take control of their learning while engaging in
meaningful independent or collaborate tasks.
Present information through visual design. Let students manipulate objects,

view an animation, and respond to questions with software programs.
Use classroom learning Apps on iPads. Rich in visual, auditory, and kines-
thetia, many Apps cater to students learning styles and allow them to work
at their own speed.
Have students create opinion blogs and participate in peers blogs by leav-
ing comments.
Have students set up a class wiki for a specific topic such as a book analy-
sis, a philosophical question, an observation from school trip, a day in the
life of a modern Brazilian family, or a fan club of Mangaart.
Hook up your class with a class across the world to work on projects simul-
taneously.
Connect students with experts across the globe for insight, opinions, or
advice on topics.
Let students do fun research, for example, what happened in the world the
day they wereborn.
Permit students role-play a real-life situation such as farm management or
banking on online simulations.
Let students create and post reviews for tests.
Let students take online quizzes, exams, and surveys where they can obtain
immediate feedback.
Have students create e-portfolios of coursework so that they can effort-
lessly share samples of work with you, other teachers, and peers to receive
constructive feedback.
Ask students to devise video newscasts that show the development of a project.
Let students create a digital week-by-week memory book for a month/
months/year.
Give Intriguing Writing Assignments

Writing is often the bane of many students lives, but they will revel in a
task if its something they never tried and will give them good results. For
instance, take a look at these sample writing assignments.
Writing Whats Happening Now: To heighten observation in writing, you
can ask students to give short narratives about whats going on in a real scene
right before them. The people, action, and detail spring to life this way, and
students find the task not only fun but wondrous in its result. They look at the
imagery on paper and cant believe they wrote it. Here is a sample paragraph
from a students paper that illustrates this assignment.
Susan reaches over Dads vitamins on the table for the red capped milk and
Fruit Loops. Setting the milk down beside her, she turns her frowning attention
to the cereal box. Her flyaway hair rests in fine strands on her arms and brushes
the top of her bowl as she shakes the box. She turns to our sister Kayla with a
quizzical glare, and spats out accusingly, You ate the last of the Fruit Loops?
as if the cereal is all hers. Culprit though she is, Kayla doesnt take Susan seri-
ously and who can blame her? Susan looks ridiculous in her indignance, wear-
ing her monkey PJs, the monkey faces beaming at everyone, in permanent silly
grins like a series of Curious Georges. Kayla continues crunching on her cereal
and smirks at Susan. They will not be friends this morning.
Designing My Ideal Desk: Instead of instructing students to write the same

dry descriptive papers on their bedroom, favorite restaurant, or photograph,
have them describe the ideal desk theyd bring into the classroom. This
desk, perfectly designed for their needs and whims, can have extraordinary
functions. It can provide hot grilled cheese sandwiches, contain a built-in
e-printer, blast heat or air conditioning, give massages, and so forth. The only
rule is that the desk must also include features that facilitate learning.
Understandably, students relish designing their desk. While this assign-
ment implements all facets of descriptive writing, it also urges the writer to
reveal his preferences, dislikes, creature comforts, and wholehearted wishes.
Who doesnt like to dothat?
Ask Do You Think ... Type of Questions

You will notice Do you think question stems numerous times in this book.
Thats because people love to figure out questions that require deductive rea-
soning such as Do you think its possible for a person to cry underwater?
or Do you think theres a difference between a caretaker and a caregiver?
Moreover, students find Do you think questions enticing when opinion
plays a role in the reasoning. Questions such as Do you think this charac-
ter acted out of fear/anger/desperation/greed/concern? may not have a pat
answer but will keep the class debating past thebell.
Do Impersonations
On the popular, old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter, Mr. Kotter launches
into Groucho Marx impersonations and others to capture the attention of
his delinquent homeroom class, and it does the trick. Talented at doing
20 Chapter 2
impersonations? Dont hold back in class. Even putting on a good English

accent when talking about Henry VIII adds life to the lesson.
Turn Topics into Stories

Everyone loves a story. Stories create mental images that entertain the mind.
They enliven circumstances, permitting students to empathize with charac-
ters dilemmas. Teaching via stories also warms students toward the material
and vastly improves their retention of information.
Fortunately, a teacher can turn any topic into a story.
For example:
To teach about the Quartering Act, Mrs. Mitchell tells a story about Johnny
who comes home from milking the cow to find a British soldier drinking
from Johnnys favorite mug. Then Johnny hears that the British soldier will
be kicking him out of his bedroom for days or possibly months. Not only
that, but the British soldier expects his mother to cook meals for him when-
ever hes hungry. Johnny begins to wonder if life will ever be thesame.
This storytelling lets students see history in action. It automatically arouses

students compassion for Johnny and his plight. The class supposes many
other ways the British soldier disturbs the privacy of Johnnys home. They
want to know why Johnnys family has to house the soldier. With the story,
they can better understand the growing hatred toward the redcoats and the
feeling of mutiny among the colonists.
For example:
To explain anaerobic respiration, Mr. Campbell tells a story about Kristen

whos running a marathon. For the first several miles, her muscles use oxy-
gen to give Kristen the energy she needs to run. But when Kristen decides
to sprint after joggers pass her by, Kristens muscles begin to protest since
they dont have enough oxygen to create the energy she is expending. The
muscles only have one option.
This storytelling lets students envision Kristens problem. The story auto-
matically triggers curiosity. The class wants to know what the muscles will
do to help Kristen. With Kristens marathon at stake in their minds, the class
will listen closely to the process of anaerobic respiration.
Turn Your Students into Subjects of Hypothetical Stories

Students also enjoy ruminating about situations or solving word problems
and moral dilemmas when they can imagine themselves as subjects of the
circumstance. Turn students into the subjects of a circumstance simply by

using the pronoun You for the main subject of the hypothetical story. For
example:
Imagine you were one of Margots classmates in Bradburys story All

Summer in a Day. Would you have stood up to William when he sug-
gested locking Margot in the closet? If so, how would you have stood up to
him? If you decided not to come to Margots rescue, do you think you and
the other children should share the blame for making Margot missout on a
once-in-seven-year opportunity to see the sun? Why or whynot?
You want a beautiful angora sweater. It costs $139, but you dont have the
money for it. Your neighbor offers to lend you the money but says you have
to pay him back by the end of the week. He will charge you 15percent in-
terest for each week you dont pay him back. You agree to your neighbors
conditions and borrow the money. How much money will you owe your
neighbor if you dont pay him back for a month past the duedate?
As long as you can remember, your parents have been making decisions for
you. When the ice cream guy asks you what flavor you want, your dad says,
Shell have pistachio, though you thought you might try a new flavor.
When youre at your aunts house for Thanksgiving and your aunt asks you
where you want to sit, your mom says, Oh, shell sit near Sophia, when
you would much rather sit near a different cousin. Is there a way for you to
speak up for yourself without hurting feelings or sounding disrespectful?
Bring Personal Stories into Your Lessons

Children get a kick out of hearing stories about the time their teachers were
young. Recount a personal anecdote from your childhood and watch all
Dreaming Doras and Sleepy Stanleys tune in big time. Be sure to inject anec-
dotes with specific elements from your lessons so that students understand
how the stories come into the picture. For example:
When Iwas in Junior High School, we didnt have air conditioning in the
classroom. We literally stuck to the back of our seats in June. One day we
had an idea to bring in those battery-operated fans and connect them to
our desks. But all the fans did was blow the hot air around the room. Can
anyone guess what air conditioning does that a fan cant do to make the
atmosphere more comfortable?
When Iwas in high school, Irewrote an English paper five times before
Iwas satisfied with it. When Igot back the paper, Iwas devastated. My
teacher took off many points, circling all the words Ichose from the thesau-
rus. Ithought using those big words made my paper sound grown up. Can
you tell me where Iwent wrong?
22 Chapter 2
Present Characters in Relatable Circumstances

Want problem solving to automatically gain appeal? Ask students to solve
problems for pretend characters in a world familiar to their own. For example:
Jeremy received a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game

(MMORPG) for his birthday from Grandpa Joe. Jeremy wants to write
Grandpa a thank-you card but doesnt know what to include. Can you help
him? (Lesson: Writing a thank-younote)
Maxi and Olivia were rollerblading in the park. They were both wearing
helmets. Maxi hit a small rock in the path and flew off to the side landing
hard on her back. Maxi was fully conscious but winced when she tried to
get up. What should Maxi do to avoid further injury? What can Olivia do to
help Maxi avoid further injury? (Lesson: Administering firstaid)
June and Jenny are having a sleepover. They have to make it to school for
an 8:30 art class the following morning. June needs twenty minutes to get
dressed, eight minutes to eat breakfast, fifteen minutes to pack a lunch, and
forty minutes to get to school because she likes to walk. Jenny needs twelve
minutes more than June for one activity and seven minutes less for another.
She doesnt need time to pack a lunch, but she does need twenty minutes
to finish her science project. In addition, she takes the bus to school, which
cuts travel time by thirty minutes. Show Junes and Jennys calculation for
the time they need to set their alarm so that they make it on time to the 8:30
art class. (Lesson: Solving algebraic problems)
Remember, children are by far more interested in solving problems for

people who live in a world similar to their own than dealing with problems
like If the high-speed train leaves from South Station and takes approxi-
mately three-and-a-half hours to get to Penn Station ... blah, blah, blah.
Let Students Role-Play

You be the dragon, Ill be the princess.
You be the cop, Ill be the robber.
Kids naturally gravitate toward pretend games. Role-playing with bigger kids
is a continuation of this imaginative play but with a more focused purpose.
To role-play means to take on a role for the purpose of understanding the
role better and the circumstances surrounding it. Amainstay of education,
role-playing integrates learning and encourages active participation.
Try these two types of role-playing in your classroom, and youre guaran-
teed to generate deep interest in any subject.
Individual role-playing: For individual role-playing, students give a

presentation, oral or written, from the perspective of a specific character
who may or may not be human. To do a good job, the student thoroughly
researches his characters circumstance and any external influences.
For instance, a student can research the Eskimo and take on the iden-
tity of one, sharing with the audience something about where and how he
liveshow he builds his home, what he eats, how he hunts, what he wears,
the language he speaks, the sports he plays, the difficulties he faces, and
so forth.
Similarly, a student can research the life and accomplishments of a famous
person in history (e.g., a king, queen, inventor, explorer, political activist,
president, tycoon, author, artist, or philosopher) and assume the subjects
identity. The student can fill in answers to interview questions on a worksheet
as this famous person would have answered them. Then the student can read
his responses to the class in the voice and manner of the subject.
Alternatively, a student can research a circumstance and write a letter in the
knowledgeable voice of an environmentalist, for example, (or psychologist/
parent/scientist/lawyer/asthmatic child/literary character/grizzly bear/ocean/
tree/carrot) praising or censuring the addressee for something he did that
affected the letter writer and possibly others.
These role-playing exercises are much more fun than merely studying
about Eskimos or Marco Polo, or lets say, water pollution. Dont you agree?
Interactive role-playing: Interactive role-playing includes teaming up
with one or more persons. Students adopt the roles of characters, study their
viewpoints, and act them out in debate or discourse. Kids take pleasure in
role-playing with classmates and, once immersed in the experience, are likely
to remember it for a longtime.
Exercises for interactive role-playing:
A mother debating with a toy manufacturer about whether or not toy adver-
tising should be banned on childrens television programs
A termite facing death by pesticide pleading for its life before the extermi-
nator based on the beneficial role it plays in the ecosystem
Oliver Cromwell justifying his actions as lord protector of the Common-
wealth of England to his inquisitive daughter
Farmers discussing the best course of action to recover their crop after a
hailstorm
Patrick Henry having a discussion with his son about why one must give his
life for his country
A poacher and a wildlife official from the Humane Society of the United
States arguing over their views on poaching
Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison debating about who is a greater inventor
24 Chapter 2
Robin Hood pleading not guilty before the judge (rationalizing his rea-
sons for robbing the rich and giving to the poor) and the judge issuing his
statement
A member of the NRA (National Rifle Association) debating with an anti-
gun zealot about whether or not private citizens should be allowed to le-
gally own guns for self-protection
An oatmeal cookie and honey cookie contending which is healthier
An upper-class and a lower-class man debating whether wealthy people
should pay moretaxes
Provide many opportunities for students to strut their stuff: Role-playing or

not, given the opportunity to flaunt their charisma, students have an added
incentive to do good work. The following tasks cover individual and interac-
tive role-playing and a gamut of other tasks that allow students to strut their
stuff before an audience. For example:
Describe a stereotype on paper. Act out that stereotype before the class.
Pair up with a neighbor and think of two scenarios that show the difference
between bullying and fooling around. Act out those scenarios for the class.
Underline the idioms in the following paragraph. Act out the literal and
figurative meaning of one idiom for the class.
Write a fictional childrens book that contains an entertaining plot with at
least three of the following techniques: foreshadowing, personification,
metaphor, imagery, irony. Read the sentences that contain your three tech-
niques before the class.
You are Pythagoras of Samos, the father of numbers, who also happens to
be a visiting guest in our classroom. Please explain and demonstrate to the
class when and how to use your formula, the Pythagorean Theorem.
Read the chapter (from the novel, Bible, history, or science textbook) a ssigned
to your group and act out with your peers the storyline or process through
drama, song, or dance or a combination of these.
Write a dialogue with your peer that contains at least four euphemisms.
Then carry out that dialogue before the class.
Create a poster that shows the different antigens of the blood cells and how
the cells do or dont mix. Give your blood cells personality. Then bring
your poster up before the class and explain its components.
Write a debate with your peer between two people from the nineteenth cen-
tury who disagree on an important issue. You can model the debate after a
real dialogue that took place or make one up. Impersonating the debaters,
present the debate before the class.
Write a eulogy for someone from history or current day. Deliver your eu-
logy before the class.
Occupy the audience: Some performances naturally call for the audiences
participation. For example, when someone acts out a stereotype or idiom
or reads sentences using literary techniques, the audience is automatically
involved in guessing the stereotype, idiom, or literary techniques. Other per-
formances might invite students to sit back and relax, which is okay, if you
know the audience will actively listen and learn. But when you feel the per-
formance might lose the audiences undivided attention, you might want to
instruct the audience to do something with the information theyre receiving.
Youd be surprised how much fun the audience has when actively engaged in
peers presentations even when its just jotting somethingdown.
Here are suggestions of how you can instruct the audience:
While Pythagoras explains and demonstrates the Pythagorean Theorem,

the audience can compare his account with their own and tweak theirs if
necessary.
While students carry on a dialogue using euphemisms, the audience can
mark down the euphemisms mentioned.
While students act out a chapter of a text, the audience can write down an
aspect of the performance that impactedthem.
While a student shows off her poster of antigens and blood cells, the audi-
ence can jot down any questions theyhave.
While students carry on a debate between Abraham Lincoln and Senator
Stephen Douglas on slavery, the audience can fill in a chart depicting the
debaters differences of opinion.
While a student gives a eulogy for Eleanor Roosevelt, the audience can
mark down a positive attribute of the deceased.
Role-Play a Process with theClass

Do you want to get all students thoroughly immersed in role-play? Role-playing
with the entire class comes in handy for reviewing a complicated process
(e.g., the circulatory system, trial by jury, stock trading) in a stimulating way.
This acting automatically embeds the process in the students minds, saving
the class the trouble of memorizing information. But there are other benefits
to the activity. The mere act of walking students through the activity for the
purpose of assigning roles clarifies the process for the class and serves as an
added review. Plus, accepting the responsibility of an active role in the pro-
cess gives the class an incentive to pay close attention to the process.
Lets eavesdrop on this role-play in Mr. Crawfords seventh grade:
Were watching Mr. Crawford as he prepares his class for role-playing the
process of how a bill becomes a law. Students have written bills they would
like to pass as laws in the classroom. Today Mr. Crawford selects one bill
26 Chapter 2
from the hopper and tells the class they will role-play the process of the
bills journey from a bill to a possible law. Observe how Mr. Crawford dis-
cusses the process of how a bill becomes a law as he gives out roles so that
his class understands both, the process and their vital role in the role-playing
activity.
Okay, we have the bill, Mr. Crawford says. Before it starts its journey,
who wants to be the reading clerk who introduces the bill to the representa-
tives? Good, Fatima, you have a clear speaking voice. Who do we need next?
Right, the Speaker of the House. Who wants to be the Speaker of the House
who sends the bill to one of the House Standing Committees? You got it,
Tricia.
Which group of people do we need next? Good, representatives from the
Committee who will talk about the bill and possibly make changes before
voting whether to send the bill back to the House floor. Would four people
care to join as representatives? Thank you, Sam, Toby, Matthew, and Claudia.
Next, who would like to stand by as the Subcommittee to reexamine the
bill, conduct hearings, question, and make changes if necessary? Pat, Jerome,
Lila, and Deshawn. Jerry, are you also raising your hand? You are, good.
Please join the Subcommittee.
Now, if the bill is approved by the House Standing Committee, well need
______? Correct again! Amajority vote. Who wants to join as the remain-
ing members of the House of Representatives to further debate the bill and
vote upon it? How about giving it a try, Millie, Gabriel, Alex, and Nora?
Thankyou.
Supposing the bill is approved by a majority vote of the House, whos
going to be the clerk of the House who certifies the bill before its sent to the
U.S. Senate? Thank you, Mia. Which members do we need now? Thats right,
members of the Senate Committee. Who wants to volunteer as senators on the
Senate floor to debate the bill? Cory, Linda, Vicky, and Diego.
Now, once again, what do we need? The Subcommittee to reexamine the
bill and make changes if necessary, right again. Thank you, Alex, Renata,
Lucas, Kate, and Diana. Finally, we need the rest of the Senate who will debate
the bill and vote upon it. That leaves Robert, Joseph, Phillip, and Sadie.
Assuming the majority of the Senate approves the bill, Iwill take on the
role of the president of the United States who will sign and pass the bill, veto
the bill, or pocket-veto the bill. Remember, if the president vetoes the bill,
both houses of Congress can override the presidents veto with a two-thirds
majorityvote.
Okay, everyone please find your job on a sticker in the basket. Stick the
tag to your right shoulder, and stand in the designated places marked on the
wall so that we can begin. Iwonder if this classroom bill will become a law or
get killed in the process. Lets make sure the bill gets a fair chance at all stops
along the way. Please watch carefully and speak up if you detect any flaws in
the process. If the bill becomes a law, we will honor it in this classroom for
at least one semester. If the bill dies along the way, and we still have time,
we will choose another bill from the hopper.
At this point, students understand the set-up. They know their roles and
what to look out for during the activity. Everyone is occupied in the learn-
ing and feels their input carries weight. With this invested interest, they will
examine all facets of the process, engage in debate, ask questions, and come
to a satisfying conclusion. Role-playing with the entire class makes the learn-
ing experience real and memorable.
Let Them PlayGames

If you tell the class, Guess what, today were going to improve our literacy
skills!, you probably wont receive an enthusiastic applause. But what if
you bring out the board games? With a variety of games accessible in the
classroom, students can have fun interacting with others while strengthening
learning skills.
Some of the most popular games teach brilliant skills. Take, for exam-
ple, Monopoly. Published in twenty-six languages and available in over
eighty-one countries, Monopoly has been an all-time favorite for millions of
children and adults. Would you believe it teaches fundamental in economics
such as budgeting, planning finances, negotiating, and the concept of lever-
age? And get this. Scrabble, isnt only a word game. Sure, it teaches spelling
and increases vocabulary, but tallying scores introduce the basic algebraic
concept of multiplying first and then adding numbers.
Classic games like Clue foster deductive reasoning and logic skills with
the player planning moves and observing other players moves. In addition
to teaching the latter skills, Battleship can develop math skills in graphing
and coordinates. Not only that, but the ability to eliminate variables in Battle-
ship and other games like Mastermind is a critical skill mirrored in scientific
experimentation, not to mention standardized tests. The list goeson.
Researchers found that playing board games twice a week increased the
brain speed scores of children by a staggering 27 to 32percent. And the best
part is that children play these games and dont even know theyre learning.
Other more specific studies prove the effect of game playing and brain boost-
ing for particular games. Astounding studies, for example, show how chess
improves students cognitive development, critical and creative thinking,
memory, spatial aptitude, IQ, reading and math skills, and problem solving.
Another study found that children exposed to checkers at an early age grasped
28 Chapter 2
a better understanding of basic math concepts including geometry than the

average student.
Conclusively, you can confidently acquaint students with board games in
class. Just make sure the playing is voluntary. You dont want to promote
competition. Students find board games fun only when they like the challenge
and want to improve on skills. Those who prefer playing alone or with anony-
mous competitors can do so with fun online brain games. Lumosity games, for
instance, and Word Bubbles exercise verbal fluency; Word Sort, pattern rec-
ognition; Route to Sprout, planning; and Memory Matrix, spatial recall. Many
other free online brain games such as Private Eye sharpen analytical skills.
Rest assured, playing online video games can also raise test scores. Play-
conomics, produced by Alberto Motta and Isabella Dobrescu, for instance, a
vibrant online economics game built on real-life rigorous economic models,
raised test scores by 25percent and dropped failures by a half. This gamified
e-book (which won the University of New South Wales 2016 John Prescott
Outstanding Teaching Innovation Award) teaches the same information as
an economics textbook but allows students to interact with agents, make
economic decisions, and analyze outcomes. Best of all, students can progress
at their own speed.
Other computer games, popular for younger children, like Minecraft, teach
anything from math to art, design, and geography. Flexible in its design,
Minecraft has modification abilities teachers can manipulate to suit curricu-
lums. Researchers at Queensland University of Technology suggest educators
embrace the game, saying it can boost problem solving, engagement, and
creativity.
Youd be surprised at the creative thinking kids build on from playing
games. Ateacher once found students taking pictures of their Bananagram
puzzles at the end of a round. They wanted to create crossword puzzles and
figured they had one right there. All they needed was to come up with the
hints for the words. Working together, three cronies presented a crossword
book of eight crossword puzzles, which they photocopied for the classs plea-
sure. This is a prime example of teamwork.
Sometimes students even use games for analogies in their daily reasoning.
For example, a teacher overhears two children speaking about friendships.
One child says, You know sometimes making a friend is easy. You auto-
matically see so much in common with the person. Then you meet another
person and hes so difficult to read, but after spending time with him, youre
surprised to find character traits you didnt see before. The other child
replies, Yeah, Iknow. Its like when you have a real good set-up in Boggle.
You see so many words and you cant get them down fast enough. And then
sometimes, the set-up seems lousy, but if you look hard enough, you do find
words. For some relationships, you have to look past face value.
That analogy can get you thinking for a while.
Let Students Test Their Own Intellectual Achievement

Teachers are always testing kids, but how often do kids test themselves?
When the testing isnt for the sake of a score but for self-knowledge, students
grab the opportunity to take assessment tests and utilize them for personal
growth. Taking these self-assessment tests is purely voluntary. Students love
to test their word power; figure out riddles; check the Fog Index of their
writing; assess their memory skills; and discover their cognitive learning
style, their field of expertise, their sensory preference, whether theyre pre-
dominantly left-brained or right-brained, and the speed and retention of their
reading. Exercises given for any of these are met with appreciative delight
by students ranging from age eight to adult. You can find free tests online
and in books. Sections from the LSATS provide good analytical testing for
advanced high school students.
Print a collection of these tests for your class. Through the grapevine,
Ibet youll hear that students take these tests over the weekend and work on
improving skills, also on their own time, just for the fun ofit.
Have Students Design an Ideal Country

After teaching a concept, let students design a country illustrating the
application of the theme to the hilt. For instance, if youve taught about
failing economies in history, have students build a country that contains a
thriving economy. Students take what they learnt about the characteristics
of a good economy and apply it to benefit their country. For example, stu-
dents might situate their country near a port for good trade ability. Students
also analyze what theyve learned to craft many of their own innovative
ideas. They can talk about ways their countrys government creates income
instead of redistributing it. They can depict how their government puts tax
dollars to good use. To ensure a greater middle class, they might incorpo-
rate mandatory, free college or vocational training. However, there cant be
any magic or miracles to their system. All their layout and planning must
have reasonable explanations.
Students design with the knowledge that their teacher will put their plans
through the wringer, asking them tough questions such as How will you
provide for natural disasters such as a tsunami? How plausible is the aver-
age persons working hours? How does your system bar future economic
failings? Do your residents have enough time for recreation? Students must
provide details, for example, the layout and number of farms, what they grow,
and how their owners manage the crops. After students display their countries
(in full colorful design and artistic quality), the class votes on which best fac-
tors they can borrow from all the projects to come up with the ultimate ideal
economy.
30 Chapter 2
Can you imagine the learning that emanates from this fun project? It makes
no difference what subject you teach. Ideas for themes can run the gamut
of all subjects. Teaching about epidemics? You can have students build a
germ-free country. Teaching about different types of governments? Let stu-
dents design countries that boast the most ideal government they can imagine.
Teaching about illiteracy? Students can build the most literate country. Did
you spend two weeks talking about good character traits? Let students design
countries with the highest ethics.
Dont worry about students going off on unnecessary tangents. You may
give them as many liberties, rules, and/or restrictions as you see fit. Provide
checklists to keep them on task with the particular factors you want them to
take into consideration. You might also require them to come up with certain
extras, for example, a constitution for their country or a flag that supports or
symbolizes the creed of their country.
Employ Little Playful Activities with Huge Payoffs

The following activities look deceptively simple, but they have transformed
many classrooms into vibrant learning centers.
Have students sum up: Let students write every period the three main
points of the lesson and hand them in with the bell for extra credit. This way,
students feel a challenge throughout the lesson and remain alert.
Prepare the adrenaline for quizzes: After teaching new material, inform
students of a pending quiz. Pair students to prepare for the quiz by testing each
other on the new material. Students know you may or may not give the quiz,
but the possibility of one gives students the adrenaline to review with gusto.
Accept input for future lessons: Collect index cards of questions or com-
ments students have at the end of the lesson and respond to them or a portion
of them the next day. This give-and-take conveys you have students best
interests in mind, and the class will look forward to hearing your feedback.
Even when a student doesnt hand in a card, its still exciting for him to hear
his classmates remarks addressed the following lesson.
Make thinking about goals fun: Have individual or groups of students
design a road to their goal. Using a game like Candyland as a model, have
students sketch the shape and length of their road and divide the road into
segments. They can mark each segment with a consecutive plan. To brighten
the road, students might use markers, pieces of bright construction paper, or
shiny materials. They can draw roadblocks that may halt progress and write
strategies to bypass them. They might also depict risky detours to highlight
the danger of veering off the road. You can check the practicality of these
roads and help students devise better ones. As students tackle the task, they
mark off where they are on the road so that the teacher can assess their prog-
ress and help them move along quicker when necessary.
Did this chapter sell you on the fun theory? Too many children out there
are coerced into learning by straight-laced, dull teachers who do nothing to
make education palatable, let alone fun. As a result, students learn poorly,
brainwashed into thinking the tiresome lessons are for their own good and
any fun is meant for the playground. But they yearn to break free of the bor-
ing constraints. Heres a case in point.
Penelope takes a much-needed break from a monotonous eighth-grade
class and passes by Mr. Chens sixth grade. Mr. Chen, a big believer in the
fun theory, is clapping and chanting with his class to the Dividing Fractions
Song. Curious about this exuberance for math, Penelope peeks later into the
class to witness the kids taking a brain break, dancing to The Hamster Dance
Song (Just Dance Kids).
On the way to the auditorium the next day, Penelope glances in Mr. Chens
room to see kids in witch hats and wild wigs acting out a scene from Macbeth
to a giggling audience. Taking a deliberate detour, on her way back from her
teachers errand the end of the week, Penelope observes students immersed
in iPad games. As she trudges back to Mr. Muddles droning voice in science
class, Penelope shakes her head and wishes she can turn Mr. Muddle into
another Mr. Chen. Poor, poor Penelope.
Ready to save the Penelopes (and Patricks) in your class? Be the teacher
who enforces learning with fun activities. Youll cover the curriculum faster
and fortify concepts at the same time. A sensible win for everyone!
Chapter3
Pursuing Wonder
O you that are so strong andcold,

O blower, are you young orold?
Are you a beast of field andtree,
Or just a stronger child thanme?
O wind, a-blowing all daylong,
O wind, that sings so loud asong!
From The WindRobert Louis Stevenson (18501894)
The world invests much time in the pursuit of happiness, but scholars never
put much stock in it. Instead, pursuing the wonders of the world has been
their hobby for centuries. Socrates believed, Wisdom begins with wonder.
Aristotle said, It was through the feeling of wonder that men now and at first
began to philosophize. Great philosophers like these and many scientists
spent productive time wondering. Wondering why an apple fell downward
inspired Isaac Newton to formulate his theory of gravity. Wondering what it
would be like to race alongside a light beam led Einstein to his principle of
relativity.
Spending time wondering produces good results no matter if our findings
shake the world. When we wonder, we yearn to understand, we seek the truth,
ask tough questions, acquire knowledge, develop skills, contribute to others,
and realize miracles in our magical midst. Ultimately, wondering teaches us
that were part of something much larger than ourselves. Wondering there-
fore has inherent value.
What a gift we give our students when we wonder with them in the class-
room! What a thrill to witness students marveling over a whole arena of new-
found knowledge! Children grow up with a sense of wonder but lose touch with
it quicker than ever, entrapped in our fast-paced technological environment.
33
34 Chapter 3
Dont pause. Dont reflect. Dont stop moving. Thats the worlds message.
Rachel Carson believed if a child is to preserve his sense of wonder, he needs
the companionship of at least one adult who can share it with him. Why not
let that adult beyou?
How can you practice wondering with your class? With the following
simple suggestions.
CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF WONDER
Wonder aloud: How many times have you found yourself turning to some-
one and saying, You know, Ive been wondering.... Plenty of times, Im
guessing. How many times does your student turn to another to say the same
thing? Not many, we can imagine.
Rectify this problem. Wonder aloud in the classroom about curious thoughts
that come to mind. Once educators start wondering aloud about things, stu-
dents begin wondering too, and the atmosphere starts to vibrate with inquiry.
Examples of wonder aloud statements:
I wonder why some people are afraid of heights.

I wonder how long canned food stays fresh.
I wonder how ideas suddenly pop into our heads.
I wonder why some people feel nauseous on rides.
I wonder why hair feels thinner when its wet than when itsdry.
I wonder who came up with the first fairytale.
I wonder why fingernails grow faster than toenails.
I wonder about the reason for 20million penguins living in Antarctica.
I wonder why some students need company on a one-minute walk to their
lockers.
I wonder why people like wrestling.
Let students ponder: Are some students still a little rusty at wondering? Set
aside time for students to ponder. Ask students: What in the world makes
you curious? It can be something that is a mystery to you or something you
havent figured out fully. Let students sit and think for a while. Then, have
them compile a list of the things they wonder about. Get them to work on
finding the answers, or better yet, have them swap lists with peers and track
down the answers for each other. (Somehow, when we do a task for another
person, the job is more gratifying!) Next, if you really want to tickle your
students minds, compile all the questions and answers in a booklet for the
class to read at their leisure.
Pursuing Wonder 35
Examples of students ponderings:
Whats the reason for daylight savingtime?

Why do some people blush more readily than others?
How can my brother put out a lit candle with his finger and not get burnt?
Why does my wart keep comingback?
How is dry-cleaningdone?
How many gigabytes of information can the human brainhold?
How does water get to our kitchensink?
Why arent there the same number of days in all the months?
How do airplanes stay in the sky when theyre so heavy?
Why does the moon follow me when Iwalk?
WOW STUDENTS WITH AMAZINGFACTS
Keep wonder alive by constantly impressing students with amazing facts.

You can find hundreds of fascinating, credible facts online and in books.
Hang these facts on bulletin boards, type them on handouts, incorporate them
in lessons, and put them in newsletters. You might preface these facts with
Did you know statements. Take a look at the Did you know statements
below and notice how the surprising element in these statements cant help
but infuse students with wonder and urge them to find out more about the
subject. For example:
Did you know that you are 0.4 inches taller in the morning than in the
evening?
Did you know that black snow fell on Chicago, Illinois, in the winter
of1947?
Did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament?
Did you know a violin contains over seventy separate pieces ofwood?
Did you know that folate, a B vitamin, helps lift depression?
Did you know Monopoly is the most played board game in the world?
Did you know that the Amazon rainforest produces half the worlds oxygen
supply?
Did you know that you cant taste food without saliva?
Did you know that rats have invaded about 90percent of the worlds
islands?
Did you know that womens hearts beat faster than mens?
Did you know that a giraffe can go longer than a camel without water?
36 Chapter 3
HAVE WONDER DISCUSSIONS
Wonder discussions let students further engage in wondering and strike

upon conclusions or deep insights. How can educators jump-start wonder
discussions within lessons? By using Did you know ...? Did you ever
notice...? or Did you ever wonder ...? question stems.
Did you know...? question stems:

Did you know...? questions like the ones used earlier to introduce fas-
cinating facts make students think, No Ididnt know that! How interesting!
Iwant more details. You can preface a wonder discussion with a fascinating
fact and delve into the subject with your class.
For instance, for a lesson on the anatomy of the human spine, you might
broach the question, Did you know that you are 0.4 inches taller in the morn-
ing than in the evening? Then you can show on a model how the cartilage in
the spine compresses during the day. You might then launch into a discussion
about the spinal column, the importance of good posture, and how to assess
and correct ones body alignment.
Examples of Did you know...? question stems and accompanying
lessons:
Did you know...
Most dust in the house comes from dead skin? (Lesson: human skin and its
layers)
Agatha Christie is considered the best-selling author of all time, with over
2billion books sold? (Lesson: the virtue of best sellers)
Hailstones, the size of grapefruits, fell on Coffeyville, Kansas, on Septem-
ber3, 1970, weighing over a pound each? (Lesson: historical weather reports)
Nigeria had about 500million gallons of oil spills in the past fiftyyears?
(Lesson: oil spills and ramifications)
You can send a secret message using only zeros and ones? (Lesson: the
binary number system)
Theres an art to asking questions? (Lesson: interviewing skills)
There are millions of counterfeit dollars in our countrys circulation? (Les-
son: commerce and chemistry)
We see between 20,000 and 40,000 advertisements a year? (Lesson: the
influence of advertising)
In South Africa, people often snack upon roasted termites and ants? (Lesson:
food and culture)
You can use techniques to develop a personal writing style? (Lesson: liter-
ary devices)
Did you ever notice...? question stems:

Pursuing Wonder 37
Did you ever notice...? questions make students think, Hey, come
to think of it, Idid notice that! What do you think is the reason behind it?
You can preface a wonder discussion during a lesson with a Did you ever
notice...? question and then venture into a dialogue about the topic to sat-
isfy your students curiosity.
Examples of Did you ever notice...? question stems and accompanying
lessons:
Did you ever notice that...
A straw looks bent when you place it in a glass of water? (Lesson: refrac-
tion of light)
You get a little sluggish after eating a big meal? (Lesson: blood sugar l evels)
People are nosy about their neighbors? (Lesson: personal boundaries)
Some continents and land masses on the globe seem to fit together like
puzzle pieces? (Lesson: plate tectonics)
Eggs are the only food that harden when cooked? (Lesson: chemical
reactions)
Some people are more aggressive than others? (Lesson: hostile and instru-
mental aggression)
Shadows appear sometimes in front of you and other times in back of you?
(Lesson: the physics behind shadows)
Some people squint their eyes when they want to see something better?
(Lesson: vision correction)
Two news stations can give different reports of the same event? (Lesson:
comparing media coverage)
The little pocket that sits above the front pocket of your jeans doesnt
have a purpose? (Lesson: clothing design at the turn of the nineteenth
century)
Did you ever wonder...? question stems:

Did you ever wonder...? questions have the same effect as Did you
ever notice...? questions. Just remember to ask questions of consequence.
Did you ever wonder what people in China call their good plates? isnt
likely to inspire thoughtful discussion about Chinese manufacturing. Stick to
questions that make students sit up and listen.
Examples of Did you ever wonder...? question stems and accompany-
ing lessons:
Did you ever wonder...
If a utopia is possible? (Lesson: a critical look at The Giver by Lois Lowry)

Why you look like one of your parents or a sibling? (Lesson: genetic traits)
If technology affects your intelligence? (Lesson: intelligence in the digital
world)
38 Chapter 3
If there is a way to control psychological time? (Lesson: time perception)

Where the waves in the ocean come from? (Lesson: ocean tides)
How to make your writing funnier? (Lesson: crafting humor with incongruity)
If theres any significance to dreams? (Lesson: dream interpretation
theories)
What strengthens friendships? (Lesson: Wilbur and Ferns friendship in
CharlottesWeb)
How math can help you in your home? (Lesson: using geometry to paint
and design aroom)
Why some classmates can read characters and others dont? (Lesson: read-
ing between the lines)
WONDER ABOUT CURRENT WORLD CIRCUMSTANCES,

BEHAVIOR, OR PHENOMENON
Lesson plans and question stems aside, you can vocalize wonder questions
prompted by any impromptu discussion in class about current world circum-
stance, behavior, or phenomenon. Youd be surprised how profoundly stu-
dents respond to these questions and how their wondering sparks compelling
discussion in the classroom.
Examples of questions for current world circumstances, behaviors, or
phenomena:
When you watch the World Olympics, what does it make you wonder?
When you hear about a school shooting, what does it make you wonder?
When you see road rage, what does it make you wonder?
When you hear about the United States using drone strikes abroad, what
does it make you wonder?
When you see the images of pollen under a microscope, what does it make
you wonder?
When you hear about hungry children in America, what does it make you
wonder?
When you read about someone coming out of a coma after many years,
what does it make you wonder?
When you hear how much money sports stars make, what does it make you
wonder?
When you read that Australia has drifted 4.9 ft. since its last official GPS
coordinates were readjusted in 1994, what does it make you wonder?
When you read about a 6.6 magnitude earthquake demolishing a town,
what does it make you wonder?
Pursuing Wonder 39
WONDER WHETHER SPECIFIC ACTION MIGHT

CHANGE THE CLASS DYNAMIC
When the moment presents itself, wonder about whether taking on a specific
action might change the dynamics of the class for better or worse.
Discussions on this topic:
Whether beginning a debate team will benefit or harm relationships

Whether creating a barter system between classmates might save money,
make people smarter, and/or foster friendships
Whether entering into a robotics competition would increase students
interest in sports, science, or technology
Whether building a combined daily glossary of words they dont under-
stand will improve the classs vocabulary
Whether peer and self-evaluation instead of teacher evaluation would in-
crease mastery
Whether using a flipped classroom might help meet students educationalneeds
Whether the class chipping in to buy a decent expresso/cappuccino machine
and paper cups would save studentsmoney
Whether holding off on grading would get students more invested in the
writing process
Whether requiring students to make a persuasive written argument in sup-
port of a final grade will increase productivity and accountability
Whether creating dynamic game-based activities and assessments can
substitute homework
MAKE STUDENTS WONDER ABOUT

TAKING ON NEW HOBBIES
At Monday Night Magic in New York City, Magician Todd Robbins tells the
audience he enjoys performing amazing stunts and making audiences wonder
How did he swallow that sword? or How did he eat that lightbulb? He
finds satisfaction in knowing his magic spurs audiences to explore amazing
pursuits themselves.
You may not be a professional magician, but you sure have done spectacu-
lar things in your life. Inspire your students by introducing them to amazing
things you do. Show them how you design cakes, juggle, stamp leather, or
raise goats. Let students wonder how they can achieve those hobbies and
others. The research involved in developing a hobby (which may turn into a
lifelong career) opens students to wondrous worlds of information.
40 Chapter 3
MAKE STUDENTS WONDER WHAT

THEY CAN DO FOR SOCIETY
Supply students throughout the year with reading material about wondrous
feats and accomplishments. This makes students wonder how they can con-
tribute to society or even the world. After they read the articles, ask students,
What does this article make you think about? Does it make you wonder what
you can do for society? What are your ideas?
Here is a sample of inspiring articles:
Readers Digest, June2008: Quenching a Thirst by Lynn Rosellini
To summarize this article, Patty Hall received an e-mail from an acquain-

tance in Kenya saying that the river has dried up and the people in his village
needed 480,000 Kenyan shillings ($7,000) to build a concrete dam to trap and
filter water for convenient drinking year-round. Hall decided to ask her stu-
dents for help. Showing them slides of Kenyan mud huts and photographs of
girls who had to travel four miles to neighboring villages to carry back water
was enough for her middle school students in New Brighton, Minnesota, to
begin fund-raising. H2O for Life, the kids campaign, raised $12,000 in six
months, and the dam was built in Kathungu. The H2O program reached four-
teenschools in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, raising $130,000 to
help communities in Africa and Central America access clean water.
The Seattle Times, December26, 2009: Kindness Taught in Seattle Schools

Online Class by LindaShaw
This article tells about Puget Sound Community Schools online class that
promotes acts of kindness. Andy Smallman, the class instructor of the course
in this small private school in Seattle, assigned simple kindness assignments,
among them, doing a kindness for someone you love, for a neighbor, and for
a stranger. The actual acts of kindness class members carried out ranged from
people leaving homegrown pears out for passers-by, to someone leaving a
$15 Fred Meyer gift card on a windshield for a young mother who has entered
an unemployment office, and to someone relinquishing her participation
medal to a seventy-six-year-old man who finished last in a half-marathon.
(The race organizers ran out of medals.)
San Francisco Chronicle, December27, 2011: Mill Valley Girl Takes

Ethiopian Kids 1st Photos by Sam Whiting
This article recounts how Sammy Novick, a senior at Marin Catholic High
School, shocked to hear that children at Aleta Wondo, Ethiopia, had never
Pursuing Wonder 41
seen a photograph of themselves, traveled to the Third World village to take

photos of them. She hauled a digital camera, printer, 500 sheets of photo
paper, and color ink on a twenty-seven-hour trip to get to Aleta Wondo. Liv-
ing five weeks of her summer vacation in a bamboo hut, Novick photographed
200 kids and interviewed them through an interpreter. She handed the kids
their first time prints and promised to send them a yearbook.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ALL THIS WONDERING?
Do not be surprised with the marvels that flood your classroom after practic-
ing the suggestions in this chapter. Heres what happens: Jerome comes in
one day and says, Did you know the Grand Canyon can hold 900trillion
footballs? and you take the opportunity to explain the concept of a trillion to
your sixth grade. The next day, Heather comes to class with a fabulous article
about the driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile, where no rain
has fallen for over 400years. You tuck it away for future class reading. Dur-
ing a lesson on crime and its fascination, students jump the gun with wonder
questions: Iwonder why people gather around crime scenes? Iwonder
why people like reading murder mysteries? Iwonder why people write to
serial killers in prison?
The following week, while learning about human brain power, Haley
exclaims, Hey, Mr. Acevedo, why do they say that we only use a small per-
cent of our brain power? We work so hard! Ialways wonder about that. Dur-
ing lunch, you overhear Jasmine and Patrick wondering about the best way to
present their idea to the vice principal about bagging food for the homeless
from leftover school lunch. At the end of the month, Mutaz approaches you
about helping him and a group of friends create a pen pal video conferenc-
ing group with a senior citizens home. Youve given the class some read-
ing material about admirable social service volunteers, and these students
decided to join community service.
All this active involvement is a direct result of an adult taking the time to
wonder with students. You have modeled a process that students begin to
use themselves. Now, launched into full wonder drive, students think deeper,
pursuing answers to questions. They participate more fully as members of
class and community. Their engagement reveals that you have impacted the
trajectory of students lives.
Chapter4
Musing for Mental Exercise
It is not easy to walk alone in the country without musing upon something.
Charles Dickens
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition,

defines muse (v.) as to consider or say thoughtfully. However, this defini-
tion doesnt encompass the true flavor of the word. True, musing involves
serious brainwork, but it also contains more spirit. When we muse, we often
consider with humor. We experience a vicarious thrill. The word doesnt
solely reflect somberness as the definition suggests. Therefore, musing is not
only a worthwhile pastime but a delightful one, especially in the classroom.
Educators who want to broaden class engagement will take the time to muse
withthem.
HOW IS MUSING DIFFERENT THAN WONDERING?
When we muse, we tend to spend considerable time thinking. Musing doesnt

always have pat answers. Some people muse for years about an idea. Musing
also turns one into an expert at creative thinking.
WHAT KIND OF MUSING DOES THIS CHAPTER OFFER?
The musing ideas in this chapter run the gamut of academic, practical, and
zany imaginings, but all require deep thinking. Choose the ones that appeal
toyou.
43
44 Chapter 4
MUSE WITH YOUR CLASS ABOUT

TOPICS THAT COME TOMIND
Topics:
The impact education has on success

Whether the class is naive aboutlife
What makes a classic timeless
How people dress to express themselves
The effect of ambience on a performance
Why people talk about strangers relationships
The three best books to take to a deserted island
The nature of Hobbess musings in Calvin and Hobbess cartoon strips
Why we like music that makes uscry
The influence of introverts on society
Whether showing vulnerability is a goodthing
MUSE ABOUT HOW LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT

FOR CHARACTERS OR PEOPLE UNDERANOTHER SET OF
CIRCUMSTANCES ORCONDITIONS
Your class might muse about alternative circumstances in fictional stories,

for instance, how Estellas life might have been different in Great Expecta-
tions had MissHavisham died when Estella was a little girl or how Tom
Beneckes plight would have been altered in Contents of a Dead Mans
Pockets had he been stuck on the eleven-story ledge during the winter
instead of the fall. This type of musing brings students to the appreciation of
strategy in writing.
Similarly, students enjoy musing about an alternate course of history, for
example, what might have happened if the South won the Civil War, or if
Rosa Parks sat down in the white section of the bus with her husband, or
how the event might have played out differently had Rosa Parks been a very
wealthy woman or a very old woman. This type of musing generates broad
speculative analysis about circumstance and societal behavior.
A popular, if not frequent, topic for this exercise is musing about what
might have been different had something not happened to notable people.
For instance, how Helen Kellers life would have been different if Anne
Sullivan had not come into her life, how Oprah Winfreys life might have
taken a different course had she been born into wealth instead of poverty,
or how Steve Jobss life might have turned out bad if he hadnt gotten fired
from Apple. These musings often highlight for students the serendipity in
peoples lives.
Musing for Mental Exercise 45
MUSE ABOUT HOW PEOPLE OF YESTERYEAR

WOULD REACT TO CIRCUMSTANCES OR
CONDITIONSOFTODAY
Aside from requiring analytical skills to compare time periods and peoples
ideas, this exercise allows students to reflect upon conditions in their lives
and develop an appreciation for how quickly the world changes.
Questions on this topic:
How would the Puritans react to the current entertainment in Times Square
in Manhattan, New York? What banners might they create? What speeches
might they deliver?
How would children in the one room schoolhouse react to the educational
resources available to school children today? Which resources would they
take advantage of first?
What would FDR say about the current economic situation in America?
Would he stand in solidarity with our president?
What would Susan B. Anthony or Lucrecia Mott say about womens rights
today? What might they adopt as their new platform?
What would Hammurabi say about the judicial system in America?
What would Freud say about dialectical behavioral therapy?
What might the pilgrims say about the way we celebrate Thanksgiving?
What might they try to advocate?
What would Alexander Graham Bell say about the invention of cell phones?
Smartphones? iPhones? Do you think hed be proud?
What would Edward R. Murrow say about Sixty Minutes relying on false
documents to report on President Bushs National Guardduty?
What would Walt Disney say about the Disney Channel? Would he approve
of its creativity?
Note: You can also muse with your class about what remarkable people
today might think about current circumstances or conditions, for instance,
what the American Secret Service thinks about its job in national security or
what Stephen Hawking thinks about the evidence that water is flowing on the
surface of mars. These conversations might lead students to do research on the
topic and find out wonderful things they never knew about the topic athand.
MUSE ABOUT HOW RESOURCES TODAY MIGHT

HAVESERVED THE PEOPLE OF YESTERYEAR
The creative thinking involved in manipulating history compels students

to analyze historical events. In addition, this activity fosters an appreciation
for innovation.
46 Chapter 4

Can you suggest how resources today might have helped
The Jamestown settlement face the challenges of their location?

George Washington and his men endure the winter at Valley Forge?
A family man in the mid- to late 1800s make his buggy more comfortable?
The Womens Suffrage gain greater momentum in the ProgressiveEra?
Child Labor Reformers enact legislation in the late 1800s?
The federal government mitigate overcrowded tenements and infectious
disease in cities in the late 1800s?
People cope during the Great Depression?
German resistance groups fight Nazis during World WarII?
Journalists investigate Nixon during the Watergate Scandal?
The American government handle the Iran hostage crisis?
MUSE ABOUT THE UTILITY OF NEW INNOVATIONS
Provide students with reading or viewing material about up-and-coming inven-

tions. Then muse with your class about how these inventions or improved pro-
totypes can further benefit health, economy, education, or the quality of life.
This exercise not only gives students practice with creative thinking but also
promotes admiration for innovators today (who deserve more praise than the
celebrated world of actors, singers, and athletes). As you may presume, this
musing exercise can also serve as an inspiration for a writing assignment or
project where students work on inventing realistic or fanciful inventions.
How do you think specific market research, for instance, big data analytics
and social media analytics, can further benefit consumers?
How might brain-controlled, bionic leg braces enhance daily routines for
all people?
How do you think the motorbike that turns into a jet ski might spur other
inventions?
How might the EQ-Radio that detects peoples emotions help other people
aside for mental health professionals and their clients?
How might the WaterSeer, a wind-powered device that extracts water from
the air, potentially help the world?
How do you see the bionic retina, which restores sight to blind people,
eventually changing the world not only for the blind but for people with
incurable eye diseases such as macular degeneration?
How might the Atlas Humanoid Robot, the 59 robot that can lift heavy ob-
jects and clear debris, eventually not only help victims of a natural disaster
but change the business world as we knowit?
How would you update Automatic Pro, the car monitoring device that taps
into your cars computer, to further benefit the driver? Do you think itll
become obsolete once Smartcars become common on theroad?
Do you think the Tooth Tattoo, the wireless sensor that detects bacteria, or
a device like it will eventually put the dentist or possibly doctor out of busi-
ness? Howso?
Do you think the Kobi Lawn Mower, which cuts grass and clear leaves or
snow, has any drawbacks? Will it save hours of time that people can other-
wise use productively, or will it endorse sedentary living? Will it obliterate
the pride people feel in physically maintaining their lawns? Will it ruin fun
family snow shoveling experiences?
MUSE ABOUT IDEAS FOR IMPROVING

EXISTINGCONDITIONS IN SOCIETY
improving U.S. elections improving national pride

curtailing the media from invading privacy protecting youth from violence
easing the burden of single-parent fixing social security
households reducing the high school dropout
stopping children from growing up too fast problem
making live theater affordable for raising an awareness of the arts
everyone
MUSE WITH STUDENTS ABOUT RESOURCES

THAT CAN BETTER THEIR CURRENT LEARNING
OR FUTURE PROSPECTS
Examples of resources for consideration:
How pro bono lawyers can help students prepare for school assignments or
life ventures
How building a better blog can create entrepreneurship
How the Mozart effect can aid them in other ways than passingtests
How collaborate effort of the class at writing reviews for a product can
effect change
How watching specific TED Talks can inspire educational hobbies
How discussion with a different class reading the same book might moti-
vate interest in reading
How publishing their mind maps can create a business
How producing a film festival can improve teamwork, project manage-
ment, and organizational skills
48 Chapter 4
How visiting educational sites like Muzzylane can transform into a class
project
How canine therapy in school might benefit students
MUSE WITH STUDENTS ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD

DEALWITH A SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE YOURE
DISCUSSING IN LITERATURE, HISTORY, HEALTH,
SCIENCE, CURRENT EVENTS, AND SOFORTH
The personal involvement encourages students to delve further into the matter.
Imagine falling into the rabbit hole like Alice and meeting Carrolls charac-
ters, for example, the Mad Hatter. How would the experience affectyou?
Imagine mining for gold during the California Gold Rush in 1849; would
the mining appeal to you? Would you have the perseverance to undergo
severe labor in strange territory, perhaps among thieves and murderers in
your quest forgold?
Imagine yourself as a New Yorker in 1895 permitted to drive no more than
eight miles per hour. How would this speed limit affect you? Can you think
of a few advantages and disadvantages to having this speed limit today?
If youd be a reporter in the aftermath of a tsunami, what information would
you focus on reporting? Why? Do you think youd have the discipline to
report the news as you see it, or would emotion overcomeyou?
Imagine yourself as one of the school children integrated in Central High
under federal protection in Little Rock Arkansas. How would the childrens
taunting affect you? How would you respond tothem?
Imagine traveling down the Mississippi River with Huck Finn and Jim.
How might you influence their company?
Imagine yourself in a concentration camp like Dachau or Auschwitz. Do
you think you would have survived? Why or whynot?
If youd be a decision maker for Starbucks or another major corporation,
would you tempt employees with tuition perks, or would you think of other
benefits to attract workers and improve your corporate image?
Imagine joining Patty in Betty Miless book I Would If ICould. What would
you do to encourage Patty to learn how to ride abike?
Imagine you have to help an agoraphobic attend the Oscars. What steps
would you suggest the person take to relieve symptoms and successfully
get through the night?
MUSE ABOUT HOW STUDENTS

WOULD HAVE REACTED IN A SPECIFIC
INDIVIDUALS SHOES DURING A MORAL
OR ETHICAL CIRCUMSTANCE
This musing helps students define their moral code and examine their reason-
ing in comparison to others. Consequently, students learn a lot about them-
selves and how they deal with daunting circumstances. They can also discuss
whether their projected reactions are primarily logical or emotional.
What would you do if you were in Dallys shoes in The Outsiders and
Johnny and Pony Boy came to you for advice? What would you tell them?
Would your advice be better than Dallys?
What would you do if you were in Harriet Tubmans shoes and wanted
to help slaves acquire freedom? Would you repeatedly risk your life for
the sake of helping slaves escape on the Underground Railroad? Why or
whynot?
What would you do if you were in Charlies shoes in Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory? Would you refuse Mr. Wonkas offer to live and work
with him in the chocolate factory, or would you agree to leave your family
behind? Explain.
What would you do if you were in Ruths place in the Bible? Would you
leave your life of luxury for a nobler calling? Explain.
What would you do if you were in Romeos shoes and thought Juliet dead?
Would you attempt to end your life? Why or whynot?
What would you do if you were a subject in Milgrams experiment ordered
to give the learner what you believe to be painful electric shocks? Would
you agree or refuse to carry out your orders?
What would you do if you were in President Trumans shoes to end World
War II in the Pacific? Would you give the order to drop an atom bomb on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Why or whynot?
What would you do if you were in Cleopatras shoes? Would you go to such
great lengths to regain the throne and keep it? Why or why not? If not, at
what point might you have relinquished the throne?Why?
What would you do in John D. Rockefellers shoes if you were the richest
person in the world? Would you leave a similar legacy? Would you match
his philanthropy?
If youd be in Jane Eyres shoes, what would you have done after learning
about Mr. Rochesters wifes existence?Why?
50 Chapter 4
MUSE WITH YOUR CLASS ABOUT HOW

A SPECIFIC FAVORABLE CHANGE WOULD
AFFECTTHEIRLIVES
For the purpose of implementing positive change, you might bring musing closer
to home by contemplating with your class about how their lives would be differ-
ent if they changed a behavior. Musing like this in a nonpressured atmosphere
inspires students to bounce off ideas with peers and favorably alter their lives.
How would your life be different ifyou
did your homework directly when you came home from school?
prepared your clothing for the next day before you went to sleep?
read The Wall Street Journal eachday?
had to teach someone the algebra youve learned thatday?
had to teach two people something new eachday?
didnt watch TV on school nights?
told two people each day that you lovedthem?
didnt gossip about your peers during lunch?
decided to become an honors student?
went to sleep at 10:00 p.m.?
MUSE WITH YOUR CLASS ABOUT HOW THEIR

LIVESWOULD BE DIFFERENT UNDER ALTERED
CIRCUMSTANCES (BUT STILL WITHIN THE
REALM OF POSSIBILITY)
This kind of musing especially puts the brain to task as it works through a
chain of cause and effect.
How would your life be differentif
everyone took a siesta at noon? your principal moved next door?
you lived in a dormitory? a little kid followed you around all day?
you lived a block away from school? your brother became your science
you had a pool in your backyard? teacher?
you had school all year-round? your mom wouldnt tell you what to do?
your friend moved into your house?
PRACTICE IMPOSSIBLE MUSINGS
Icant believe that! said Alice.

Cant you? the queen said in a pitying tone. Try again, draw a long
breath, and close your eyes.
Alice laughed. Theres no use trying, she said. One cant believe
impossible things.
Idare say you havent had much practice, said the queen. When Iwas
your age, Ialways did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes Ive be-
lieved as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass,
and What Alice FoundThere
Want students to get their creative juices flowing? Take the queens advice.
The following impossible musings give the student a problem or choice
within a bizarre circumstance or give the student a super power/talent and ask
the student how shell deal with it. Students entertain ideas they never thought
of before and come to creative decisions that require profound thought.
Have students speculate upon the following impossible musings:
You find yourself transported to the nineteenth century in America. How

do you prove to people where you come from? How do you explain the in-
novations of their future? How do you warn them about future disasters?
You are to be transported for the rest of your life to the eighteenth century
and can take only one invention with you from present day. Which one will
you take?Why?
You have the power to take care of one daily chore with a snap of your
fingerswhich one do you choose?Why?
Imagine you were given a free magical wish for someone. What would you
wish, for whom andwhy?
You have the ability to tap into someones mind for a daywhose thoughts
interest you most?Why?
You have the gift to write and publish one best seller per year. Which
genre/s do you choose? What do you write about in your firstbook?
You are granted an interview with any one person from history. Whom do
you choose to meet? Why? What will you askhim?
You are permitted to witness one scene or event from ancient history. Which
scene do you choose to witness?Why?
You are permitted to change one event in history. Which will it be? How
will you changeit?
You are granted the opportunity to meet your future child or a beloved an-
cestor for ten minutes. Who do you choose to meet?Why?
You have the power to communicate with one person through mental telepa-
thy for the rest of your life. With whom do you choose to communicate?Why?
You are granted an audience with God. What will you ask Him?Why?
Just as wacky, these next two activities ask students to imagine how their
life or the world would change under circumstance inconceivable to present
reality. Classes go wild musing about these impossible situations. Try musing
52 Chapter 4
about them with your class and youre guaranteed to have your students in an
animated uproar while doing some intense thinking.
How would life change for youif
your parents could read yourmind?

you could read your parents minds?
you remained your present age for the rest of your life while everyone grew
older?
your heartfelt prayers came true (and everyone knewit)?
you had the power to communicate with all animals?
you could heal one person each year from an incurable disease?
you could buy yourself a talent?
you had unlimited physical power?
you could see the future and alter its outcome?
all your good dreams cametrue?
you didnt need to sleep?
you could breathe under water?
you didnt feel any peer pressure?
parents could only talk about their kids in the latters presence?
Consider how the world would be differentif
all smart people were short.

money could buy different degrees of happiness for a day at a time.
it never got dark outside.
minority groups gained the most power in theland.
we went back to using only hand tools.
the average person lived to150.
everyone in the world could play a musical instrumentwell.
there was no such thing as drug or alcohol abuse.
all physical things remained brandnew.
everyone knew who they were destined to marry.
people never gained excess weight.
no one was allowed to date until age eighteen.
it hurt to get a haircut.
peoples noses grew (as long as Pinocchios) for twenty minutes after
theylied.
PRACTICE THE ZANIEST MUSINGS
Its easier to think outside the box if you dont draw one around yourself.
Jason Kravitz
By far the zaniest, the following exercise expects students to blend

conceptual ideas with the abstract, integrate senses, create absurd analo-
gies, or concoct imaginative stories. At first, students might take a look
at these questions and say, Huh? but with a little patience their cre-
ative, flexible brain will take over and come to unique logical conclu-
sions. Thats what happens when we allow ourselves to think outside
thebox.
Let students flex their brains with the following musings:
What color is joy? What shape is noise? What does serendipity smell
like? How did you come to these conclusions? Are your conclusions
logical?
Does wisdom feel soft or hard? Does insight feel smooth or wrinkly? Does
failure feel wet or dry? Please explain your reasoning.
Does the weeping willow look like night or day? Does time look like
fact orfiction? Do verbs look warm or cold? How did you come to these
conclusions?
Describe the five different personalities of the toes on your right foot. How
did you determine each personality?
You live with a highly intelligent monkey. The monkey is invisible
to everyone but you. How do you prove to people that your monkey
exists? How do you prove its a monkey and not another animal or
creature?
Imagine eating a herring and grapefruit sandwich. Now imagine eating a
liver and jam sandwich. Which is worse?Why?
What does Herbert have in his pocket? What does Penelopes voice sound
like? What is Mary Janes greatest fear? What cant Gretel throw out? How
do you know? On what do you base your answer?
What kind of hairstyle would you give a cloud? Alamppost? Acroco-
dile?Why?
Are you more like a crystal vase or silver pitcher, a spaceship or submarine,
concrete or asphalt? Please explain.
The elephant in the room got angry and left. What were the people in the
room speaking about? Please explain.
Micah decided to step out of the box. When he stepped out, what did he
find? Please explain.
Treat students to musing sessions every now and again, and youll see cre-
ativity spark even in the most sober kids. Academic musings jazz up mental
tasks to engross the attention of the whole class. Zany musings let us breathe
in the impossible so that we dont always have to face the probable. Side-
stepping reality puts the classs imaginative brain to work in ways never
exercised before.
54 Chapter 4
Therefore, dont let colleagues who deride fantasy try to slap sense into
you or put you on the defensive. In his book, Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray
Bradbury says, Ihave never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in
space travel, sideshows, or gorillas. When this occurs, Ipack up my dinosaurs
and leave the room. So, when some pragmatist ridicules your stalwart belief
in fantastical musing, take Bradburys cue and Skiddoo!
Chapter5
Sending Students on
DiscoveryMissions
We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know that place for the firsttime.
T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets
Do these lines from The Four Quartets resonate with you? Did you ever
feel the lure to explore a hobby or area of study and receive clarity about
something you took for granted? Did you discover something new about the
world you live in? How many students get this experience in school? Open
the world to your students by sending them on discovery missions. Discovery
missions are special quests designed to reveal something new and surprising.
Carrying out these missions, students learn a great deal about themselves,
others, and the natural world. They come back to class eager to share and
compare their discoveries and personal experiences.
WHAT EXACTLY DO DISCOVERY

MISSIONS ACCOMPLISH?
Discovery missions serve to do any or a combination of the following:
sharpen the brain sharpen senses

develop mental skills refine character
promote self-awareness strengthen social skills
improve social awareness cultivate an appreciation for
foster gratitude nature
(Continued)
55
56 Chapter 5
broaden perspective reveal human nature

change impressions boost problem solving
build observational skills improve planning skills
increase anticipation for classroom bolster communication among
lessons students
Your students might carry out discovery missions in indoor or outdoor

environments. These missions can serve as springboards for lessons or parts
of lessons. To keep the missions unique for the individual student, its impor-
tant that missions do not produce uniform results or experiences. After stu-
dents embark upon a mission, have them jot down what theyve discovered.
Students responses will amazeyou.
For more specific guidance, supply students with a handout of questions
but only for those missions that questions wont bias. For instance, you
wouldnt assign specific questions for following a mission on mindfulness,
since questions would influence students thoughts during the mission. Youd
reserve specific questions for that mission in class.
All the ensuing discovery missions in Table 5.1 are accompanied by con-
versation starters, questions that get the conversation rolling in class. If you
decide to use these questions or a portion of them for the student handout,
then the conversation starters act as a homework review. Simplify the word
usage of these questions for younger classes.
DISCOVERY MISSIONS AND CONVERSATION STARTERS
Table 5.1. Indoor Missions

Mission Conversation Starter
1.Play a game of Scrabble or Boggle Which letters were easier to work with when
with a friend. (Lesson: visual word playing Scrabble or Boggle? More difficult?
recognition) Why? What did you discover about your
ability to create words?
2.Use your toes to write the letter A, B, Was manipulating the paintbrush between
and C with a paintbrush and paint. your toes a tough task? Which letters were
(Lesson: the motor cortex and brain easier to write? Why? How do you think
plasticity) foot painting or writing is possible?
3.Dont wear a watch for a week. How did the absence of your watch affect
(Lesson: developing a sense of time) your days? After a while, were you able to
get in touch with your natural sense of time?
4.Create a family tree tracing your Did you stumble upon any unexpected
ancestry as far back as you can. information about your ancestors? Did you
(Lesson: genealogy research) get stuck at some point while tracing your
lineage? Where did you turn for help?
Where can you still turn to for help?
5.Practice adding up your purchases in Were you able to sharpen your adding skills?
your mind before the cashier gives Have you developed a more expedient
you the total. (Lesson: tips for mental method for adding numbers? What is it?
calculation)
6.Interview a war veteran with or What did you discover about the particular
without audiovisual equipment. war? The veterans attitude about the
(Lesson: why Americans celebrate war? The veterans contribution? Did any
Veterans Day) information impress you? Do you think we
owe veterans our gratitude? Why?
7.Switch a chore with a family How did you find the chore? Did anything
member for one week. (Lesson: about it surprise you? Do you have a
putting yourself in anothers place) newfound appreciation toward the family
member who ordinarily does that chore?
8.Prepare a new dish or platter for What equipment or skills were necessary for
dinner. (Lesson: writing a process preparing or serving the dish? How many
paper) steps were involved? Did you add any
creative steps or finishing touches?
9.Eat a meal blindfolded. (Lesson: Did you have difficulty eating your meal? Did
theMiracle Worker) you discover something about the texture,
smell, or sound while eating the food?
10.Record a short school or home Did you recognize all the sounds on the
activity, for example, students recording? Were you surprised by sounds
packing up after a class or a parent you didnt notice while recording? What
putting a child to bed. Play back the sounds stand out in your paragraph? What
recording. Then, taking into account did you discover about auditory imagery
all the sounds, write a paragraph and writing?
telling whats happening. (Lesson:
auditory imagery)
11.Sit in a quiet room, close your eyes, Did you have a difficult time sitting still? Did
and concentrate on your breathing you notice anything about your breathing?
for a full five minutes. Use your Did your mind wander? Did you sit longer
judgment for the time. Dont set a than five minutes? How did you feel after
timer. (Lesson: mindfulness) this exercise?
12.Do a good deed without telling How difficult was it to keep the good deed
anyone about it. (Lesson: how to do to yourself? Did you feel proud of yourself
good deeds) for doing so?
13.Count your teeth with your tongue. How did your teeth feel? Did you count
(Lesson: tooth structures and your teeth from the outside or inside?
functions) What difference did you notice between
your front teeth and back teeth?
14.Organize the clothing in your closet How did you sort your clothes? Did you sort
and/or dresser (junk drawer, the them according to type or color? Did you sort
books in your locker, etc.). Take a them by occasion or seasonal use? Did you
before and after photograph. create piles of new to most worn? Did you
(Lesson: sorting and categorizing) sort the clean clothes from the dirty clothes?
Did you put them in categories of favorite to
least favorite? Did you discover something
new about yourself or your clothing?
(Continued)
58 Chapter 5
Table 5.1. (Continued)

15.Compare two brands of the same Which brands did you choose? Why?
product that appeal to you, for Howdo the brands compare? How do
example, two brands of cell phones, they differ? Which is less expensive?
snow boards, shampoos, sweatshirts, Which do you prefer? Why? How would
and backpacks. Write at least four you depict the comparisons and contrasts
comparisons and contrasts. (Lesson: for greatest clarity if you were trying to sell
creating a Venn Diagram) the product to a friend?
16.Shadow someone at a job you might What skills did you notice were most important
like to do one day (a pediatrician, for this job? How active was theperson you
nurse, politician, secretary, librarian, shadowed? What appealed to you about the
etc.). (Lesson: choosing a career) job? What didnt appeal to you?
Outdoor Missions
What can we learn from the environment? How can we contribute to it? What
do the outdoors have to offer us? Much more than we realize. Let students
discover a new world within their familiar and unfamiliar outdoor surround-
ings. You might suggest parental consent or supervision for some of these
missions.
Table 5.2. Outdoor Missions

1.On your way to school, say Good How did you feel saying Good morning
morning to two to four people who to these people? What effect did your
do you a service, for example, the bus Good morning have on these people?
driver, crossing guard, security guard, What do you think would happen if
and teacher. Make sure you maintain youd say Good morning to these
eye contact and receive a reply. people every day?
(Lesson: giving recognition)
2.Strike up a conversation with a famil- What was your talk about? Was it awkward?
iar stranger on the school bus, at the Did you find common ground? How so?
bus stop, or in the school yard. Try to Do you think theres an art to small talk?
keep the conversation going for five
minutes. (Lesson: the art of small talk)
3.Set up an ice cream stand with How did you feel teaching the math skill?
twofriends in the schoolyard during Did your customer catch on? Did you
recess (or an ices/Jello/cookie/lollipop have to select a math example from a
stand, funded by the school, of course). younger grade level? Did you think of
Give customers free ice cream if they better ways to explain the skill? Do you
can solve an age-appropriate math think the customers attitude toward math
problem correctly after you teach them changed in any way?
the skills necessary to solve it. (Lesson:
the benefit of teaching a skill)
4.Visit a shopping area. Look for a What impression did you get of the store based
window display that appeals to you. on the window display? How long do you
Notice its details. (Lesson: the ins think the store planned the display? Who
and outs of marketing) else might appreciate the display? Why?
5.With the parents permission, What kind of play was the child engaged
observe a preschooler playing on a in? Physical play? Imaginative play?
playground. Jot down details of the Expressive play? Social play? Mental
childs movements or activities. Play? Acombination? What about the
(Lesson: early childhood play seemed to hold the childs attention?
development) Why? What was the child trying to do?
Was he successful? How do you think
play helps a child grow?
6.For this week, take special notice of How many varieties of fences and gates
fences and gates. (Lesson: sketching did you notice? Did you notice common
fences and gates) designs? Which do you prefer?
7.Visit a tourist attraction or hub youve What did you learn during this visit?
never been to that helps define your Do you view your hometown differently
hometown. (Lesson: the characteristics now? How so?
of tourism)
8.Observe, at a safe distance, the behav- What did you notice about the animals
ior of a squirrel, stray cat, wild turkey, behavior? Did the behavior surprise
or another nondomestic animal. Visit you? How so? What do you think would
a zoo if youd like to observe a more happen if someone tried to have this
dangerous animal. (Lesson: wild animal as a pet?
versus domesticated animals)
9.Study a puddle (dandelion/cricket/ What did you note about the puddle?
mountain peak) and write a tribute Did you personify it? Did you compare it
to it taking in all its characteristics. to anything? How do you feel about your
(Lesson: writing an ode to nature) subject now? Why?
10.Walk around your backyard, block, Were you surprised to find a variety of
neighborhood, or park and find four leaves? Why do you think theres a
different leaves. Photograph or video variety? What do you think the leaves
your leaves and the area. On paper, might reveal about their location? Is it
describe the areas where you found important to know if a plant is native to its
the leaves. Sketch and describe the region? Why?
features of the leaves in terms of its
size, shape, texture, and color.
(Lesson: biodiversity)
11.Build something you never built How did you build your snowman? Did
before, for example, a snowman you have to do some problem solving
(birdhouse/hammock/fort/dog house/ along the way? What different things did
tire swing/wheel barrow). (Lesson: you try out? How did you feel while you
perseverance and problem solving) were building it? Did your snowman turn
out the way you envisioned it? Did you
persevere until the end?
12.Photograph a tree that captures your How long did it take you to find your tree?
attention and write a caption for it. Did you discover something about trees
(Lesson: introduction to poetry) you never noticed before?
(Continued)
60 Chapter 5

13.Take a different route to school How was the new route different from your
than usual. (Lesson: the benefits of usual one? Did you like it better? Why or
change in routine) why not? Did you missyour old route?
Why or why not? Did taking the new
route have an impact on your day?
The Effect of Discovery Missions in the Classroom

As you may presume, many discovery missions have a tremendous impact
on lessons. For instance, Mrs. Aragon sent her class on one of the discovery
missions above, where students need to photograph the most arresting tree
they can find. As instructed, students developed the photograph and wrote a
caption describing why the tree struck their attention.
After students submitted their photographs, Mrs. Aragon distributed Edwin
Way Teales memoir, The Death of a Tree, a tribute to a 200-year-old oak
that graced Teales grandmothers backyard and retained its dignity even
after its death. Mrs. Aragons students read this account with a sympathetic
interest, an interest that would not have been present in any minute form had
they not connected with a tree of theirown.
A discovery mission that requires students to photograph an arresting
tree or stand in a rainstorm or do any type of nature activity also serves
as a perfect preliminary for learning poetry. After all, the mind must be
quieted and calmed and the spirit must be awakened to appreciate a poets
affinity with nature. Hand kids Edna St. Vincent Millays poem G-ds
World or Emily Dickinsons poem ADay, and they will poke fun of
the poets seemingly ridiculous obsession with nature. Send kids first on a
mission to find their own tree or study nature, and they will react to such
poems with pleasure.
The Influence of Discovery Missions beyond the Classroom

Not surprising, students take missions seriously and often try them over again,
reveling in each new experience or outcome. Once hooked on something they
never thought pursuing, many try different versions of the same mission and
record findings. Their enthusiasm takes on a life of itsown.
For example, following the tree-finding mission, students could not stop
photographing trees. Many photographed their first trees throughout the
seasons. Others photographed trees in different lights of day from dawn to
twilight. Several began organizing their trees in photo books. Other students
began to collect them like baseball cards. Botanical gardens had never been
Sending Students on Discovery Missions 61
so flooded with teenagers photographing firs, maples, and redbuds. Follow-

ing this experience, students said they would never look at a tree again in the
same way. All this proves that sending students on discovery missions has a
valuable lasting effect.
Which discovery mission will your students embark upon thisyear?
Chapter6
Promoting Participation
When Im not happy how it came out it takes me a long time until Ide-
cide to raise my hand again.
Avery Barrett (grade8)
WHY IS CLASS PARTICIPATION SO

IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS?
Participation Facilitates Intellectual Growth

In a classroom, we have a room full of young people who by nature want to
discuss, analyze, share, and probe. All we educators have to do is get them
started. In Plutarchs words: The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire
to be ignited. Once participation gets going, the intellectual pursuit begins,
and students astonish themselves with how much they can offer and inspire
new ways of thinking.
Participation Promotes Students Interest in the Subject

Heres what often happens. Astudent asks a question to verify a point that
would otherwise stunt his ability to keep up with the lesson. Meanwhile, stu-
dents who have not thought of the question become interested in knowing the
answer. Achain reaction occurs where more students tune in and raise their
hands to contribute. Inevitably, with participation thriving, all students get to
learn something new about the subject matter.
63
64 Chapter 6
Participation Fosters Interpersonal Communication Skills

Through participating, students learn the art of dialogue. Just as students
want to receive validation from their peers, they quickly learn to understand
and respect other peoples viewpoints. They show deference in responding
to each other, convey their thoughts with tact, and ultimately become more
committed to each other.
WHY IS CLASS PARTICIPATION

IMPORTANT FOR TEACHERS?
Participation Provides Integral Feedback for Teachers

Through participation, teachers gauge how well their students follow lessons.
Often, without feedback, teachers suppose students are keeping up only to be
shocked later upon seeing poor results on exams. But Ithought they knew
it! is the common lament of teachers who mistook the passivity in the class
for the classs comprehension of the material. With proper student input,
educators can pinpoint the areas where their teaching falls short and adapt
lessons for optimal learning.
Participation Lets the Teachers Get to Know Their Students

Once participation thrives in the classroom, teachers discover their students
diverse capabilities and multifaceted personalities. Before long, teachers
have a handle on how to appeal not only to the class as a whole but to the
individual. Without strong participation, a gap remains between teacher and
student, leaving them little opportunity to develop a meaningful relationship.
WHAT DOES WEAK PARTICIPATION TELLYOU?
Weak participation is a reflection of poor communication in your classroom.

It tells you something is wrong that needs immediate fixing. The best way to
get to the root of the problem is to ask your students why theyre not partici-
pating. Their responses will alert you to the changes you need to make for
participation to flourish in your classroom.
In schoolwide surveys in Brooklyn, New York (September2016), thou-
sands of middle and high school students responded to the following question:
When do you refrain from participating in class? In younger classes, students
were asked to complete the following statement: I dont participate when....
Educators placed the survey responses into the following categories:
Promoting Participation 65
1. Reasons students refrain from asking teachers questions

2. Reasons students refrain from answering teachers questions
3. Reasons students refrain from joining classroom discussions
***
After reviewing the student responses, educators drew inferences for each
survey response. For example, when a student says she refrains from par-
ticipating because she knows the teacher doesnt like questions, the educator
could infer that the student is afraid the teacher will get annoyed at her for
wasting class time. When a student states he doesnt ask questions when
theres nothing he wants to know, the educator could infer that the lesson
doesnt stimulate the students curiosity.
Educators knew drawing these inferences would help them contend with
the root of students resistance to participating in the classroom. In table6.1
find the students survey responses along with the educators inferences. See
if you can come up with your own inferences before looking at the ones in
the table.
Table 6.1. Question: When Do You Refrain from Participating in Class?
Survey Responses Educators Inferences
When the teacher doesnt like The student is afraid his teacher will
questions. get annoyed at him for wasting
class time.
When theres nothing Iwant to know. The lesson doesnt stimulate the
students curiosity.
When Idont know how to ask my The student has trouble gathering his
question. thoughts or expressing them.
When Im afraid Im supposed to know The student is afraid the teacher will
the information already. look down at him for not knowing
information.
When Im afraid Im going to sound The student thinks its shameful not
stupid. to grasp information quickly.
When Inever understand the teachers The teacher gives complicated
answers. explanations.
When the teacher doesnt give good The teacher gives poor explanations.
answers.
When Idont understand the teachers The student is confused by the word
question. choice, phrasing, or background
of the question.
When Idont know the answer. The teacher asks the wrong type of
questions.
When Iknow the teacher isnt really The teacher doesnt take a personal
interested in what Ihave to say. interest in the student.
(Continued)
66 Chapter 6

Survey Responses Educators Inferences
When Im afraid of giving the wrong The student is afraid of appearing
answer. foolish to his teacher and
classmates.
When the teacher calls only on the kids The teacher plays favorites or is
she likes. drawn to certain personalities.
When the teacher doesnt listen. The teacher doesnt listen for
understanding.
When the teacher doesnt get what The teacher doesnt clarify the
Imean. students meaning.
When the teacher is looking for her type The teacher doesnt respectfully
of answer. consider students answers.
When the teacher doesnt give me The teacher doesnt give time for a
enough time to think. thoughtful response.
When Im just not in the mood. The student doesnt feel obligated to
participate.
When the topic of discussion is boring. The student has no invested interest
in the topic of discussion.
When no one is interested in what The student senses that his
Ihave to say. classmates dont value his ideas.
When Icant get a word in edgewise. The teacher monopolizes the
discussion or allows students to
doso.
When Im too shy. The student doesnt feel comfortable
in the environment.
Equipped with these inferences, my colleagues and Icould now work

on the changes we needed for vigorous participation to become the norm
in our classrooms. The solutions we came up with in this chapter have
increased class participation by a whopping 55percent. How about examin-
ing the solutions for yourself and choosing the ones that appeal to you? In
no time, you too will transform your classroom into a hub of inquiry and
excitement.
1. Reasons Students Refrain from Asking Teachers Questions
Students response:
The teacher doesnt like questions.
Educators inference:
The student is afraid his teacher will get annoyed at him for wasting
classtime.
Unfortunately, this is a valid statement. Moving on the fast track, educa-

tors tend to show impatience or annoyance toward questions. Teachers
repeatedly put off questions, asserts one ninth grader, often not getting to
them at all. Stung by this rejection, many students learn to keep questions
to themselves.
Worse are the teachers who yell at students for asking questions. Judge
Judy once reprimanded a defendant by saying, Dont ask me questions, Iask
questions! That might make sense for a judge to say, but sadly, many teach-
ers adopt a similar creed, practically incriminating a student for interrupting
the lesson.
HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE TO STUDENTS

THAT YOU LIKE QUESTIONS?
Suggestions
Tell them you like questions! Be direct in your meaning. For example, you
might tell your class, Ilove answering questions. Ithrive on answering ques-
tions. In fact, Ido a little jig inside every time a student asks me a question!
Show them you like questions! Brighten in acknowledgment when you see
a student raising her hand. Nod at her when you say her name. Lean forward
in anticipation of her question. Practice this body language right now with a
phantom student. How does it feel? Benevolent, right? Well, it makes your
student feel even better. The encouragement reassures the student you wel-
come her participation.
Thank your students for asking questions! Thank students for asking ques-
tions by saying:
Thank you, Ethan for asking your question.

Im glad, Rebecca, that you asked your question.
Iappreciate that you brought that up, question, Antonia.
Im really glad Icould answer your question, Jeremy.
SHOULD YOU PRAISE STUDENTS FOR

ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS?
Many teachers praise students for asking good questions by saying, What a
wonderful question, Noah! or Thats a deep question, Brooke! What do you
think of this practice? Does praise encourage participation? This may come to
you as a surprise: Studies indicate that complimenting a student on a good or
68 Chapter 6
deep question may hamper the student or other students from asking future
questions in fear of new ones not measuring up to the ones highly praised.
Many teachers find this to be true in their classrooms. Whenever they
compliment kids on good questions, the latter flush with the praise but auto-
matically display a self-consciousness that was not there beforehand. Other
kids in class then start asking questions with hesitant or apologetic preambles:
Idont know if this is a good question, but.... On the other hand, when
teachers dont evaluate the question but just respond to it with positive inter-
est, the inquirer and the class remain self-assured.
That being said, theres no harm in showing appreciation for a good ques-
tion or comment when you want to guide students toward deeper thinking.
Saying, Your question makes me wonder about Brinkers personal motive in
putting Gene on trial or Oh, Inever thought of interpreting the quote in that
way! doesnt laud the student as much as convey the teachers enthusiasm
for learning and building on knowledge.
PAUSE ROUTINELY DURING YOUR LESSON

TO INVITE THE CLASSS QUESTIONS
Break for questions even after teaching simple concepts to show your class
youre willing to work with them every step of the way. Invite questions by
asking something to this effect
Any questions?
Are we good until this point?
Is there anything you dont fully understand?
Is there anything youd like me to clarify on the board?
Does anybody want to ask me anythingnow?
Does anybody want me to explain something before we goon?
Am Imaking myself clear or should Iexplain the concept again?
Does everyone understand? Because Ill be happy to explain it again.
Please feel free to ask me anything you dont understand.
Once you create a safe environment for asking questions, students will feel
more comfortable askingthem.
But here are two warnings:
1. Dont keep urging your class to ask questions: Thats annoying. Some-
times, no one has questions, and you dont want to have your class start
asking questions for yoursake.
2. Dont let a student bog down the lesson with questions: Thats not fair to
the class. Assist the student after class or arrange for tutorial help if her
needs exceed your time or responsibility.
***
Students response:
Theres nothing Iwant to know.
The lesson doesnt stimulate the students curiosity.
Few students can resist asking questions when the lesson piques curios-
ity. That being so, how does the educator make sure the lesson is thought-
provoking?
Suggestions
Hint to questions: When students seem content with surface knowledge,
probe their curiosity by hinting to questions.
How to hint to questions: Hint to questions by saying, Are you wonder-
ing about something now? or more specifically: Based on what we learned
earlier about the goals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, does anyone have a
question about the officers treatment of the Native Americans? Prepare ques-
tions like these in the margins of your notes so that theyre available at a glance.
Another idea: Let students guess what puzzled you! Youll have everyone
clamoring with questions if you challenge the class to figure out what puzzled
you while you were preparing part of the lesson.
***
Students response:
Idont know how to ask my question.
The student has trouble gathering his thoughts or expressingthem.
Asking a proper question is difficult when the student doesnt know how to
ask it. Crafting a question is a skill seldom taught in school, but its the basis
to all learning. How can educators address this problem?
70 Chapter 6
Suggestions
Help students craft their questions: You can help students craft questions
using the following tactics:
Train students to give background to their questions: For instance, instead
of saying, Why did Harrison decide to become a trapeze artist? The student
should backtrackproviding the information that doesnt seem to dovetail
with the persons actions. For example, If Harrison is afraid of heights, why
did he decide to become a trapeze artist?
Without providing this background, the student is really asking half a ques-
tion that doesnt communicate his exact meaning. Knowing how to craft an
intelligent question gives the student the confidence to say it and assures him
a more satisfactory response.
To introduce the difference between questions that lack background and
those that provide it, type a paper for the class illustrating both types of
questions.
Questions Lacking Background Questions with Background

Background: Why should unemployed Background: If unemployed people can
people want to getjobs? apply for Welfare and get free money,
why should they want to getjobs?
Background: How does it make sense Background: If Antarctica is a frozen
that Antarctica is a desert? continent, how could it be considered a
desert?
Background: Why do we need fourteen Background: According to
to twenty-two inches of rainfall to meteorologists, we have a seven-inch
recover from the drought? deficit of rainfall. Why then, do we need
fourteen to twenty-two inches of rain to
recover from the drought?
Background: Idont understand this Background: Idont understand why
concept inmath. were dividing fractions by multiplying
the reciprocal. Shouldnt we be dividing?
Why do we have to use the reciprocal?
Given enough of these examples on paper, students will pick up on craft-

ing good questions in no time. The point is to keep students practicing this
mental skill so they dont forget it. Whenever a student gives you a question
with insufficient background, say, Can you give me some background to
your question? or Why do you have that question? What exactly dont you
understand? or What seems contradictory to you? Then, when the student
offers the necessary information, tell him, Good. Now that youve given me
some background, Ican better respond to your question. Over time, students
will craft intelligent questions on their own without your prompting.
TRAIN STUDENTS TO EXPLAIN HOW THEY GOTSTUCK
My experiment isnt working! Tim yells.

Why not? asks Mr. Ashton.
Idont know, Tim says, Its just not working!
Explaining a predicament isnt the easiest thing for a student to do when

hes frustrated. Something is going wrong and he wants it fixed right away!
Understandably, teachers have little time and patience to figure out what
exactly went wrong for the student. With a little coaching from the teacher,
the student can learn how to express his predicament better and get the assis-
tance he needs.
My experiment isnt working! is too vague. Train students to express
what theyve tried and how they got stuck. To illustrate what you mean, type
up a table for your class with examples of vague exclamations along with
more descriptive counterparts. See table6.2.
After reviewing this table, most students will understand how to explain
their predicaments with better detail. If a student continues to ask vague ques-
tions, help him analyze whats not working by asking, What were you trying
to do? How did you get stuck?
***
Table 6.2. The Difference Between Vague and Detailed Expression

Vague Exclamations Descriptive Counterparts
My experiment isnt working! Iadded a drop of detergent into the hole
of my paper boat, but that didnt affect
the surface tension. My boat didnt move
across the water.
No sound is coming from my radio! Iconnected the alligator clip to one of
the center taps, but Idont hear anything
coming from my radio.
My laptop isnt allowing me to cut and Im trying to cut and paste words, but
paste! whenever Iclick, the mouse jumps to a
different part of the document.
The wax paper wont go on right! Im trying to put the wax paper over the
open end of my camera, but Icant
get the rubber band to hold it in place
without scrunching the paper.
Ikeep getting example 5 wrong! Im trying to figure out the probability
that 36 out of the 400 girls are
firstborns, but when Iplug in the
numbers to nPr, the percentage
doesnt make sense.
72 Chapter 6
Students response:
Im afraid Im supposed to know the information already.
The student is afraid the teacher will look down at him for not knowing
information.
Heres some unfortunate news. Despite teachers encouragement, stud-
ies show that many students inhibit their questions to conceal their igno-
rance. How can educators get students to drop their self-consciousness and
fireaway?
Suggestions
Dont take the class knowledge for granted: Often teachers scare off stu-
dents from asking questions by suggesting they should know the information
already. Dont take the class knowledge for granted. Avoid using the follow-
ing clauses in your statements:
The atom, as you all know, is the smallest particle on earth.

Im sure everybody knows their multiplication tables by heart.
Certainly, everybody recognizes this portrait of the Mona Lisa.
I expect everybody heard the story of David and Goliath.
Im sure youve all learned about spontaneous combustion.
What happens when the teacher makes these claims? Those who dont
know the information feel inadequate and begin to wonder what else the
teacher expects them to know. In turn, many students withhold questions to
avoid appearing ignorant.
Avoid condescension: Another guaranteed way to intimidate students
is to ask condescending questions such as You never heard of Margaret
Thatcher? or You dont know what happened at Fort Sumter? This display
of incredulity makes students ashamed of their ignorance and turns them one
hundred and eighty degrees away from inquiring about new subject matter.
Point out to students that everyone is ignorant about something: For
instance, approximately 1.2billion people speak Chinese while the majority
of the world doesnt know a blessed word of the language. Boy scouts know
more about survival than the average adult. Mr. Jenkins, next door, who has
a PhD in psychology cant fix his broken car. In fact, he doesnt know a car-
buretor from a transmission.
Giving students the idea that everyone is clueless about something will
make them feel better about displaying their ignorance.
Reveal your ignorance: Ask students to assist you with something you
dont know. Once students see youre okay with asking for help, theyll be
more inclined to seek assistance themselves.
HOW A TEACHER MIGHT ASK FOR ASSISTANCE
Can someone show me how to convert degrees from Celsius to Fahrenheit?

Can someone translate this Spanish sentence for me into English?
Whos going to help me set up a music playlist for our cookout?
Could someone demonstrate for me how to draw a house in3D?
Could someone show me the function the calculator uses to graph an
equation?
Can someone help me figure out how to use the SMART Board to freeze
images?
***
Students response:
Iam afraid Iam going to sound stupid.
The student thinks its shameful not to grasp information quickly.
From the influx of survey responses, a quarter of students expressed their
fear of sounding stupid. It seems like its one thing to sound ignorant of a
concept but much more shameful to appear slow for not catching on. What
do we do to eradicate this shame?
Suggestions
Never say its simple! Introducing a concept as easy or simple not only
disheartens those who dont catch on right away, but makes them think theyll
be advertising their slowness by asking questions on the topic. Refrain
from rating subject matter. If anything, warn students when concepts are a bit
more difficult, so they feel justified in having questions.
Treat all questions with dignity: Teachers easily squelch participation
by treating questions with ridicule. Students have antennas that pick up the
instant a teacher thinks their questions are stupid. They are attuned to the
slightest dismissive reaction. They can sense when a teacher rolls his eyes in
his mind. They can hear the teachers sigh, even when the sound isnt uttered.
They notice the teachers hesitation to call on them the second time around.
74 Chapter 6
Obviously then, teachers turn off students from participating with more
blatant forms of disapproval: a mocking tone in their answer, a sarcastic
remark, a deliberately slow-paced explanation. All this conveys to students
that slowness is intolerable and deserves punishment. What an awful mes-
sage to relay.
Treat all questions with dignity even when you think the student is at fault
for not knowing the information. Speak to the student with the same regard
you afford the sharp kids in the class. You dont have to turn his question into
a brilliant one, but you can still make him feel that his question is worthy of
an answer and that you respect him. Answer questions in a cheerful and mat-
ter of fact manner. Give the impression that you want him to keep tackling the
subject at hand and that youll be pleased to hear from him again.
Point out that no one is gifted in all areas: In fact, most people are smart in
one area and pretty terrible at another. For example, some people find chemis-
try easy but cant comprehend poetry for the life of them. Others get the rules
of grammar in a blink but cant decipher instructions in a manual. No one is
perfect at everything. Tell your class that when we accept that we cant be bril-
liant at everything, we allow ourselves to work at what we dont do wellas
Brendan Francis says, Once we know our limits, we go beyond them.
Change your students mind-set about effort: We live in a society where
fast thinking and instant grasping is glorified. When Iwas a kid, we received
two different awards for scholastic achievement. One was a large ornate
certificate that praised overall scholastic achievement and the other a small,
modest blue card that praised effort. Thank you very much, but no one wanted
the little blue card for effort. It was practically an embarrassment to getit.
Effort has been given a bad name. Having to work to understand means
youre a plodder. You may get a pat on your back, but youre not considered
smart. How does that make sense? Avery small percentage of the world can
imbibe information at moments glance. Most of us need to put forth effort
for smart results. Yet, we train students to think that if they need to work lon-
ger at a problem, or receive a bad grade, theyre on a separate track, a slower
one, and they dont have adequate abilities.
In her book, Mindset, world-renowned researcher in the field of motiva-
tion, Carol S. Dweck, speaks about the detriment of creating a fixed mind-set
in children. She asked grade schoolers to young adults, When do you
feel smart? The people who had the fixed mind-set replied its when they
dont make mistakes, finish something fast, or can do something that others
cant. Its all about being perfect. Those more fortunate answered that they
feel smart when they work really hard and see they can do something they
couldnt do before or work on something a long time and start to figure it out.
Which people do you think can handle setbacks better in life? Which dont
give up when they face harder tasks? Which can learn better?
We can foster a growth mind-set in students by telling them that its moti-
vation and commitment that brought smart people like Thomas Edison, Henry
Ford, Sydney Poitier, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dr. Fred Epstein, and
J.K. Rowling to success. Intelligence or ability isnt fixed. It can be cultivated
with a persons belief that he can achieve if he decides to surpass challenges.
We can really drive this point closer to home by mentioning students we had
who didnt naturally shine in class but took on careers as doctors, nurses,
occupational therapists, dentists, pharmacologists, CPAs, and fellow teachers.
Share your academic struggles and how you overcame them: Its important
for students to hear how their teacher toiled at something despite adversity.
For example, Ms. Sanchez tells her class about her struggle with math.
She was never good at solving math problems in school. But fighting her
embarrassment, she asked all her questions in class, even the ones she knew
sounded ridiculously simple. Would it have been wise for her to curb her
questions, she asks her class? Of course not, they say. Did her friends think
she was dense at math? Yes, but she was not going to let her fear of sounding
stupid hinder her learning (or yes, ruin her GPA). Through questioning and
much practice, she finally mastered math and could even teach it (better than
the class math whizzes) to floundering classmates.
Now Ms. Sanchezs class gets the notion that if nothing could combat their
teachers will to learn math, they too can combat any struggle in the face of
personal shame.
KEEP THE NO SHAME, NO GAIN MESSAGEALIVE
How do you keep the no shame, no gain message alive? By showing your
class how you keep plugging away today, letting nothing stop your quest for
knowledge. To this end, acquaint students with the difficult learning proj-
ects you embrace and the problems you encounter along the way. Discuss
how you go about honing your skillswho you approach for tutoring or
guidancehow you dont mind getting assistance from people younger than
you. Finally, describe the assistance you get and how it has helpedyou.
At the same time, when something stumps you in class, show no hesitation
from asking students for help. For example, you maysay:
Im racking my brain for a good title for my essay. Can someone sug-
gestone?
Can someone help me make heads and tails of this new schedule?
Can someone help me figure out how many shelves well need for all these
books?
Could someone explain this graph tome?
76 Chapter 6
When you convey to the class that youre not embarrassed to ask what
they might perceive as a humble question, they feel much more comfort-
able asking those type of questions themselves. Suddenly, it becomes the
in thing to reveal fallibility as though you cant really be one of the guys
if you dont.
Hang up inspirational quotes: Inspirational quotes carry great power, giv-
ing students direction, hope, a challenge, and best of all, permission to be
human. To impress an idea, present good quotes on the topic.
For instance, to urge students to ask all their questions and embrace effort,
you might hang up the following quotes:
No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions.Charles

Steinmetz
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a
question remains a fool forever.Chinese Proverb
Only stupid questions create wealth.GaryHamel
Continuous effortnot strength or intelligenceis the key to unlocking
our potential.Winston Churchill
All growth depends on activity. There is no development physically or
intellectually without effort, and effort means work.Calvin Coolidge
***
Students response:
Inever understand the teachers answers.
The teacher gives complicated explanations.
Weve all been there. You ask a person a question and he gives you such
a discombobulated response that you end up more confused than ever. Too
timid to voice your bewilderment, you just nod politely and thank him, mak-
ing a mental note never to ask this person a question again.
Educators certainly cant blame students for holding back questions when
they dont get satisfactory answers. How do we ensure students dont get
turned off by our explanations? How do we make ourselves understood?
Suggestions
Use the following tools to explain concepts
Give loads of examples: Dont stop giving examples until youve turned on
the light for your students. Examples simply mean more of the samemore
examples of irony, more examples of rhetorical questions, more examples of

racial discrimination.
Heap on the metaphors: The metaphor magically turns something foreign
into something familiar. Telling students people are kaleidoscopes is a good
metaphor to explain how everyone has multiple talents to offer.
Give dozens of analogies: If you put too many seeds in the soil, the
plant wont grow. This is a good analogy to help portray why a piece of
writing doesnt come to life when the writer uses too many details. Like
metaphors, analogies give students concrete images that help drive a
pointhome.
Bring on the parables: The parable makes a message clear by using a
simple, moralistic story the student can easily follow. For instance, to illus-
trate how people sabotage their friendships, the teacher might tell a parable
about a princess who constantly flaunts her royal gowns and her fancy home
and wonders why no one wants to come by for a sleepover.
Make sure all your examples match with your students knowledge and
experience:
For instance, lets say eleven-year-old Julia says, Iforget the dif-
ference between concrete and abstract nouns. The teacher would then
naturally repeat the definitions of each term and give examples of each.
He would tell Julia that a concrete noun is something you can see or
touch like a cat, Frisbee, bottle, or pickle. An abstract noun is something
you cant see or touch like liberty, frustration, happiness, or health. The
teacher wouldnt give examples of nouns Julia might never have come
across such as turpentine or bondage. Likewise, the educator needs to
choose appropriate metaphors, analogies, and parables to meet the stu-
dents comprehension.
Check for understanding: Even when you give an appropriate explanation,
some students have a hard time following the first time around. Checking for
understanding rectifies this problem.
Questions that check for understanding:
Does that answer your question?

Does that make sense toyou?
Do you understand what Imean?
Do you have a question about what Ijust said?
Did Imake myself clear?
Can you repeat what Ijust said in your own words?
Would you like me to repeat what Ijust said?
Can you give me an example like the one Ijust gaveyou?
Would you like me to give you another example?
***
78 Chapter 6
Students response:
The teacher doesnt give good answers.
The teacher gives poor explanations.
For some reason, teachers expect themselves to come up with lightning
responses to students questions. If you are one of these self-inflicting souls,
you might face a predicament when you are uncertain of a reply, or would
like to think it through for a moment. So what should youdo?
Suggestions
Dont know the answer? Get back to the student! Rather than fumbling with
a response, why not tell the student, Ineed a minute to think about that, or
Im going to give you the answer off the top of my head, but if Icome up
with a better one, Ill let you know. Or plainly, Idont know. Ihave to get
back to you about that. These responses do not belie your mental ability.
On the contrary, they show your student that you value calculated thought
and respect him enough to give him the best possible answer. Consider your
reaction to a student who would ask you for a minute to think. Wouldnt he
move up a few notches in your respect forhim?
What is more, when you intimate that you dont always have glib responses,
students dont feel induced to supply them. In other words, the competition
for who gives the answer first becomes an insignificant factor as you place
a premium upon giving the soundest answer.
2. Reasons Students Refrain from Answering Teachers Questions
Students response:
Idont understand the teachers question.
The student is confused by the word choice, phrasing, or background of the
question.
Obviously, we cant expect students to answer questions they dont under-
stand. How can we revise our questions to better communicate our meaning?
Suggestions
Examine your word choice: Something as small as a vocabulary word can
throw off students. For example, Mr. Bradley asks, How might a persons
ethnic background influence his decisions? The word ethnic is lost on his
students, and he gets no response. Mr. Bradley gets frustrated by the silence
and says, Come on! This class has people from many ethnic backgrounds!
Iwant you to think how your ethnic background influences your decisions!
Poor Mr. Bradley still gets no responseso he calls on Sammy. Sammy,
Mr. Bradley says, Can you tell the class your ethnic background? Sammy
looks at him bewildered. Now if Mr. Bradley were smart, hed realize hes
using a word the class doesnt understand.
Encourage students to say when they are confused by your question: Youd
think someone in Mr. Bradleys class would have asked what ethnic means,
but no one does. Mr. Bradley could have saved himself the trouble, by asking
the class right away what confusedthem.
Dont be like Mr. Bradley. When you dont get the flurry of hands you
expect, ask the class, Do you understand my question? or What dont you
understand about my question? More often than not, students will explain
the source of their confusion.
Avoid awkward phrasing: Clear phrasing says what you mean simply and
briefly. Awkward phrasing confuses students with wordiness. How do you
eliminate awkward phrasing? By asking yourself, What do Imean to say? Is
my subject and verb clear? Am Iusing specific words? Can Iomit unneces-
sary words? Can Irephrase the question?
Heres an illustration of awkward and clear phrasing.
Awkward phrasing: How many slices does everyone get if everyone gets
the same amount?
Clear phrasing: If we divide the pie evenly, how many slices does every-
oneget?
***
Awkward phrasing: What advice from the article gives us an idea of what
we should know for everyday living?
Clear phrasing: What advice does the article give us for everyday living?
***
Awkward phrasing: If you were looking for a book about battleships, where
would you find one about it in the library?
Clear phrasing: In which section of the library would you find a book about
battleships?
***
80 Chapter 6
Approach the question from a different angle: What if you think your ques-
tion is clear and youre still not getting adequate participation? For instance,
the class understands the definition of defendant when you ask them, Why
would a defendant admit his guilt to a judge? This sounds like a straightfor-
ward question, right? Dont, like many teachers, keep repeating the question
(with an urgent rising tone) in hope students will understand it the second,
third, or fourth time. Why WOULD ADEFENDANT.... This is a waste
oftime.
If your question is clear and precise, and you still only see a smattering
of hands, try approaching the question from a different angle to stimulate
students thinking. Take a look at the following examples.
Original question: Why would a defendant admit his guilt to a judge?
Approaching the question from different angles:
Angle 1: What does a defendant have to gain by admitting his guilt?

Angle 2: Why might someone plead guilty instead of taking a chance with
ajury?
Angle 3: Why might a guilty defendant risk pleading guilty over pleading
not guilty?
***
Original question: Do you think sending The Olive Branch Petition was a
wise course of action?
Approaching the question from different angles:
Angle 1: Why do you think King George III didnt appreciate The Olive
Branch Petition?
Angle 2: Could you think of a better tactic of persuading King George the III
than sending The Olive Branch Petition?
Angle 3: Was sending the Olive Branch Petition a smart attempt on the
colonists part to find a peaceful end to the revolution?
***
Present the whole package: Sometimes the question is clear but the student
forgets previous information and therefore cant answer the question. Reit-
erate the background to your question if you think the student might have
forgotten it. This way you present the question as a whole package.
Question lacking background: Why might a defendant admit his guilt to a

judge?
Question that reiterates the background: Remember, a defendant has a
right to a jury by trial and will only be penalized if the jury finds him
guilty. Why then might he still choose to confess his crime to a lawyer or
judge?
***
Question lacking background: Do you think sending the Olive Branch Peti-
tion was a wise course of action?
Question that reiterates the background: Remember, The Olive Branch
Petition was the colonists last attempt to prevent a war of independence
against Britain. The petition outlined the colonists protests, humbly asking
the king to halt the war, repeal the intolerable acts and bring about recon-
ciliation. But outraged, the king discarded the petition and sent out 20,000
more troops. Do you think the colonists could have chosen a better last
resort than the Olive Branch Petition?
***
Students response:
Idont know the answer.
The teacher asks the wrong type of questions.
Were assuming here that teachers ask questions to build upon knowledge.
Usually, when students dont know the answer to a question, the fault lies
in the type of question the teacher asks. In all probability, the questions are
either a) fact-based questions or b) broad questionsboth poorly effective in
the classroom.
How does the educator modify these types of questions to invigorate
participation?
Suggestions
Replace fact-based questions with What do you think type of questions:
Avoid asking students fact-based questions such as who did something or
what he did. Can someone tell me who invented the thermometer? doesnt
promote deeper thinking. Either the student knows or doesnt know the
82 Chapter 6
answer. Forget about fact-based questions (just give the facts when you need
to) and stimulate the class with What do you think type of questions. These
questions have more appeal because they call for logical reasoning.
Examples of What do you think type of questions:
What do you think is a purpose of the thermometer in industry?

What do you think makes a kite fly in thesky?
What do you think the poet means in line23?
Why do you suppose skin sags and wrinkles when people get older?
Why do you suppose golf balls have dimples?
Who do you think is the better candidate for thejob?
What do you think is more crucial for a country, a good geographical loca-
tion or good climate?
Narrow down broad questions: Broad questions draw blanks for many
students because they dont suggest an avenue of thinking. For instance, a
broad personal question like, Can you tell me about a time you overcame
a challenge? discourages students who have difficulty sorting through their
memories to find a particular challenge.
You can help students by narrowing down the question. Narrowing down
the question simply means suggesting a focus by giving specific examples of
what youmean.
Example of narrowing down the question:
Can you tell me about a time you overcame a challenge? Maybe a time you
stuck up for yourself even though you were scared, or a time you stuck up for
another person although you knew you would get into trouble. It could be a time
you fought peer pressure, or a time you didnt quit although you wanted to. Can
someone give me a personal example?
Whenever teachers narrow down a personal question, students exclaim,

Oh! Iknow! and raise their hands enthusiastically. Its amazing how a few
suggestions can jog the memory.
Equally overwhelming to students is the broad question that calls for
critical thinking. For instance, a question like, What is the best way to
forge a meaningful relationship? has too many options to sift through
for the average student. You dont want students to get frustrated by the
enormity of the question and give up on answering before trying to think.
Narrow down the critical thinking question by proposing ideas for students
to consider.
Example of narrowing down the critical thinking question:
What is the best way to forge a meaningful relationship? Through e-mail?

Facebook? Twitter? Letter writing? Texting? Phone conversations? Face to
face conversations? What do you think about forging a relationship by doing
an activity together? like going to the gym together, to the movies together,
shopping together, or playing a board game/card game/video game/sports
game together?
Of course, youre not going to rattle off all suggestions at once. As you
narrow down the question, consider a number of approaches regarding your
pacing:
1. Pause after each suggestion for comments.

2. Pause after a couple of suggestions for comments.
3. Give a couple suggestions along with your opinion and invite students to
agree or disagree withyou.
4. List a few suggestions at a time on the board and ask students to discuss
them in pairs before sharing their opinions.
***
Students response:
The teacher isnt really interested in what Ihave tosay.
The teacher doesnt take a personal interest in the student.
If the student feels that the teacher lacks interest in her ideas, work, or
progress, why should she invest energy in responding to the teachers ques-
tions? What can the educator do to make every student feel valued?
Suggestions
Avoid close-ended questions: Close-ended questions can be answered with
a one-word response. Unfortunately, our fast-paced world has programmed
us to ask children close-ended questions like, How was school? The reply:
Fine. Did you have a good time on the trip? Yeah. Rarely does the child
carry on the conversation. In fact, many children find close-ended questions
downright insulting. If you think about it, people who are interested in us ask
for detailsTheyre not happy with monosyllabic replies that wrap up the
whole experience.
84 Chapter 6
Table 6.3. Coverting Close-ended Questions to Open-ended Questions

Close-ended Question Open-ended Question
Can you relate to the character? What would you do in the characters
place?
Did your experiment work? Can you tell me how your experiment
worked out?
Were you successful in your research? What success did you have in your
research?
Can you solve the dilemma? How would you solve the dilemma?
Are you happy with your topic? Why did you decide to write about the
battery?
Hows your project coming along? Can you tell me all about your project?
Did you color code your notes? Can you explain the way you color coded
your notes?
Do you agree with the authors point of In what way do you agree or disagree with
view? the authors point of view?
Is the baking sale keeping you busy? How is the bake sale keeping you busy?
Did you accomplish anything at the What did you accomplish at the meeting?
meeting?
Do you have any talents? What are your talents?
Did you get a lot done since last Monday? How did you improve your invention
since last Monday?
Ask open-ended questions: Open-ended questions are more respectful than

close-ended questions. They suggest an active interest instead of a drab dis-
charge of duty. An open-ended question asks, What was the best part of your
day? It presses, Can you tell me all about your trip? Open-ended questions
are gracious in expression, probing the recipient for elaboration.
Use open-ended questions to encourage students to share more of them-
selves. Dont be discouraged if at first students have a difficult time com-
municating. Remember, they are out of practice.
Take a look at table6.3 above to see how you can easily convert close-
ended questions to open-ended questions.
An alternate way to turn most close-ended questions into open-ended ones
is to link close-ended questions with a follow-up question such as How so?
or Why not? For example:
Can you relate to the character? How so?/Whynot?

Did your experiment work? How so?/Whynot?
Were you successful in your research? How so?/Whynot?
Can you solve the dilemma? How so?/Whynot?
***
Students response:
Im afraid of giving the wrong answer.
The student is afraid of appearing foolish to his teacher and classmates.
Much like the fear of asking stupid questions, the fear of giving the wrong
answer deters students from participating.
This fear of sounding foolish for giving the wrong answer is aptly depicted
in the cautious steps an eleventh grader confesses to taking:
Ithink Ialmost subconsciously go through a list of questions in my head before

Iraise my hand. Iask myself something like, Do Ireally know the answer?
Does the teacher want to hear it? Does the class want to hear it? Will Igain
anything by saying it? Do Iwant to say it? Am Isure Iknow how to express
what Iam thinking?
How can the teacher alleviate these concerns?
Suggestions
Show how nobody is alone in her apprehension: Take the following quickpoll:
Ask students to raise their hands if they ever refrained from participating
in class because they werent sure of the answer. Ask students to look around
the room and notice the number of classmates raising their hands.
What does the class discover? That self-doubt is more common than we
think. Many students feel apprehensive about getting answers wrong.
Show how reluctant participants often have the correct answer in mind:
Take the following quick poll: Ask students to raise their hands if they ever
regretted holding back an answer after hearing the teacher credit a classmate
for giving the one they had in mind. Ask students to notice the number of
classmates raising their hands.
What does the class discover? That many reluctant participants have the
correct answer in mind. Therefore, the risk of participating is often worth
thegain.
Hopefully after discussing and reflecting upon the result of these polls,
students will participate with greater alacrity.
Encourage students to give an educated guess: Sometimes Iwont par-
ticipate in class because Ifeel like teachers expect very intelligent answers
and Idont want to fall short of those expectations. wrote one student on a
survey. When a teacher asked Miree to elaborate, she bitterly relayed how she
once raised her hand in class and said, Im just guessing but....
86 Chapter 6
Im not interested in guesses, her teacher cut her off. Dont raise your
hand unless youre sure.
Iwas taken back. Miree admitted. If Icouldnt guess and check, how
would Iever learn?
Miree is right. Teachers cant always expect students to come up with
correct answers. Especially not right on the spot. How intimidating is that!
Allowing students to give a logical guess, however, is guaranteed to increase
learning and participation in the classroom. Hereswhy:
With guessing as an option, students see that the teacher values not only the
result but the thought process. Students begin to give answers theyd other-
wise hold back. If the student is in error, the teacher can always set the student
back on track, often showing her how shes only partly wrong. If the guess
is correct, the teacher validates the answer, making the student feel good for
contributing. Either way, the feedback the student receives motivates her to
participate again.
In addition, when the teacher advocates guessing, students respond more
creatively and articulately. Knowing their teacher is happy to see them think-
ing, students open their minds to brainstorming and conjecture. They drop
self-consciousness and begin to share their thoughts with newfound excite-
ment. As a result, participation becomes more pronounced and regular.
Best of all, guessing is fun! Why is that? Because theres something so
irresistible about guessing. Guessing is a free gamble. Guessing flirts with
hope. It celebrates possibility. When students guess, they dont have to be
right,but they just might beand theres an adventure inthat!
So how about beginning the adventure with your class?
Welcome all guessing with statementslike:
Any guesses?
Iwelcome all guesses.
Give me a random guess.
Your guess is good withme.
Id appreciate your guess.
All guesses will be taken seriously.
Your guess may be as good as anybodys. Id like to hearit.
Along the same lines as guessing

Give students the opportunity to think aloud: Tell them, Could you tell us
what youre thinking now? It doesnt have to be a complete thought. Many
grand discussions in classrooms begin with someones spontaneous thought
that ignites an explosion of ideas.
Ask for unwilling volunteers: When asking for unwilling volunteers, youre
acknowledging that students might not have the correct answer but that youd
like to hear it anyway. This tactic saves the student the embarrassment of
confidently offering the wrong answer.
Ask for unwilling volunteers by saying:
If youre uncertain of the answer, Id like to hear it anyway.

Would someone care to share her idea, even if she thinks its a
half-bakedone?
Who has an idea shes not sure of? Would you run it byus?
Any off-the cuff ideas?
Any ideas just pop into your head?
Would someone try the next example for us? You dont have to get it right.
Call on students and give them a right to pass: Have all students raise their
hands whether or not they know the answer. When you call on someone, say
youd like the person to respond, but he or she has the right to pass. As absurd
as it seems, this tactic gets more kids to speak up. Why? Because when called
upon, the student feels like hes doing the teacher a favor by responding. Hes
not claiming to know the answer and therefore he cant come out looking like
a fool. Also, just the physical act of raising ones hand puts the student into
the participation mode and compels him to take the nextstep.
Call on students and dont give them a right to pass! The tactic here is
almost the same as the latter. Use this tactic for more passive classes. Prepare
your class with a question, for instance, How come were able to see stars in
the sky when theyre millions of miles away? Then say, Im going to call
on someone at random to answer this question. If Icall on you, Iwant you to
give it your best shot.
Although required to answer the question, the student still saves face if his
answer is wrong because he is merely abiding by the teachers rule and not
claiming to know the answer.
Be matter of fact about wrong answers: Dont convey disappointment
when a student gets the answer wrong. That only makes her regret participat-
ing. Rather, explain why the answer is wrong in an unaffectedtone.
Joke about the risk: Humor, is definitely a good antidote for a timid class.
The next time your question elicits blank stares, try a little banter to break
the stalemate in the classroom. Say something like, Come on, take the risk.
Raise your hand! The worst that can happen is that youll make a fool of
yourself! Or Dont tell me youre afraid of each other. Look at your friends.
Theyre nothing but a bunch of wimps! Ease the pressure with humor and
youll notice how the stiff atmosphere gives way to good cheer as students
begin to volunteer.
Joke about wrong answers: Dispel the fear of giving wrong answers by
joking when kids get them wrong.
88 Chapter 6
For example, when Mr. Merino is working the room and kids keep giving
him wrong answers, he says theatrically to them, Youre wrong! Youre
wrong! and Youre wrong! And then to the class, Who else wants to give
it a shot? Interestingly, almost immediately, a large number of kids raised
their hands. Theyre no longer scared to take the risk of getting the answer
wrong because Mr. Merino is treating wrong answers with good humor. Mr.
Merino also jokes about wrong answers by saying, Youre wrong, but thats
the way the cookie crumbles! or You couldnt be more wrong, but thanks
for participating! or Youre dead wrong. Ihope youll live this one down!
Copy Mr. Merino. When said in jest, teasing comments ease the embarrass-
ment for the student. For the best results, be sure to tease the smart kidstoo.
Dont flatter students who get answers wrong! If a student is totally off
base, respect her enough to tell her so. Dont say, Ican see where youre
coming from, or Isee what youre saying, when you have zero idea how
she came to her bizarre thought. Kids see through this type of flattery and feel
hurt that the teacher considers them feeble enough to fall for it. Worse, they
conclude that getting the wrong answer must be very shameful if the teacher
is trying so hard to spare their feelings.
Ask students to guess by a show of hands: Since theres safety in numbers,
asking for answers by a show of hands doesnt threaten the individual. This
exercise is guaranteed to encourage the wariest participants.
Examples of questions to ask for a show of hands:
By the raise of hands, who thinks its possible to grow radishes without
soil? (Pause) Who thinks its impossible?
By the raise of hands, who thinks both light bulbs will go out if one is
removed from the series circuit? (Pause) Who thinks one light bulb wont
goout?
By the raise of hands, who thinks True Son will cave in and ambush the
white people in this story? (Pause) Who thinks he wont?
By the raise of hands, who thinks the glue will thicken if we add more of
the borax solution? (Pause) Who thinks it wont?
By the raise of hands, who do you think the following people benefitted
most from the fur tradeThe Indians? (Pause) Merchants in Montreal?
(Pause) Traders in places like Green Bay? (Pause) Consumers in Paris?
(Pause)
Does this exercise have added benefits? It sure does. Helpful to all par-
ticipants, this exercise lets students notice that many others support their
answer. And if the answer turns out wrong, theyre usually in good company.
Of course, some answers cant always be predictedas in the outcome of
an event in literature or history. Still, guessing even these type of answers is
exciting when one gets to hear others predictions aswell.
Ask students opinion questions on topics: Students relish giving opinions

about their beliefs, feelings, tastes, or personal interests. Better yet, opinion
questions dont have a blatant right or wrong answer. Students feel more
comfortable supplying answers to these questions. Listening to students
opinions lends great respect to their way of thinking and encourages students
to respond to future questions.
Examples of opinion questions:
What do you believe was the motive behind the mayors decision?
What do you think about school prayer?
Do you support drug legalization? Why? If you favor legalization do you
believe in controlled or full legalization?
Do you think gun rights activists make it easier for criminals to ownguns?
Can you justify torture when its used for national security?Why?
Is the fashion industry and consumer culture harmful to our society? Why
or whynot?
What do you think is the most important thing a parent can teach a child?
What is your definition of popularity? Is popularity important for happi-
ness?Why?
Should a persons dying wish always be granted?Why?
Should teachers be allowed to fail students who misbehave? Why or
whynot?
Which is the best color to paint the walls of this classroom?Why?
***
Students response:
The teacher only calls on the kids she likes.
The teacher plays favorites or is drawn to certain personalities.
Students dont bother participating when the teacher keeps calling on the
same kids. Its too discouragingand insulting Imight add, to keep trying to
get the teachers attention. What can we do to make sure we never fall into
the category of someone who only calls on the kids she likes?
Suggestions
Dont play favorites: Playing favorites makes nonfavored students feel
excluded and unimportant to you. Give everyone equal attention. In addition,
dont favor one area of the room where the more stimulating kids are sitting.
90 Chapter 6
To make sure you dont fall into this habit, intersperse your active partici-
pants throughout the classroom.
Dont let charismatic students dominate the class: It is easy to get into the
habit of calling on charismatic kids. Dont let these kids dominate the class.
They can easily intimidate others. In fact, its okay to give less attention to
charismatic students. Theyre more likely than the average kid to be getting
the recognition they need inside and outside the classroom.
Resist catering to outspoken students: While teachers reprimand students
for interrupting the lesson, they tend to dismiss the audacious behavior of out-
spoken students. Having gotten away with their aggressiveness for so long,
these eager students act as if they have more rights than their peers. Although
they may be bright and their inquisitiveness delightful, they should not to be
allowed to monopolize the class time. Dont get caught up in a one-to-one
with this student. Neither should you allow this student to interject while you
or a classmate is speaking. Giving preferential treatment of any kind to this
student promotes jealousy and discourages peers from participating.
***
Students response:
The teacher doesnt listen.
The teacher doesnt listen for understanding.
Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery, says Dr.
Joyce Brothers. Like the majority of the world, all students really want is
for people to listen to them. Participating isnt fun when no one is actively
present on the receiving end. An integral role of the educator is to listen well.
How can we practice effective listening?
Suggestions
Give your student your full attention when she is speaking: Maintaining eye
contact is crucial. When a teacher looks anywhere, but at her participantin her
notes, at her watch, or at other students, the participant gets the feeling that what
she has to say is not of value, or worse, that her teacher does not like her. Remain
unwavering in your interest. Reassure her with your undivided attention.
Refrain from interrupting students: Acommon practice among teach-
ers is to finish a students thought for him or to call on someone else when
impatient with his slow or fragmented pace. This interruption undermines the
student who is endeavoring to express himself, sapping him of the courage to

put up with the struggle again. To avoid discouraging this student, exercise
patience while listening to him. Avoid editing his response in your head.
Simply put, hear himout.
Dont just hear the words, absorb the content: In other words, register
what hes saying. Once again, this effort is difficult when listening to non-
fluent speakers. Nonetheless, no matter how impatient you become with a
students stilted pace or incessant rambling, concentrate on the message hes
trying to convey.
What if you find you have not been listening well? Rather than pretend you
have been paying close attention, ask the student to repeat herself for you. All
you have to say is, Do you mind repeating that for me? Iwasnt listening
well, or Say that again for me, please. Igot distracted when the secretary
came in. Dont worry about admitting you hadnt been listening well. Spac-
ing out happens. In all likelihood, your class will be impressed with your
candidness and heighten their regard foryou.
How do you practice becoming a good listener? Take an instruction class
in aerobics, karate, or dancing where you have to listen to perform well. Ask
someone to teach you a new concept and dont let go until you comprehend
it. Follow a recipe as someone reads it to you. Ask someone for game instruc-
tions and see if you can repeat them accurately. Interview an immigrant about
the customs of his birth country and give him a summary for review. Listen to
a panel discussion and make a point of clarifying all your questions. Before
long, youll become accustomed to listening for understanding.
***
Students response:
The teacher doesnt get what Imean.
The teacher doesnt clarify the students meaning.
After the student expresses himself, teachers often misconstrue his thoughts.
Frustrated for being repeatedly misunderstood, the student soon stops volun-
teering comments. How can we avoid frustrating and distancing this student?
Suggestion
Check if you got his meaning: Repeat the students words back to him the
way you understand them. If he detects inconsistencies, hell appreciate the
chance to clarify his meaning.
92 Chapter 6
Word prompts that help you check your students meaning:
If Ihear you correctly....

You are telling us that....
You seem to be saying that....
If Im following you, youre saying....
Tell me if Igot you right. You think....
You believe... Is that what youre tellingme?
I think what youre saying is....
***
Students response:
The teacher is looking for her type of answer.
The teacher doesnt respectfully consider students answers.
Of one thing we can be confidentour brains, no matter how brilliant, can
still find new ways of thinking. When the teacher looks only for her answer,
she doesnt give herself or the class the benefit of acquiring new information.
In addition, when students see the teacher as someone who wants to mold
students to her way of thinking, they quickly lose interest in sharing their
answers.
Another point. As the world develops, so do beliefs and theories. If you
think about it, even facts are subject to change. History and science have
proven that. People once upon a time were convinced that the world was flat,
that women in Salem practiced witchcraft, that bathing was unhealthy, that
tomatoes were poisonous. Nowadays, we dont have a monopoly over the
truth either. In 1994, six elements were added to the Periodic Table of Ele-
ments. In 2006, astronomers discounted Pluto as a planet, bringing our planet
countdown to eight. For the past fifty years, eggs have been blamed to sig-
nificantly raise cholesterol levels. Studies today show no correlation between
the two. Recently, antibacterial soap has been called into question showing
no health benefits over regular soap. The list goeson.
What we think we know today might be revised tomorrow, next month,
or years from now. In respect to this possibility, we educators should keep
an open mind when assessing students responses. Future inventors, doctors,
scientists, and researchers are sitting in our classrooms. Their ideas just might
one day revolutionize the world as we know it. You neverknow.
How do we relay to students were keeping an openmind?
Suggestions
Consider everyones responses: Dont give the impression that those who
arent thinking your way dont have the best answers. When someone pro-
poses a plausible response, accept it, show it consideration, and dont reword
it to fit the answer you have inmind.
Avoid making incredulous comments: Comments that brush off or ridicule
students answers destroy students willingness to participate, not to mention
their self-esteem. Refrain from making comments such as the following:
That doesnt make sense.

You dont know what youre talking about.
What are you talking about?
You cant possibly believethat!
Thats ridiculous.
What on earth are you saying?
Where in the world did you get that information?
Remove your bias from questions: Once you bias your questions, youre
compelling students to agree with your viewpoint. Certainly, this isnt the
best way to encourage students to voice their true thoughts.
Ask impartial versus leading questions:
You were trying to bully Mr. Jackson into selling his business that night,
werentyou?
Objection, your honor! The lawyer is leading the witness.
Objection sustained.
What were you doing at Mr. Jacksons home on the night of December17?
A leading question, as the lawyer demonstrated in the first part of his direct
examination, attempts to put words into the witness mouth. It contains or
hints to information the lawyer wants to elicit. The second revised question
is unbiased and therefore doesnt suggest direction.
Similar to the lawyer, the educator often predisposes students to his way of
thinking with leading questions. He asks, What is the beauty of renaissance
paintings?suggesting that the student see the beauty that might not be the
students experience at all. Students minds switch off when theyre asking
to give forced opinions.
The best way to engage students in a lesson is to ask impartial questions
not leading ones. Impartial questions, unlike leading questions, do not reveal
the teachers bias toward a topic. Hence, students are drawn to impartial
questions because these questions request the students thoughts alone. And
students love to express their own way of thinking.
94 Chapter 6
Notice how the following leading questions give the student less room for
self-expression than its impartial counterpart.
Leading question: Can you tell me why the United States should sell nucle-
ar technology to India?
Impartial question: Should the United States sell nuclear technology to
India?
Leading question: What good point does the writer make in this editorial?
Impartial question: What do you think about this editorial?
Leading question: What is a comparison between cricket and baseball?
Impartial question: Do you see any comparisons between cricket and
baseball?
Leading question: Why should children of illegal immigrants be entitled to
a public education?
Impartial question: Should children of illegal immigrants be entitled to a
public education?
Leading question: Can you explain why Megans ideas sound more reason-
able?
Impartial question: Whose ideas sound more reasonable, Megans or Emil-
ias?Why?
Leading question: Why do think money matters more to adults than
children?
Impartial question: Do you think money matters more to adults or
children?
Remember not to push your agenda or youll stifle input. Youd be sur-
prised at the insights that flow unfettered by a leading question. You know
youre successful in considering everyones opinions when someone asks
you, Ms. Livingston, what do you think? Conversely, if no one has to ask
or wait for your opinion, you can suspect you have prejudiced the class in
someway.
***
Students response:
The teacher doesnt give me enough time to think.
The teacher doesnt give time for a thoughtful response.
Rushing students through answers doesnt give them enough time to think
and respond. The opposite of talking isnt listening, says Fran Lebowitz,
The opposite of talking is waiting. Keeping this quote in mind, what can
we do to give students enough time to think?
Suggestions
Incorporate Wait time: Whats the difference between permutations and
combinations? Mr. Lee asks Sabrina, and a second later answers the ques-
tion himself. Can you find a pattern in sample one? Mrs. Banks asks Syd-
ney, but calls on Francis before Sydney can utter a response.
Teachers often submit to these bad habits to move on with the lesson, but
this rushing conveys to individuals that their participation is not a priority
and students begin to disengage mentally. How can a teacher expect students
to reply without even allowing them to process the question? Teachers must
provide students with time to respond.
This seems like a tall order. Even when teachers refrain from answering
their own questions, they still overwhelm students with questions without
giving ample time for a reply, so indicated studies by Mary Budd Rowe,
which contended that teachers ask on the average, two to three questions per
minute. That doesnt sound bad until you calculate eighty to a hundred and
twenty questions per lesson.
Used to this rapid fire of questioning, many teachers dont even think of
waiting for students to respond fully. In fact, Rowes research showed that
teachers did not wait more than one second for a student to begin a response
(in Australian classrooms, a half a second) before rephrasing their question or
going on to another student. Can one blame a student for giving up on trying
to snap with the program?
Now heres the good news. Rowe found that when teachers waited three
seconds for a students answer, and then another three seconds or more after-
ward before commenting, positive changes resulted in students language
and logic. The length of students responses increased along with greater
hypothetical and complexity of thought.
Furthermore, students sounded more confident responding with fewer
Idont knows and dropping the questioning tones in their explanations.
Also, students began to listen more to their peers and direct questions at them.
Other benefits of this wait time include a greater contribution from all stu-
dents, especially the slower students and an overall decrease of restlessness
and inattentiveness in the classroom.
To be sure, you cant lose by incorporating wait time in your classroom.
Ask fewer questions so that theres more time available to you. Pause a few
96 Chapter 6
seconds after you call on a student for him to articulate a better response
and a few after the response to encourage further elaboration. Let the
class know youll be doing this so that the pauses wont seem unnatural to
participants.
Will the class get restless during wait time? Will the class respect their peers
enough to keep quiet during wait time? That depends on the precedent you
set in the beginning of the year. When you show the class that you respect a
students need for time to formulate responses, they will follow your example.
Important note: Dont be satisfied with the first good answer to a question.
Surely within the class, other students have worthwhile comments to offer for
the same question. Call on several students for their responses before accept-
ing any, and watch how many more students begin to participate.
***
Students response:
Im just not in the mood.
The student doesnt feel obligated to participate.
Heres where you start getting tough. Aside from a few exceptions, dont
tolerate students moods in your classroom. Just as teachers may not bring
their mood into the classroom, neither may students. Regardless of the way
theyre feeling, students must remember they are members of the class and
therefore responsible to contribute. What do we do when we spot students
who are just not in the mood of participating?
Suggestions
Communicate to the class that you want everyones input: Announce a ques-
tion you think everyone is capable of answering, for example, Whats your
definition of a good person? and instruct the class to write down a response.
This independent work gets everyone down to the business, so whether they
werent participating because they were in a funk, daydreaming, or just plain
being lazy, students know now its time to focus.
After the class writes the response, the teacher may take the opportunity to
call on random students to read what they wrote including those who havent
shared much lately. Following the review, the teacher may decide to collect
the papers and grade them. By doing so, she reinforces her message that class
participation has value (and gets to gauge the thinking and writing level of
the class). Alternatively, the teacher might collect the papers and read the
responses to the class. Aside from the ardent interest students have in hearing
their peers answers, they also get to feel that their input matters.
Obligate students to say something: One popular ground rule to establish
is that no one may say, Idont know when you ask a question (unless the
activity grants students permission to pass). Tell students if they dont know
the answer, they must say the part they do know or why they are dumb-
founded. If they wish, they may speak their thoughts aloud. In this way, you
compel students to snap out of their brooding.
To impress the responsibility of active participation, dont turn to someone
else for the answer until the student says something, at least something intel-
ligible. For example, Mr. Atwood calls on moody Maude to share how low
interest rates might affect her spending. In the ensuing silence, he reminds
Maude that hes expecting her to contribute. Are you thinking of something
to say? Mr. Atwood asks her, or are you waiting for me to call on someone
else? Iwant to hear something from you before goingon.
Call on preoccupied students to comment on what their peers say: Know-
ing this might happen, students become more invested in class discussion.
Listening to peers takes wandering minds off personal distractions. Joining
discussions revives students of their listless mood. Dont let the reluctant
participants off the hook once youve got them responding to peers. Keep
urging these students to comment until you see them taking the initiative.
Have participation carry a lot of weight in your classroom: Heres the
deal you can make with high school students to increase their participation
in class:
A frequent participant passes the course even if her test scores call for a
failing grade. (A student should never fail if she puts effort into learning
something.)
A frequent participant who makes passing grades will not get lower than a
B on her reportcard.
A frequent participant who does better than B work will receive an Aon her
reportcard.
A frequent participant who does A work gets to skip a midterm or final
exam (or another type of exam).
As soon as you mention the previous criteria, everyone in class will perk
up with enthusiasm (from the weak to the precocious students).
Do you know an automatic by-product of this deal? Better test scores. How
so? Once alert and focused as active participants, students naturally absorb
the material better. What is more, students feel motivated to keep up with the
lessons once they see positive results.
98 Chapter 6
Now heres the flip side of thedeal:

Points will be deducted from a students final grade for insufficient partici-
pation. The grade always takes into account the students spirit of cooperation
in the classroom. Hardly does spirit of cooperation include sitting passive or
idle in class. Furthermore, it does not allow for robotic note taking.
Heres a deal you might make with younger students: Reluctant partici-
pants of a younger grade might need a more immediate incentive to spur their
participation than the promise of a good grade on a future report card. For
upper elementary or middle school students, you might offer extra credit for
participating the first two months of the school year. You can have students
keep a log of how often they participate and award them as you see fit. For
example, students may get a plus two for every ten times you call on them
in class.
You may permit students to use their extra credit points toward any quiz
or exam during the course of the year. Alternatively, you may allow students
who have acquired an x number of points to skip a quiz orexam.
Before long, these students will understand how quickly points add up
and grab the opportunity to earn them. By the end of October, few students
will remain on the sidelines. Furthermore, once theyve experienced the joy
of participating, students wont need extra credit anymore as an incentive.
Still, you might give generous grades for continued participation so that all
students can maintain good grades.
The flip side of the deal is similar to the one presented to high school
students. Students who neglect their commitment to participate get points
deducted from their average. Yet, you might allow repentant students to
buy back points at the end of the term by renewing their commitment (for
the second term) and volunteering to do something extra such as giving a
presentation to the class.
No matter the deal, teachers must lay out the rules at the outset of the year.
Accordingly, much of your focus during the first couple months of school
should be on the participation level in the classroom. At the end of each
period, you might ask your class to raise their hands if they verbally shared
something with the class that day. Here you get an account of who did or
didnt contribute and, more importantly, send the message that participation
is vital in your classroom.
3. Reasons Students Refrain from Joining Discussions
Students response:
The topic of discussion is boring.
The student has no invested interest in the topic of discussion.
There you have it plainly. If the class isnt interested in the topic of dis-
cussion, the discussion is doomed. How can educators make topics more
appealing?
Suggestions
Spark popular discussion: Too often, teachers promote discussions on topics
that greatly interest them. Thats not always good. Not everyone is a baseball
fan or political enthusiast. Few children want to discuss the benefits of death
taxes. Make sure your topic of discussion ignites the entire class interest and
touches everyones life in some way. Find a favorable angle from which to
prompt discussion for more boring topics on your curriculum. You can pres-
ent these discussions with spark questions.
Examples of spark questions for topics of discussion:
How would you make over your mall? (Topic: budget deficit)
How do male and female roles differ in your family? (Topic: gender ste-
reotypes)
Does live theater offer something you cant get watching movies or TV?
(Topic: the role of music conductors)
Is cheerleading a sport? (Topic: aerobic exercise)
In which situations do you feel mature? Immature? (Topic: emergency
preparedness and response)
Do you like your name? Why or why not? (Topic: the origin of words)
How would you sum up the story of your Facebook page in one sentence?
(Topic: dangers of social networking)
Open the floor to comments: Warm your students to the subject material by
opening the floor to all comments before you teach the material. Suppose, for
instance, you present a poem to the class. Before you broach your discussion,
ask the class to tell you anything about the poem. You might ask point blank,
Can someone tell me anything about this poem? Now you have given stu-
dents a wider berth. Students might point out anything from an uneven rhyme
scheme to a relevant theme. You can also encourage students to comment on
what they find interesting or amusing about a particular concept. This often
launches students into scintillating conversations.
***
100 Chapter 6
Students response:
No one is interested in what Ihave tosay.
The student senses classmates dont value his ideas.
In her poem, Some People, Rachel Field expresses the different effects
people have on our spirit.
Some People
Isnt it strange some peoplemake

You feel so tired inside,
Your thoughts begin to shrivelup
Like leaves all brown and dried!
But when youre with some otherones,
Its stranger still tofind
Your thoughts as thick as fireflies
All shiny in yourmind!
RachelField
When the class doesnt take a students ideas into consideration, they kill
his spirit. His thoughts shrivel up like those dead leaves in this poem. Whats
a bigger turn off for a student than being surrounded by people who dont
give him the time of day? Fortunately, we educators can train our students to
be more like the people in the second stanza of Fields poem. Heres how to
make everyone feel like his ideas matter in the classroom.
Suggestions
Train students to listen respectfully to each other no matter what: Respect-
fully means not interrupting or turning away from the person whos speaking.
It means asking the person whos speaking questions based on what she said
or commenting on her ideas after shes finished speaking.
Teach students how to disagree without becoming confrontational: Dur-
ing the course of your career, you might have heard a number of children
responding to their peers ideas with comments like, Youre an idiot! You
sound retarded! or You dont know what the #$@&%! youre saying! To
alter this behavior, teach students how to disagree respectfully, by saying,
Idisagree with what youre saying, Patrick, because.... Tell students that
if they dont have a reason for their dissent, they may not voice their objec-
tion. What is more, remind students not to force their beliefs on others.
Show zero tolerance toward unkind behavior in the classroom: Treat any
snickering, or verbal ridicule with strong disapproval. Accost jeerers after
class and inform them that if they ever put down a classmate again, you will
remove them from class.
***
Students response:
Icant get a word in edgewise.
The teacher monopolizes the discussion or allows students to doso.
How do teachers ensure everyone in class has the opportunity to contribute?
Suggestions
Dont dominate the discussion: If youre like most educators, youre a ham
for any audience. In the classroom setting, you seek opportunities to engage
in animated discussion. Above all, you revel in explaining things. Thats
what makes you love teaching. The happiest moment for you might be when
you make a point clear. With all your loquacious talent, though, you might
get caught up with the transference of your knowledge and not realize youre
preventing most students from joining the discussion.
Take on the 20 percent rule: Someone came up with the wise rule that a
teacher should do only 20 percent of the talking in the classroom. This rule,
if adopted, helps you plan more interactive lessons and keeps you from ram-
bling while teaching. Students have no trouble filling in their 80 percent when
given the chance.
Are many of your students too used to passive listening to join in during
discussions? Try this. Pretend one day to have laryngitis. This will press the
passive students to fill the gap. Then to the surprise of the class, use your
voice at the end of the discussion. Explain the strategy behind your sudden
voice loss and tell students that from now on youd like them to be more
proactive during discussions.
Consider the benefits and drawbacks of hand-raising: During a discus-
sion, a student can have something to say but by the time he gets the chance,
he forgets what it is or finds that its no longer relevant.Hunter Ellsworth,
grade 9, survey responder
This is a consistent problem in many classrooms. The discussion gets out
of hand and people have to shout above each other to be heard. As a result, a
good number of students give up participating in the discussion. Obviously,
102 Chapter 6
in this case, the teacher needs to enforce a system that allows for more even
participation in the classroom.
Conventionally, teachers make it a rule for students to raise their hands and
be acknowledged before speaking. Over the years, you may have noticed the
pros and cons of enforcing hand-raising for discussiontime.
The benefits of hand-raising during discussion:
Hand-raising makes perfect sense for the following reasons:
Hand-raising maintains order. The class cant listen to two people atonce.
Hand-raising allows the teacher to choose a variety of speakers so that no
one person monopolizes the class conversation.
Hand-raising allows methodical students time to think and respond before
their quicker minded classmates shout out opinions.
Hand-raising encourages participation. When students see that everyone
gets a fair chance at being heard, they get involved. The savvy teacher waits
a few extra seconds during a discussion for a greater showing of hands be-
fore calling on a student. She might even say, Come on, Ineed another two
hands before Icall on someone!
The drawbacks of hand-raising during discussion:

Hand-raising is not always the best choice for the following reasons:
Hand-raising fosters teacher-controlled lessons where the bulk exchange

takes place between teacher and student.
Hand-raising does not allow students to get direct feedback from peers.
Hand-raising causes students not to listen well to their peers, especially if
theyre waiting to be called onnext.
Hand-raising constrains the natural flow of conversation.
If you do require students to raise their hands for permission to speak, be

consistent about the rule. Take the following advice into consideration:
Dont let one student talk over another: Interrupting is rude. If someone
breaks in, stop him immediately. Do not let him rush to finish. Say firmly,
Excuse me, Johnny is speaking now. Please raise your hand afterward for
permission to speak. Certainly, dont acknowledge the interrupters words
in any way. To prevent break-ins, advise students to jot down what they
want to say instead of interrupting, and to wait for their turn. Often kids
interrupt when theyre anxious they wont remember later what they had
inmind.
Keep track of the kids who didnt get a chance: If you find the discussion
revolving around a few students, redirect the class attention to other students
by saying, Does anyone else want to share an opinion? Im curious what the
rest of you have to say about this subject. or Please raise your hand if we
havent heard from you yet. Id like to hear your take on this.
Introduce the Hands Down Policy: As expected, there will be times youll
want to drop the hand-raising rule for discussions. But what can you do to
prevent the inevitable shouting among students? How do you maintain an
equilibrium in the classroom? Perhaps you might fear the opposite situation:
Whats to stop one student from controlling the platform. What can timid
peers do if they want to join but dont have the option of raising their hands?
Youre about to read a way to abolish hand-raising in your classroom for all
discussion without giving up anything and by gaining a great deal. This new
system assures decorum, increases participation, stimulates minds, gives every-
one an equal chance, animates the reticent students, sharpens listening skills,
and builds empathy. Box6.1 provides the Hands Down Policy that worked
so well in hundreds of classrooms and guarantees success for any grade level.
Box 6.1 The Hands Down Policy
The inspiration for this policy came to me the onset of one year while
having difficulty dealing with a particular attention seeker. Savannah
wasnt only seeking attention; she was getting it. From everyone. Aregu-
lar comedian, she entertained us, monopolizing the class with her clever
comments. In fact, when Savannah raised her hand, no one else would.
Perhaps they forgot their thoughts in anticipation of what Savannah had
to say or feared themselves sounding dull in comparison. In any case,
Savannah always had the floor. So now, with the class, an impressed
audience, and me yielding to Savannahs show, Iknew Ihad to do some-
thing quick or the class would forever maintain their passiverole.
So Itried the Hands Down Policy, a system of participation with a
whole new set of rules that wouldnt allow any one person to control the
conversation. What started off as a whim took on such power and profit
that it not only solved my dilemma with Savannah but transformed my
whole approach to all discussion-based lessons.
HOW TO INCORPORATE THE HANDS DOWN POLICY FOR

DISCUSSIONTIME
The rules for the Hands Down Policy:
1. The teacher kindles the conversation by posing a question.

2. The first speaker to comment has the floor.
104 Chapter 6
3. The speaker addresses classmates while speaking.

4. No one (besides the teacher) may interrupt the speaker while he or she
speaks.
5. After one speaker finishes, another speaker may say his piece.
6. If two or more classmates begin speaking simultaneously, classmates yield
the floor to the one who has not yet spoken or to the one the teacher feels
should have the chance.
7. Speakers may address, question, or exchange ideas with particular people
during the discourse, but may not interrupt each other.
8. No one takes more than three turns unless the teacher says itsokay.
Why did this Hands Down Policy work so well in my class? Putting all
students in charge of conversation with exact guidelines quickly put an
end to Savannahs one-person show. Students suddenly began finding their
voices. As they practiced addressing and acknowledging their peers, mutual
respect grew, conversation flowed, reserved people got involved. Iwatched
as students jumped at the sound of their own voices but then plunged into the
conversation with gusto. Ihad the class back again.
The Hands Down Policy exercises the discipline that comes from within.
Just as it takes the focus off the teacher, it prevents students from grabbing
the mike and keeping it the whole time. It teaches students that others have
opinions, and that their peers opinions count too. Students begin to question,
to seek, to find other truths, not only to hear themselves talking. Best of all,
hands-down time gives the speaker time for deeper thinking. Not having to
rush, the speaker can produce better answers.
What is the teachers job during the hands-down discourse? It is by no
means a passive one. Aside from monitoring the rules, she keeps the con-
versation on track or deliberately changes its course. She interjects her own
statements, and challenges students to justify their position. Periodically, she
may find it necessary to help students clarify their meaning or encourage oth-
ers to join the conversation. All the while, she is training her students to speak
in turn and listen to each other. She facilitates this process by asking students
to comment on what their peers have said that ultimately makes students feel
like their words count.
Here are some questions teachers might interject to draw people in the
discussion:
Who agrees with Ethan? Would anyone like to add a point?

Does anyone want to make another suggestion?
Would anyone care to elaborate on what Emmasaid?
Who agrees only in part with Kyles decision?
Who disagrees with Olivia?Why?

Do you think Miguels statement is true today? Howso?
Do you think Chloe makes a valid point? Why? Whynot?
Would you take a stand with Jordan? Why or whynot?
Who appreciates Isabellas dilemma and would like to suggest an idea
forher?
For a more sophisticated give-and-take, encourage students to respond in

complete sentences:
Iagree with Ethan and Iwould like to add....

Iwould like to make the following suggestions....
Iwould like to elaborate on what Emma said....
Iagree only in part with Kyles decision because....
Idisagree with Olivia because....
Ithink Miguels belief doesnt apply today because....
Irespect Chloes point of view because....
Im with Jordan because....
Iappreciate Isabellas dilemma and would like to suggest....
As shown, the teacher uses a discussion prompt as a springboard. Soon the

class becomes familiar with the teachers discussion prompts and mimics the
style to initiate and carry on conversation among themselves.
A live example from the classroom:
Out of curiosity, Mrs. Taylor once asked a class to indicate by the raise
of hands who enjoyed reading Steinbecks book, The Pearl. Approximately
three quarters of the students raised their hands in favor (a quarter, obviously;
in disfavor). Mrs. Taylor was about to proceed with the lesson, when Damian,
a Steinbeck fan piped up, Im curious to know why some people didnt like
the book. Do you mind, Mrs. Taylor if someone would care to elaborate?
Mrs. Taylor didnt mind and someone did elaborate, and from there the class
carried on a round-table discussion about the good points and bad points of
the book. Statements began with, Iagree with Grace in part... or Idont
think thats a valid statement because...
As the discussion unfolded, it dawned on Mrs. Taylor that the reason
Damian felt comfortable initiating a discussion and the class took to it so
naturally was because they were used to doing just that: questioning and lis-
tening to one another and offering their opinions.
Truthfully, the Hands Down Policy is not cherished by all students, espe-
cially when verbal speakers go on for too long or when being the first one to
jump in between speakers becomes a competition. (In a rambunctious or large
106 Chapter 6
class, the teacher might limit the hands-down discussion to one group of stu-
dents at a time.) For the most part, however, students enjoy a balance between
hands-down time and hand-raising time and prefer the latter for instruction or
review time and the former for most conversation.
When asked in a survey to write the significance of discussion time with
the Hands Down Policy, one student wrote, Many times the lesson begins
with a thought-provoking question and everyone can say what she thinks
which causes us to learn from each other and ourselves, almost as much as
from the teacher. Thats really something.
That really is something. So do this for your students. Practice the hands-down
approach. Create a community in your classroom, where people feel safe to
voice their thoughts and feelings, where no one is shunned or censured for think-
ing differently, and where people are interested in what everyone has tosay.
Heres a variation of the Hands Down Policy for the more reserved class:
Ask a question and urge one group in turn to respond. For instance, you tell
the class, Im going to ask your opinions today based on this elevator confor-
mity experiment. For the first question, Iwant these five kids sitting near the
window to participate. You ask your question and discussion ensues. After
ample time, you pose the second question to different group of kids, For the
second question, you say, I want these four kids in the front to respond.
And you work that way around the room until youve got nearly everyones
input. This method compels students whod rather play an observing role take
on an activeone.
Students response:
Im tooshy.
The student doesnt feel comfortable in her environment.
Outside of the political world, you find shy people everywhere. Shyness
isnt a character flaw. You dont beat up on a kid for it. You dont demand
change. You dont threaten or punish. But what do youdo?
With the proper support, students can grow out of their shyness. With the
suggestions below, you can help shy students fit more comfortably in their
environment.
Suggestions
Never call her shy: Several years ago, Iapplied for a teaching position in the
school Ionce attended as a small child. During my interview, the principal
exclaimed, Is this the same shy Elisheva Zeffren who used to go to my

school? Thinking back, Irealized Iwas in truth one of the shy children. But
since no one called me shy, my spirit was free to evolve without the limita-
tions of labels that so often impede a childs progress.
The lesson: Never call a child shy and she will overcome her shyness more
quickly.
Dont document his shyness: Never write about a students shyness on a
report card or anywhere he may see. The written label gives the shyness a
prolonged sentence. For proof of that, look no further than the succession
of comments on a shy students report cards over the years. In first grade,
Laurences report card reads, Laurence is sweet but shy in class. In second
grade: Wed like to hear from Laurence. In third grade: Laurence needs to
overcome his shyness. In fourth: Laurences quiet nature makes friendship
difficult for him. In fifth: Laurence is attempting to find his niche in the
class, but is struggling socially.
Youre guaranteed not to find a report card in the sequence that says,
Laurence has found his vivacity and is now regaling our class with his run-
ning commentaries. Sadly, the teachers have stamped Laurence with a nega-
tive label that is almost impossible for Laurence to overcome. Had teachers
approached Laurences shyness in a more tactful way, perhaps he would have
found his exuberance several report cards earlier.
Accustom the reticent student to being seen and heard in the classroom:
Appoint him to nonthreatening jobs like collecting assignments or erasing
the board, or to special jobs like raising the flag. Ask him to give the class
updates or reminders. Call on shy, fluent readers to read aloud from textbooks
and to read answers theyve written for homework.
Important note: Ask non-shy students to partake in the same tasks so that
shy students dont feel singledout.
Use his name often: Use shy childrens names often when you give an
example to the class. For instance, lets say that Mark wants to buy a tab-
let..., Suppose Iwould ask Casey to measure..., Lets say Angela
needs to climb.... Mentioning a students name makes her feel like a some-
body who matters and encourages her to speak up in class.
Group the shy student with friendly classmates: Switch his seat next to
sociable classmates. Include him in their group projects. Ask him to show
or teach the group a particular skill. Feeling included in a group is the best
antidote for anyone who yearns to break free of his inhibition.
Engage the bashful student in a minute talk: Spur communication with the
bashful student with a curious question about a photograph on her loose-leaf
or a key chain hanging from her purse. Comment on her new shoes. Ask
her who cuts her hair and how much they charge. Call her aside to inquire
about something she wrote in a composition. Listen to her carefully when
108 Chapter 6
she speaks and be thoughtful in your response. This correspondence lets the
student know you value her and want to create a personal connection.
Capitalize on his strengths: Praise the bashful students work before the
class. Give the class a model sample of his writing. Remark upon any of his
helpful suggestions. Put him in charge of explaining concepts to absentees.
Let him tutor a weaker student. Capitalize on his strengths. If hes an expert
at words, for example, you can ask him to draw the class a chart to show com-
monly confused words (further/farther, past/passed) and their correct usage.
When its done, you can display the chart or encourage the student to intro-
duce it to the class. Express your appreciation of his skills. Plant the seed of
confidence in his mind so that hell run the risk of taking the initiative when
he has something tosay.
Important note: Dont blind the shy student in the limelight. While you
aspire to give him attention, you dont want him to make him feel awkward.
So skip the fanfare. Be brief with his praise and move right on to the next
thing.
Hold her accountable: Being soft on the timid soul does not relieve her
fears. The timid person feels incompetent. She does not want to remain timid.
Treating her like the rest of the class shows that you deem her capable of
overcoming her obstacles. If she doesnt meet the requirements expected of
everyone, she faces the same consequences. For example, if she wont get up
for her groups presentation, she forfeits points.
Dont enable a shy habit: When a student doesnt speak loud enough, dont
step closer. Do the opposite. Step farther away and say, Icant hear you,
and wait for him to repeat himself. If a child shies away to a corner, dont
bring him the arts and crafts he left behind. Let him sit without it. You dont
want to feed the habit by catering toit.
Arrange a set-up: Prepare the shy student the day before with a question
youll be asking him during the lesson the following day. This gives him the
responsibility to speak up but the opportunity to prepare his answer.
Catch the student off guard: If your shy student is noticeably vexed about
something, call on her to vent. Say, Courtney, what doesnt seem fair to
you? Broiling to share her opinion, Courtney just might forget her reticent
self and say whats on her mind. To the same effect, a very happy Courtney
might be bursting with good news and only need an impromptu invitation to
share her good tidings. Once Courtney sees that nothing traumatic happened
in response to her sharing, she might begin to speak up on herown.
Introduce good icebreakers for discussion: Tempt the timid student dur-
ing discussions with irresistible questions such as, tell us something you feel
passionate about. What moves you? Whats one item you cant part with and
why? What might keep you up at night? What do Fridays feel like to you?
How can we raise money for new music equipment?
Give assignments that involve inquiry: We gain confidence by asking.

Have shy students conduct surveys, give interviews, coordinate class trips,
collect permission slips, whatever it takes for them to see that most people
are friendly and approachable.
Give the shy student a playful assertive role: Everyone loves a little play-
fulness. Shy people seldom get to carry out a playful act that makes people
look at them with new respect or liking. Give the shy student a playful asser-
tive role that doesnt place her in the spotlight but gives her positive attention.
A live example from the classroom:
In Mr. Reeds classes, Caleb, an incorrigible talker, sits in front of reticent
Javier. Instead of stopping class to admonish Caleb, who was yapping to Abi-
gail, Mr. Reed says, Javier, tap Caleb on the shoulder. Javier taps Caleb,
and when Caleb turns around, Javier motions toward Mr. Reed who takes the
blame and says, Caleb, Ijust asked Javier to tap you because Ineed your
attention. Please dont speak while Im teaching.
As it happens, the next day, Caleb speaks out of turn again. This time, Mr.
Reed says, Javier go to it. Overhearing this instruction, the class smirks and
Javier looks pleased to tap Caleb again with an apologetic, Its not me, its
Mr. Reed. The class responds with, Way to go Javier! and Javier reacts
with good humor. The whole scheme lasts just a couple times, but Javier
begins to flourish in the classroom. The attention he received from his playful
assertive role made him feel included and valued.
***
To participate or not, that is the question on your students minds every

day of school. Even the most sophisticated students struggle with asking and
answering questions, joining animated conjecture, in depth analyses or just
plain open discussion. Now that you have myriad solutions to work with in
this chapter, ask yourself the following:
How can Ibrush up on participation in my classroom? Do Ineed to reas-
sure students Im waiting for their inquiry? Do Ineed to communicate more
adequately? Mend my questioning or listening skills? Speak a little less?
Hold students accountable? Boost esteem?
Right now, when youre inspired, jot down at least three ideas from this
chapter and incorporate them within your lessons. Idare you to finish a week
without startling results!
Chapter7
Coaching with Cooperative Learning
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sin-
cerely try to help another without helping himself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
If anything, history has taught us that putting heads together is a productive

business. Working closely with her husband Pierre, Marie Curie discovered
two new elements, polonium and radium. Together with his brother Orville
Wright, Wilbur invented the first successful powered airplane. Two unrelated
men, Francis Crick and James Watson, discovered the blueprint of life, the
structure of DNA. Cooperative thinking throughout the ages has shown us
that partnerships work. Without cooperative thinking, we might not benefit
today from enterprises such as Warner Bros. Studios, Ben&Jerrys, Micro-
soft, Apple, and Google.
HOW DO YOU PROMOTE COOPERATIVE

THINKING IN THE CLASSROOM?
By introducing cooperative activities and watching your class have at it. For
cooperative activities, students get together in small groups to build on learn-
ing. The perfect replacement for competition, cooperative activities engage
students of different levels and abilities. No contests or prizes are required,
just an amiable setting where students can work and mix easily when neces-
sary. The animation between pairs as they teach each other and sometimes
argue their point testifies to the increased academic and social growth these
activities promote.
111
112 Chapter 7
Heres how to approach this chapter: Choose the cooperative activities that
appeal to you, or combine ideas, or let them inspire you to think of others.
Its fun to experiment!
Cooperative Exercises for Working inPairs

First, lets look at the two cooperative activities used most often in class-
rooms. These activities require minimal time and get fast results.
TURN TO YOUR NEIGHBOR
For this activity (Lundgren, 1994), the teacher poses a critical thinking ques-
tion and students turn briefly to a neighbor to discuss plausible answers.
Following the interaction, the teacher calls on participants to share their ideas
with the class.
Think-Pair-Share
Similar to Turn to Your Neighbor, this activity (Lyman, 1981) gives the
student about five to six seconds to think about an answer before turning to
discuss it with a classmate. After this exchange, the teacher calls on partici-
pants to offer their thoughts.
Examples of questions for Turn to Your Neighbor or Think-Pair-Share:
For what might this fabric be useful?

Why do you think books were rare and valuable in the eighteenth century?
Can you figure out the relationship between mitosis and meiosis?
If you leave the door to the refrigerator open, will the temperature in the
refrigerator rise or fall?Why?
What is Atticuss motivation to defend Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mocking-
bird?
What is the advantage of using maps over globes?
Why do you think the ants preferred the jelly bean over the pretzel?
What might be a difference between having what you need and needing
what youhave?
How can we collect 500 egg cartons for our project by the end of theweek?
What can help you remember to ask your parent to sign yourtest?
The benefits of Turn to Your Neighbor and Think-Pair-Share:
The activities hold the class responsible to think of an answer and partici-
pate in someway.
Coaching with Cooperative Learning 113
Given a chance to verify ideas, reluctant participants gain the courage to

raise their hands.
Interacting one on one, reticent students get to share their thoughts without
feeling too overwhelmed.
Students build on ideas coming up with better answers than they would
have independently.
Discovering that two heads are better than one, students initiate thought
discussions with classmates outside the classroom.
Once you witness the expediency of these latter two collaborative activi-
ties, you might try employing them for more intricate questions (involving
more than one step). Just implement two modifications:
1. Extend the time for pair-sharing according to the complexity of thetask.

2. Ask students to jot down their thoughts so that they dont forget the de-
tails.
Examples of more intricate questions for Turn to Your Neighbor and

Think-Pair-Share:
Decipher A. R. Ammonss parable Close Up. Identify a symbol and its

function along with the poets underlying message.
How does Dr. Seuss allude to the Cold War in The Butter Battle Book?
What is Dr. Seusss viewpoint about the Coldwar?
Whats the reason for mindless munching? The ramifications? The solution?
Read the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon and explain its humor. What message
does the cartoonist offer? Do you agree with his sentiment?
What do you think of Sam Cooks music for Chain Gang? Does the mu-
sic match the lyrics? What, if anything, would you change?
How would you improve this wallpaper design for better symmetry?
How would you explain YouTube to someone from the eighteenth century?
How do you think the Supreme Court might have been influenced during
Marshalls times if it had to deal with the media today?
How would you make this paragraph more exciting without changing
theplot?
How can you determine if a set of data shows inverse variation? Give an
example using a table of values.
For the classs first few experiences of tackling complex material, its a
good idea to help students break down information.
For example, to analyze the parable Close Up by A. R. Ammons, https://
www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=27947, you
might assist students by asking these guiding questions: How is the mountain
114 Chapter 7
used as a symbol in this poem? What does the mountain do? Why? What is
the consequence of its behavior? Do you believe the mountain can help itself?
Whats the message of this parable?
Likewise, to help inexperienced students make comparisons and arrive at
conclusions, you might break down the task into specific steps to make the
comparisons more visible.
For example, to decipher how Dr. Suesss Butter Battle Book alludes to
the Cold War, you might point out these particular events in the book to
help the class spot the parallels between the Butter Battle events and the
ColdWar:
A. The different ways of butteringbread

B. The development of the triple-sling jigger and the bitsy big-boy
boomeroo
C. The question at the end of the storyWhos going to drop it? Will
you....? Or will he....?
Finally, in tackling problem solving questions, you might walk students

through the process. Have students define the problem and do a thorough dis-
section taking into account the reason behind the behavior, the problem that
needs to be solved, and the steps involved in solvingit.
For instance, you might help students solve the problem of mindless
munching by asking themselves: What is mindless munching? Why do peo-
ple exercise this behavior? What problem results from mindless munching?
What steps can people take to stop mindless munching?
TURN TO A NEW NEIGHBOR
As an additional step to Turn to Your Neighbor, use Turn to a New Neighbor

for instances when you want students to collaborate with a third party. Heres
the gist of the task. After turning to his neighbor, each individual compares
information with one more person. To ensure greater interaction among stu-
dents, the teacher encourages students to find someone they havent spoken
to thatday.
The benefits of Turn to a New Neighbor:
The student further validates his thoughts by getting a second opinion.

The student receives more information to consolidate with hisown.
The mixing promotes further social growth. Each individual obtains the
new neighbors undivided attention.
Students get to move about the room that is more stimulating than remain-
ing in their seats.
Note: Many educators have taken on John D. Strebes Think-Pair-

Square-Share as an additional step to Think-Pair-Share where first pairs turn
to second pairs to compare information. While this technique works well for
gregarious students, it might cause the more reticent of the pairs to fall by the
wayside. Therefore, if you plan to use Think-Pair-Square-Share, supervise
the groups to ensure that everyone shares.
ASK YOUR NEIGHBORS OPINION
Did you ever notice students listening halfheartedly to each other and wait-
ing for a chance to break into their neighbors speech? Ask Your Neighbors
Opinion instantly rectifies the problem. Heres the way the activity works:
one student turns to his neighbor to ask his opinion but does not share his
own. Subsequently, the teacher calls on one listener to share his neighbors
opinion with the class. To give both students equal opportunity for listening
and sharing, the teacher reverses students roles for the next question. To
promote a class discussion, the teacher asks the participant whether he agrees
with his neighbors opinion and then solicits the input of the class.
Examples of opinion questions for Ask Your Neighbors Opinion:
How do you think Huckleberry Finn feels about Tom Sawyer? Explain.
Do you think it makes sense to talk to yourself?
What restrictions should children under fourteen have while using the
internet?
Do you think stem cell research is ethical? Why or whynot?
Should adolescents have the right to vote in national elections? Why or
whynot?
How would you decorate this room for the holiday?
Do you think schools should adopt a four-day schedule? Why or whynot?
At what age should you no longer have a bedtime? Please explain.
What is perfection? Can a person create something perfect? Why or
whynot?
To what extent should the government have the right to censor material or
invade a persons privacy?
The benefits of Ask Your Neighbors Opinion:
Speakers practice expressing themselves clearly to communicate their

opinions.
Speakers get to speak freely without interruption. The only time a listener
may interrupt the speaker is to clarify a point.
Speakers receive validation for having something worthwhile to contribute.
116 Chapter 7
Listeners practice listening for understanding knowing they might have to

repeat the speakers opinion to the class.
Listeners learn to keep still and respect anothers viewpoint.
Participation rises in the classroom since reticent students are more willing
to share their neighbors opinions than theirown.
LISTEN TO YOUR NEIGHBORS REASONING
After finding Listen to Your Neighbors Opinion gratifying, try a variation

for reasoning activities. As the name suggests, Listen to Your Neighbors
Reasoning requires the student to listen to logical reasoning versus opinions.
First, the teacher presents students with a critical thinking question to work
on alone. Then pairs collaborate to share how they worked out the problem.
The teacher calls on a student at random to explain his neighbors reasoning
compared to his own. The class weighs the reasoning for soundness.
Examples of questions for Listen to your Neighbors Reasoning:
How would you explain to a younger person the concept of inflation, and
how it potentially ruins the economy?
What analogy would you give to exhibit how a little lie can grow into a
bigone?
Whats a good plan for raising money for the school dance?
Which classes would you advise incoming freshmen to take if they eventu-
ally want to enter the field of law?Why?
You want to set up a clothing business. Based on your knowledge of the
laws of supply and demand, explain what you would do first, second, and
third.
What changes would you make in this menu for a diabetic patient?Why?
How can you start saving and investing your money now so that by the end
of the year you can afford to take a five-thousand-dollar trip to Europe?
When should a person say no to a request?
How would you reason with a child who wants to know why he has to listen
to adults when he cant dictate to anyone?
How can the manufacturer improve this board game for deeper thinking?
The benefits of Listen to Your Neighbors Reasoning:
Pairs get the chance to do both listen and explain.

Knowing they will have to justify their reasoning to their neighbor, students
work on their reasoning for accuracy.
Pairs practice their skill at explaining.

Students must listen for understanding to explain their neighbors r easoning.
While listening, students learn new ways to work out solutions.
The class learns how to weigh reasoning for soundness.
REFRESH
Did this ever happen to you? You teach a particular concept or skill and you
think the class caught on. The next day, you find yourself reteaching the
topic for the benefit of the majority. To address this problem, tell your class
youll be teaching an important concept/skill and testing them immediately
afterward. Then try out Refresh. For this activity, the teacher pairs students
to apply the concept/skill they just learned. If they get stuck, they may turn to
another pair for guidance. After the activity, the teacher calls on students to
provide answers or demonstrations for the class.
Examples of instructions for Refresh:
Illustrate the concept of blending and bleeding colors with water paint.
Give two examples of natural numbers, whole numbers, and irrational
numbers. Explain why your numbers fit into these categories.
Discuss a compromise one can make to solve the following conflict.
Demonstrate the Heimlich Maneuver on the mannequin.
Read the French passage using the correct pronunciation of the words.
How would you work out the scientific method for this hypothesis?
Put on a thirty-second skit where one of you makes a biased remark.
Write an interview question on this topic along with a follow-up question.
Find the redundant usage in the following five sentences. Discuss why its
redundant.
Measure your licorice string and divide it evenly in two. Write an equation
that depicts the calculation.
The benefits of Refresh:
Students listen more carefully to the teacher when they know theyll be
tested afterward.
This type of review takes the shortest amount of time to ensure that every-
one leaves class knowing the main concept/skill/information taught.
Students get more questions answered within this time than they could pos-
sibly get from the teacher.
Pairs enjoy assisting each other.
118 Chapter 7
COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES FOR WORKING

IN GROUPS OF THREE ORMORE
Check It Out: Did you ever collect a pile of homework papers and find
yourself correcting careless mistakes? Frustrating, right? Even more so for
the student who gets back his paper with numerous red markings. Check It
Out assures satisfaction all around. For this activity, students work in small
groups to check each others answers. Students may correct their papers, but
must be ready to explain revisions.
The benefits of Check ItOut:
Groups enjoy giving and receiving constructive criticism.

Students do not have to wait to get papers back from the teacher to verify
information.
A meaningful learning experience takes place since the assignment is still
fresh in the studentsmind.
Students get back papers with fewer marking corrections and better grades.
Everyone Takes a Guess: Since guessing is a great motivator for collabora-

tive thinking, Everyone Takes a Guess quickly becomes a relished activity.
In this exercise, everyone jots down a prediction based on the information at
hand. Then students collaborate in groups to compare their ideas and come to
a consensus. Adesignated recorder writes down the groups final prediction.
If the group cannot come to a consensus, the recorder writes down the reason
for their disagreement. At the end of the exercise, the teacher calls on one
member of each group to present his peers prediction(s) to the class along
with their reasoning.
Topics for Everyone Takes a Guess:
Guess the caption of the photograph after youve read the newspaper ar-
ticle.
How much do you think it costs to feed a family of four for ayear?
Predict the weather forecast based on these specific weather patterns and
changes in air pressure.
Guess whats going to happen to this particular stocks value on the stock
market based on its highs and lows over the past two years.
Predict how long its going to take for the potato battery to run out of its
electrical juice.
Guess the next verse to thesong.
Can you guess why the vinegar and baking soda made the Ziploc bag
explode?
Guess how many pennies dropped in your cup will make the water
overflow.
Guess whats going to happen in the play now that Macbeth killed King
Duncan.
Guess whats going to happen if you use a heavier weight on the horizontal
bar of your seismograph.
The benefits of Everyone Takes a Guess:
The class practices prediction skills.

The class exercises deductive reasoning.
No one is pushed to think beyond his capacity.
Curiosity leads students to listen avidly to group predictions.
Suspense mounts as students look forward to learning the true answer.
Team-Pair-Solo: Afavorite activity for those seeking autonomy, Team-Pair-

Solo (Kagan, 1994) ultimately gives students the self-motivation to tackle
tasks previously beyond their scope. Whats considered daunting becomes
doable. The process is simple: Ateam works on a task together before break-
ing up into pairs to solve a similar task. Then pairs go solo as students work
independently on a third similartask.
Activities for Team-Pair-Solo:
Fill out a character web Create a season display

Write an expository essay building an Plan a trip itinerary
argument Draw a map plan
Write a formula for a chemical equation Write a computer program
Decorate a cake using fondant and gum Calculate a companys cost of capital
paste Make a PowerPoint video presentation
Plant and mulch a vegetable patch Arrange choreography
Organize a bake sale Design graphics of a newspaper
The benefits of Team-Pair-Solo:
The coaching of peers gives students the skills they need to do thetask.
The skills attained give students confidence in their learning ability.
Each individual accomplishment builds the students sense of pride.
Success breeds success as students build on their learning with alacrity.
Students discover that anything is possible with the right guidance.
With achievement a reality, students embrace new challenges.
Solo-Pair-Team: Once students give Kagans Team-Pair-Solo a whirl, they

can try the inverse for teaching demonstrations. Meant to build the students
confidence further by creating a supportive atmosphere, Solo-Pair-Team pre-
pares the student to give a demonstration or presentation comfortably before
an audience.
120 Chapter 7
Heres the process: The student first practices the task himself, then runs
it by a pair or two for feedback, and finally, before the class for feedback. If
you think about it, this is typically the way people muster their courage to
make big presentations in the real world. First, they work on the presenta-
tion themselves, then they run it by a close family member, acquaintance, or
friend, and finally before a panel of experts at work. The assurance received
along the way plays a big part in the success of the project.
Topics for Solo-Pair-Team:
How to set up a computer for the firsttime

A literary analysis of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
What bicycle gears have to do with velocity and acceleration
The connection between gum disease and heart disease
How manufacturers create Lego robots
How to write a term paper in MLAstyle
The difference between the active and passivevoice
How to read the fine print
How to make a Smartphone projector
How to refinish a piece of furniture
The relationship between region and culture
What Pascals Triangle tells us about probability
Teaching place value with a stack of Styrofoamcups
How to find the main and underlying themes of a literarywork
The benefits of Solo-Pair-Team:
The activity helps those who shy away from the publiceye.
The activity presses students to examine teaching styles.
The coaching of peers helps students perfect their demonstration.
Students learn the importance of obtaining feedback.
Students learn to break down a concept and create good order and clear
instruction.
While demonstrating, students feel secure knowing that members of the
audience have theirback.
Give Me Five! This activity challenges students to provide the class with
five reasons for doing an activity (three reasons for younger classes). Students
work in collaboration with peers who must choose first an activity they want
to promote and then agree upon the five reasons for supporting the activ-
ity. To strengthen their pitch, groups embark upon research or spend time
interviewing people who engage in the activity. As an added bonus, groups
produce an eye-catching leaflet, poster, diagram, or display exhibiting the

highlights of the activity. Lastly, groups take turns presenting and endorsing
the activity.
For the purpose of emphasizing the benefits of a particular activity, the
teacher might give the class a specific one she wants them to endorse. Even
when students dont appreciate the teachers pick, they learn to play the
devils advocate. In doing so, students often come to realize the sense of the
endorsement.
Activities for Give MeFive!
The top five reasons people should
give books as gifts watch sunsets

volunteer for a charity organization create family yearbooks
take a political science AP course eat dinner with ones family
write in a journal listen to classical music
write a letter to an editor read newspapers
exercise regularly practice Sudoku
go to college create a yard sale
Benefits of Give MeFive!
To produce reasons for doing the activity, students use analytical skills.
To promote their activity, students practice persuasive and creative skills.
The activity gives the class novel ideas to think about.
Students try out new activities and discuss or compare results with classmates.
Get to Know It All: Get to Know It All offers so many benefits that edu-
cators cannot pass up practicing it with their class several times a year. Its
designed to give every student the opportunity to acquire information about
what theyve read quickly and painlessly.
How does it work? Here yougo
Preparation:
Prepare a stack of cards for your class in sets numbered 14. If you have an
odd number of students, you obviously wont complete your last set. For
instance, if you have twenty-seven students in your class, you will have six
sets and three remaining cards. Dont forget to number the remaining cards.
Give your class the reading material (e.g., an article, chapter, essay, story)
and sufficient time for readingit.
Afterward, provide the class with a worksheet of four thought-provoking
questions pertaining to the material they justread.
122 Chapter 7
For instance, here is a worksheet of questions based on the article Money

for Morality by Mary Arguelles:
Money for Morality by Mary Arguelles (Newsweek,

October28, 1991, p. 15) https://forums.bf2s.com/viewtopic.
php?id=43990
1. How does the title Money for Morality pertain to this article?
2. Why is the author disgruntled about the way our society portrays values?
3. Explain the authors belief that, Asteady diet of candy bars and banana
splits makes an ordinary apple or orange seem sour. Do you agree with this
statement? Why or whynot?
4. Do you think its valid to say that role models are more confused and mis-
guided about values than their young charges? Why or whynot?
The Activity:
Tell your students they will be receiving a card with a number on it ranging
from 14. Work your way systematically around the room handing every-
one acard.
Instruct your class to answer the question on the worksheet that corresponds
with the number theyve been given. Provide three minutes for students to
complete thetask.
Designate the four corners of the room as conference stations. Label the
stations simply as stations 1, 2, 3, and 4. Ask students to go to the station
that corresponds with the number theyve been given and to compare their
answers with the classmates they meet there. So now you have the class
divided into four large groups at four stations with each group discussing an
answer to a specific number on the worksheet. Give the groups five minutes
to confer. When you hear the conversations petering out, ask everyone to
take their seats.
Presently, each student has a solid answer to a question on the worksheet.
Tell the class that in about ten more minutes, they will have the other an-
swers down-pat as well. Regroup the class, this time in clusters of four,
making sure that each group contains a representative from one of the origi-
nal four groups. You manage this by following the path you took for distrib-
uting the cards and asking every four students to group together. If the last
group falls short of four, the remaining students get to join any group. Once
the groups are formed, each group member takes turns relaying the answer
to her respective question. When you hear the conversation petering out,
ask everyone to take their seats.
Back in their original seats, everyone has a firm grounding on all answers
on the worksheet. You can call on students at random to review the answers.
The benefits of Get to Know ItAll:
During the first conference, no one is put on the spot for not comprehending
the reading material.
During the second conference, every students input matters.
During the second conference, every student receives the sole attention of
her peers.
Getting to know all the answers, students acquire a deeper meaning of the
reading material.
Students are held accountable for acquiring and contributing information.
Feeling the power of their acquired knowledge, even the weak students can
participate in class without reservation.
Circle the Sage: Spencer Kagans Circle the Sage lets students benefit
from the sage knowledge of their classmates. The sages must have either
first-hand information about something, background knowledge of a topic,
know-how to solve a complicated problem, or the ability to explain a difficult
concept that confounds the majority of the class.
After claiming their expertise on a select topic, the sages stand up and
spread out in the class. The teacher divides the class into groups. Students
leave their groups to listen to a sages explanation or instruction, with no
more than two students from each group listening to the same sage. This way,
when students return to their group, they can compare notes. Any discrepancy
is discussed and resolved.
A winner in the classroom, this activity is fun and fulfilling, but you might
want to make a couple modifications. Trusting the sage to know what theyre
talking about is always a gamble. To limit the risk, have the sages illustrate
to you what they know before sharing it with the class. Also, bear in mind
that certain sages might have poor teaching abilities. To save these sages the
embarrassment of fumbling in the presence of their classmates, help them
clarify explanations before they begin teaching. Then make your rounds,
listen in, and coach the sages when necessary.
Topics the sage mightknow:
Which programs are safe to delete when freeing diskspace

How to analyze a market
How towaltz
Information about identitytheft
How to structure a BlogPost
How to splice aplug
How to set up video equipment
The advantages of joining the after-school program
124 Chapter 7
The relationship between graph design and web design

What to do if youre stopped by the police
How to use a handsaw
What to do when youre feeling self-conscious in a social setting
What life is like in a specific foreign country
The commitment you need to learn a martialart
The benefits of Circle the Sage:
Sages get positive attention for contributing to the class.

Sages learn to communicate effectively.
Students discover they can glean new information from peers.
Students listen carefully to accurately repeat what theyve learned.
The Sage Panel: Inspired by Circle the Sage, your students might like
trying a variation of the activity using a panel of sages. The Sage Panel puts
four sages on a panel who feel they can advise well on a particular topic.
The process is a formal one. In the opening of the panel, each sage gets two
minutes to give her viewpoint on the topic. Next, the audience divides into
groups. The groups discuss among themselves their most salient question on
the topic. Taking turns, a representative of each group broaches his groups
question to the sages.
Panelists have the right to pass on the question and are in fact encouraged
to do so if they have no solid grounding to their opinion. Otherwise, each
sage gets a chance to respond to a representatives question within a certain
time frame. At the same time, the class jots down notes. Afterward, groups
reconvene to consider which ideas to accept. Finally, possibly the next day,
the groups present their own evaluation of the topic before the class.
As a follow-up of this panel, the teacher might invite guest speakers as
panelists, for example, parents of students, social workers, law enforcers, or
field experts.
Topics for The Sage Panel:
Is watching movies a waste oftime?

Should children be sheltered from the sadness in the world?
Do you think most of our emotional distress comes from comparing our
lives with others?
What do you think should be an acceptable dress code for this school?
What turns people off in relationships?
Do you view vigilantes as saints or sinners?Why?
Are people jealous by nature?
Do you think its wrong for a parent to enter her child into a beauty pageant?
What do you think about trying out dangerous sports?
Is there anything worth going to jailfor?
How important is ambition? Should people pursue careers? money? hon-
or?fame?
How do you know if someone likes you for who youare?
How do you recognize an abusive relationship?
How do you know if youre living a meaningfullife?
The benefits of The Sage Panel:
To present their argument, sages use analyzation skills.

To communicate their point, sages use persuasive tactics.
Sages feel good about giving advice to peers.
In listening to the sages, the audience identifies values and learns vital
information.
The audience analyzes information from many angles.
The audience discriminates between faulty and logical reasoning.
The panel discussion can also be used as a fun review of literature mate-
rial students read at home. For example, the sage panelists can represent
characters from a book and students can ask them about their character traits,
motives, and conflicts.
Whats the Most Crucial? The Whats the Most Crucial? activity chal-
lenges students to find the most crucial information about a subject. Students
group to compare their information and decide which to include within a
speech or written report.
Examples of topics for Whats the Most Crucial?
The most crucial facts about rainforests

The most crucial facts about global history between 1960 and1980
The most crucial things to know before you put on a play during the Victo-
rian Era in England
The most crucial information to know before taking theSATS
The most crucial information one needs to comprehend before becoming a
champion atchess
The most crucial information to know about starting your own web design
business
The most crucial facts about the Watergate Scandal
The most crucial facts about vaccinations
The most crucial information to know before investing in clothing stocks
126 Chapter 7
The most crucial information to know about taking vitamins

The most crucial facts to know before doing laundry
The most crucial facts about Alzheimers
The most crucial facts about forgery
The most crucial facts about bedbugs
The benefit of Whats the Most Crucial?
Students practice doing research and get a good grounding on a subject.

Students learn to distinguish the crucial information from therest.
Students provide their audience or reader with essential information.
Sharing newfound information with each other spurs students to explore
subjects they would never have otherwise.
Peer Monitoring: Who doesnt like to give advice? Who doesnt like to get it?
Having students critique each others work gives them an opportunity to exercise
both roles as mentor and pupil and learn a whole lot about writing along theway.
For Peer Monitoring, students typically sit in groups and read their papers
aloud for their friends to critique. Students then have a chance to polish their
papers before they submit them to the teacher for evaluation.
A more systematic method of Peer Monitoring can include a few steps for
the same assignment. The teacher specifies what should be taken into account
for eachstep.
A sample of an instruction paper for a peer critique:
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PEER MONITORING
Step one: Working clockwise, listen while your classmate reads the intro-
duction of her essay. Check for a good hook, background, outline of argu-
ment, and thesis statement.
Step two: Check your classmates topic sentences throughout the essay to
make sure they reflect the information in the thesis statement but do not
repeat the same words.
Step three: Let your classmate speak briefly about the information she pro-
vides in each body paragraph. Make sure she has sufficient supporting facts
and examples and that ideas in paragraphs do not overlap.
In my experience, when students get into the cleft of the activity, its not
uncommon for them to deviate from the exact format of the instruction paper.
And thats okay by me. Looking about the room, Imight see three heads
pouring over three separate papers or one person reading her entire essay
aloud to the group for a sentence by sentence evaluation. Whatever works for
my students works for me as long as theyre covering the guidelines.
The Written Critique: Students also enjoy getting written critiques from
their classmates. In preparation for this, students number their sentences and
print copies of their papers for each member of the group. In class, in small
groups, students hand out their papers. Each student now has a sample of
every group members paper. Reading each paper silently, students write
comments directly onto the paper near relevant sentences or in the margins
referring to sentences by number. At the end of the session, the students col-
lect their peers evaluations to compare and consider.
For a more systematic method of the written critique, the teacher provides
the editors with a question guide to take into account. For instance, heres a
sample question guide for critiquing the personal narrative.
CRITIQUING THE PERSONAL NARRATIVE
Editors name: _____________________________________

Authors name: _____________________________________
Please read your friends personal narrative in its entirety before you fill out
this form. Then evaluate the personal narrative for each item below.
Evaluation questions:
Does this paper focus on a specific time and place? ____ yes ____no
If it doesnt, can you suggest which part of the paper should be the focus
and which sentences should be omitted?
Does the hot spot zone (the most interesting part) contain enough detail?
____ yes ____no
What questions do you have for the author that will help her clarify sen-
tences in thiszone?
What other information do you think the author needs to incorporate in
thiszone?
Which part of the paper is not interesting? Why isnt it interesting? Should
it be omitted? If not, what are your suggestions?
Which part of the paper can you picture? Which part of the paper lacks im-
agery? Where would you like the author to incorporate fresh sensory detail?
Which part of the paper needs to focus better on atmosphere?
Do paragraphs connect well? Is there a need for better transitions?
Which sentences dont make sense at all? Whynot?
Which sentences contain awkward usage or confusing analogies? How are
they confusing?
128 Chapter 7
Which sentences confuse the tenses?

Circle any misspelled words on the paper.
You might let students tailor the worksheet exercise to suit their style.
Some students like to divide the questions among the group and focus on
those questions only for each peer evaluation. Others like to switch questions
among themselves for each paper. Still others might also choose to add their
own comments independent to the questions on the evaluation paper.
If you have a class that gets easily overwhelmed with a large number of
questions on a worksheet, you might want to limit the questions or have
students work on just a couple of skills per paper (e.g., clear language and
transitions) and require your students to check their peers papers for those
skills only. You might instead assign each group member one particular edit-
ing job. For example, one editor might look for inconsistency of information,
the second, unclear sentences, and the third, grammatical errors. Editors can
then switch jobs for each paper.
What is the teachers role during peer editing? She supervises for decorum
and circulates the room to assess progress or answer a question. The atmo-
sphere is completely businesslike.
The benefits of peer editing:
Remarkably, the benefits of peer editing come full circle. Editors practice
analyzing writing and giving sound advice. Writers learn to accept and con-
sider tangible feedback from several people. Writers hone their writing, and
in turn, become better editors. And how does it all feel? Revising their papers
after peer editing, all students get a real thrill at seeing their writing skills
develop before their eyes. It feels so good to work at something to perfection.
Through this team work, students begin to believe in their writing talent.
IDEAS FOR GROUP PROJECTS AND

STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY
Did you ever work on a group project when you were a kid, where the
majority were freeloaders, while a couple of people had to do all the work?
Or perhaps one person took control and didnt let the others have their say?
Many teachers start off group projects enthusiastic about the topic and out-
come. Group projects, however, frequently invoke unnecessary drama if not
managed correctly. No matter how capable or clever you think your students,
giving a group a job and telling them to divide the responsibility is tricky.
Group work seldom divides evenly. Having students work on a group project
is a wonderful idea, provided that you hold students within the group account-
able for contributing theirpart.
How do you make sure everyone does a fair share of work? Have everyone
within the group take on an individualtask:
Example 1: Lets say you want students to do a group project on a posi-

tive trait such as gratitude, tolerance, or thoughtfulness. One person can
search for inspirational stories exemplifying the trait, another, for scientific
studies about the trait, another for poems or essays alluding to the trait, the
last person can look for photographs, cartoons, or songs depicting the trait.
Together, the group can decide how to combine the information into a pre-
sentation that will inspire the class to exercise that trait. No presentation can
take place without everyones contribution. Knowing this, students dont
shirk theirduty.
Example 2: Lets say you want groups to research the history of a famous
person (which is probably the most popular assignment out there). If each
group gets one famous person, how do you hold everyone accountable to
bring something to the table? Hereshow:
One person can gather information about the subjects childhoodwhere

he lived and its influence, his schooling, favorite activities and hobbies,
the risks he took, the role family played in his life, his youthful struggles
and triumphs.
Another can take a look at the subjects adult lifehow the subject found
his niche, his first careerthe people and circumstances that impacted
his decisionsthe defining moments of his lifethe advantages and dis-
advantages he had over others.
A third member can research the subjects admirable qualities, his at-
titude and values, the good deeds he did for others, the contributions he
made for mankind.
A fourth member can research the legacy the subject left behind, the
awards he received, any of his remarkable quotes or published workthe
lessons people can learn from hislife.
Armed with their research, groups can then meet to share their findings
and decide which parts are most important to include in the biography. Once
again, the presentation cant take place without everyones input.
Another approach to dividing work is to give the group the same research
requirements but to hold them responsible to gather the information from different
sources. For instance, for this biographical research, two students can check out
different online search engines, and the other two can check out encyclopedias and
books. Students can compare their findings and choose the material they likebest.
To ensure that groups have productive meetings, the teacher might need
to step in every now and then to guide group conversations so that no one
130 Chapter 7
person dominates it. To ensure individual involvement in these discussions,

the teacher might ask a different person from the group each day to give her
updates. Finally, to ensure individual commitment to the result of the project,
the teacher might require every student to submit a portfolio of his research
along with a detailed account of the contributions he made to the discussion,
writing, and presentation of the project.
FACE-LIFTS FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Once in a while, although the groups research is fabulous, the presentation

needs a boost. If you, as a mentor, can think of a creative and fun way to spice
up the project, why not voiceit?
For instance, making her rounds among group projects on natural disasters,
Ms. Vang stops to view the earthquake groups slide presentation. The slide
shows an earthquakes force on land, animals, and vegetation. While the group
plans to narrate the slide and share scintillating information with the class, Ms.
Vang tells the group she has an idea. She thinks roleplaying the impact of an
earthquake rather than just showing a slideshow would lend the presentation
more pizzazz. The group accepted this idea and got into character.
Renewing their focus, students open the presentation with a reporter
broadcasting the earthquakes devastation on townspeople, showing slides
of the town in the wake of the earthquake and in its aftermath. Next the
reporter interviews a seismologist (a scientist who studies earthquakes)
who speaks about the interior of the earth and what happened to it during the
earthquake. Then the camera zooms in on two townspeople who speak
about where they were during the earthquake, what they did, and the effect
the earthquake had on their property. Finally, the attention goes to the gover-
nor who offers his condolences and discusses future tips for severe weather
emergency planning.
Occasionally, groups can also use a little creative assistance in jazzing up
recitations or readings audiences would otherwise find boring.
For example, when Mr. Boltons ninth-grade class were working on pre-
senting the accomplishments of published authors, most planned to have
one person recite a sample of the authors work. Thinking that one persons
recitation would soon bore the audience, Mr. Bolton proposed that all mem-
bers within each group take turns reciting consecutive sentences or lines of
their writers work. Groups memorized anything from Munschs Paper Bag
Princess to Lincolns Gettysburg Address to Poes Bells. The class heard
the recitations with the colorful variation of voice and expression that was
quite entertaining and therefore made a greater impact than a single persons
recitation.
Once you help kids with creative approaches to presentations, they automat-
ically shift their mental state to develop more entertaining and intricate pre-
sentations. The teachers input may be necessary only for the first few group
projects. After that, the kids take creativity to great heights all on theirown.
For instance, after finishing the chapter on the American Revolutionary
War, Mr. Bautistas seventh-grade class wanted to celebrate Independence
Day (in January!). Mr. Bautista agreed with one condition: every committee
had to give a mini performance with each member contributing equally. The
class amazed him with their creativity. One committee set up a puppet show
of the Boston Tea Party, each student working a puppet. Another committee
dressed up like patriots who helped fight for independence (Patrick Henry,
Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, etc.) Each patriot recited a
speech his character might have delivered and the class had to identify the
patriot based on the content of the speech. Dressed in red, white, and blue,
a third committee made up a new patriotic song; each member composed a
different stanza and sang it to the class.
Class Activities
Accustomed to cooperative exercises, students might reinforce their knowl-
edge of a subject by contriving educational games for the class to play, or by
putting up mini spoofs or plays. Once a twelfth-grade class put their teacher
on trial. (The offense: charging students ten dollars for eating in class.) Show-
ing off their newly acquired knowledge of the judicial system, they carried
out the trial with all the nuances. Every member of the class participated
either as a prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, judge, jury member, or
spectator. Then they created a parody of solemn trials that take place today,
mixing in the way Dickens, in A Tale of Two Cities, portrays the ridiculous
trials during the French Revolution. Students wore costumes, set up props,
and delivered speeches (putting on accents). At the end of the trial, they unan-
imously declared their teacher guilty of the crime and cheerfully sentenced
her to death (by an impressive wooden guillotine that they built themselves
(thankfully, without the blade!).
Class Projects: The Sum of AllParts

Class projects promote a feeling of pride in the class as a unit. Creative
written work that students take home holds sentimental meaning for years
to come. Newspaper publications of class events or historical periods can
have the whole class contributing to the final product. The newspaper might
include news columns, advertisements, sales, advice column, entertainment
and sports sections and editorial cartoons. Class committees can determine
132 Chapter 7
who is in charge of which section, plus hire student photographers, graphic

designers, and editors.
Completing class projects feel especially wonderful when all the projects
are put up on a bulletin board, displayed at a science/history fair, or exhibited
elsewhere. Iknow a sixth-grade teacher who had the class create a Europe
fair, splitting the grade into three groups that made exhibits for three different
periods in European history: Europe in its glory, the destruction of Europe,
and the rebuilding. Then the grade were placed in smaller groups where each
group produced a large poster-sized book containing pictures and information
about different cities in Europe which they displayed in auditorium show-
cases. These seventh graders beamed when parallel classes stopped by to ooh
and ah over their exhibits.
Occasionally, teachers might oversee a group activity where groups con-
tribute a small part to create a whole: lines for a poem or song, a paragraph for
a story or even sentences for a fable. For instance, as part of a literature les-
son, an eleventh-grade teacher once brought in the fable Animal School, by
Dr. Reavis, a satire of the educational system back in the 1940s classroom.
http://www.homeschooloasis.com/art_animal_school.htm
On a whim, the teacher asked the class to model Reaviss fable by creat-
ing one of their own, but with animal characters that symbolize current day
problems in school society. Each group had to come up with one animal for
the fable. The teacher collected and compiled the sentences into their own
Animal School, which are presentedhere:
Animal School AFable, Grade 11, Bais Yaakov DRav Meir High
School
Once upon a time the animals had a school. They had four subjectsrunning,
climbing, flying, and swimmingand all animals took all subjects.
The frog loved to leap but he got too far ahead of everyone including the
teacher. Therefore, the teacher made him slow down and walk which caused
him to limp terribly.
The ostrich had big wings and hinted that she could fly extraordinarily high,
but in reality, she couldnt even hover above the others. When the animals
wanted to see a demonstration of her flight, shed stick her head into the sand
until theyd leave her alone.
The weasel had a reputation for cleverness and guile. Some thought he was
a kleptomaniac because when he was around, various supplies in the school
would disappear.
The cat got As in running but was not as fast as the dogs who would chase
him up a tree. The teacher would have to coax the cat to come down, and often
had to solicit help from the giraffe.
The giraffe, although, helpful to the teacher and other animals had a conflict
of his own. Great at basketball, he could not join in on much of the other ex-
tracurricular activities and was always the first to get out at games like Limbo.
The turtle got discouraged trying to catch up with the others. He was awful at
contests, reaching the finishing line long after everyone had gone home.
Everyone knew the cheetah was the fastest runner, of course, but he pre-
tended not to catch on to the teachers instruction because then shed make him
drop his running and practice his flying at which he was hopeless.
The chipmunk loved to talk. But the animals got tired of his constant chatter
and tuned him out which made him feel verysad.
The spider couldnt swim at all or fly very well, but boasted her web design
and thats all shed ever talk about.
The monkey had the need to impress others and make them laugh. He con-
stantly got in trouble for mimicking the teacher.
At first, when the porcupine showed up to school, everyone kept their dis-
tance, but then he threatened to poke those who didnt let him in to their games,
so they grudgingly includedhim.
But the skunk was the biggest problem of all. He tried the same threatening
tactics as the porcupine, but the animals still ignored him and he got angry. So
one day he ambushed the class with his weapon. Granted, he got his picture in
the newspaper, but was shortly sent to Dr. Owl who shipped him off somewhere,
and the animals never heard of him again.
I think Iknow an animal or two, how aboutyou?
***
Coach students with cooperative learning of any fashion, and youll propel
them toward healthy interaction. Cooperative learning removes competition
and lets people see the value of working together to achieve an intelligent
goal. Providing lifelong benefits, cooperative learning gives students skills
they can apply to future research, studying habits, and team work. Perhaps
one day, after years managing cooperative tasks in classroom, you will
receive a thank you from a student for giving her the teamwork skills she
needed to discover a cure for cancer, or to develop an answer to global warm-
ing or to solve another mystery of the universe.
Which cooperative activities mentioned earlier will you incorporate in your
classroom?
***
Individual commitment to a group effortthat is what makes a team work, a

company work, a society work, a civilization work. Vince Lombardi.
Chapter8
Practice Prime Problem Solving
As you yourself have said, what other explanation can therebe?

Poirot stared straight ahead of him. That is what Iask myself, he said.
That is what Inever cease to ask myself.
Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, p.247
Were always problem solving. Thats how we give our gray cells some
serious exercise, learn to make the right choices, and figure out whats best.
Like Agatha Christies Detective Poirot, we should never cease to probe for
explanations. And thats what we should teach our students. The answers are
there waiting for us to digjust a little deeper. This section features prime
problem-solving activities that not only strengthen critical thinking but help
students work together to get to the bottom of weighty problems with exhila-
rating results.
PRIME PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITIES
Problem Solving on theGo

Predicaments that surface in the classroom offer excellent practice in problem
solving.
These predicaments demand an instant solution. Its like the problem is
glowing, blinking, saying Im active now. You cant ignore me. When this
type of predicament flaunts itself, its prime time for the teacher to beckon
students to solve it. They work on the problem in the moment and see what
happens. Before we discuss how to implement problem solving on the go
in your class, lets look at a model you can give your students. Heres how
135
136 Chapter 8
Mrs.Summers involves her second grade in a whirlwind of brainstorming,

deep thinking, and collaboration with an example of problem solving on
thego.
How the Opportunity Arises

Lugging an unwieldy bin of crayons off a high shelf, Madison loses her grip
and drops the bin, sending forty boxes and loose crayons scattering across
the floor. Dismayed, the seven-year-old hurriedly begins gathering the boxes
and scooping up crayons. After watching her haphazardly stuffing crayons
back into boxes, the teacher, Mrs. Summers, invites the class to help solve
the following problem: How can Madison quickly put the crayons back into
their rightful boxes?
The Brainstorming Begins

Taking a close look at the boxes on the floor, students realize that at least half
are missing crayons. One child suggests that Madison check each box for the
missing colors. But that proves a cumbersome task once the children discover
that each box holds twenty-four crayons with several similar color groups
such as blue, cerulean, and indigo. Checking the boxes for crayon accuracy
would mean pulling out look-alike crayons and reading their names on each
paper wrapping.
Deeper Thinking Ensues

To add to the frustration, the children discover several boxes contain mul-
tiples of the same color. Achild advises Madison to line up a complete set of
twenty-four crayons, spill the contents of each box, and match them with the
latter. The missing crayons and doubles would then quickly become apparent.
Next, another child suggests, Madison should set aside the doubles and look
for missing crayons among the loose ones strewn about. Eventually all the
crayons, the doubles and singles, would be claimed. But that will take me
forever! Madison wails. The class agrees but then has a practical solution. If
the classtwenty childrenwould adopt a crayon box each, the task can be
done twenty times faster.
A Collaborative Solution inPlay

Eureka! Everyone gets busy. Additional problem solving takes place when
the children soon realize that crowding around one complete set of crayons
isnt going to work, so they lay out several more sets. Then they figure it more
expedient to pool all extra crayons in the center where everyone could find
Practice Prime Problem Solving 137
their missing crayons. In addition, they decide to write down the colors their
boxes are missingthat way they wont forget which ones to look for in the
pile. Within minutes, all crayons are back in their rightful boxes.
The Teacher Probes Further

The problem solving doesnt end there. How can we prevent the crayons from
spilling out of their boxes in case someone accidently drops the bin again?
Mrs. Summers probes. The class proposes that everyone make sure to prop-
erly close their crayon boxes before putting them back in the bin and use a
piece of scotch tape to fasten flimsy covers. After securing the crayon boxes
and stacking them in the bin, the teacher points out how the top boxes were
teetering on the pile, almost certain to spill from the bin the next time. Could
the class come up with a more convenient way to store the crayons?
More collaborative thinking: Maybe the crayon boxes should be stored
directly in the shelves instead of in the bin. But then how would they carry all
the boxes to the tables for a coloring project? Mrs. Summers wants to know.
Was it practical for students to collect the boxes in their arms? No, the
children say. They scratch the no bin idea. Maybe put the crayon in a larger
bin, Pete suggests. Out comes the larger bin, but it proves too wide for one
person to handle. Someone suggests dividing the crayons into two small bins.
Agreement all around. Maybe the crayon bins could switch places with the
paint on a lower shelf, so that the boxes are easier to reach, suggests Sam.
Why not? Mrs. Summers says. We hardly use the paint. And so the class
settles on two bins on a lower shelf.
Problem solving on the go teaches children the importance of trial and
error. If the idea doesnt work, go back and try again. It also teaches children
the risk of being too impulsivethink through the idea first because if you
dont, you might create a whole new set of problems.
An added bonus of problem solving on the go, as you could see in the
classroom scene before, is that it inspires collaborative problem solving. It
teaches children empathy and trains them to help each other in a community.
Soon children realize that problems can best be solved together. This also
lends them security in knowing they dont have to go at a problem alone and
can ask forhelp.
Giving your class the earlier problem-solving scenario to figure out, or
instructing the class to read it in text, trains them to problem-solve on the go.
If your students are much older, they will view the task to help Madison a
big sister or brothers duty. When reading the scenario in text, they look on
in amusement as the children problem-solve. In any case, your students will
grasp that theres a process involved in solving a fresh problem.
138 Chapter 8
Pursuant to the earlier exercise, you can stop the class during a real prob-
lem in class and say, Hey, class, do you remember the second grades crayon
dilemma? Well, guess what? We have our own problem right here. Lets see how
we can solve it together. The concept of solving the problem will not be foreign
to your class nor will they need prompting in taking charge to solve the problem.
Table8.1 exhibits opportunities that might arise in your classroom for
problem solving on the go. The left side of the table presents the predica-
ments, the right side, problem-solving questions to spur discussion.
Depending on the nature of the problem and the complexity of steps in
coming to a solution, the teacher can conduct problem solving on the go ses-
sions in a variety ofways:
The teacher can let the class use free dialogue and coach when necessary.
The teacher can write down the solutions or strategies of the class on the
board. Students can then probe selected ideas together.
The teacher can group students to engage in discussion and then review
each groups ideas or consensus.
At the end of this activity, the student can choose the most beneficial ideas. If
the problem is mutually affective, students can vote on an idea. Students should
view implementing solutions as a tryout that they can revise if necessary.
Table 8.1. Opportunities for Problem Solving On The Go

Predicaments Problem-Solving Questions
A student declares, Iam not good at How can we help Jillian change his
math. attitude about his ability in math?
Its crunch time and students arent How can we cope better with this
coping with the workload. workload?
Some students need extra time while How can students manage their time
others dont. better?
What should students do when they
finish quicker?
Nobody wants to be Thaddeus in the How can we make Thaddeuss part more
play. appealing?
A student freezes while giving a What can Lydia do to finish her
presentation and cant go on. presentation with success?
The heads of the play bought too What can we do with the extra lumber so
much lumber for the set. that it doesnt go to waste?
Several students bean plants are not Is there anything these students can do to
growing well. help their bean plants grow?
Students are frustrated because theyre How can we help students take good
trying to take down every word the notes without taking down every word?
teacher says.
Hey! Ive Got a Problem! encourages anyone who has a problem that
concerns a school project, activity, or program to step forward, share the
problem, and pitch a solution. In this activity, the problem bearer acts as the
main speaker although classmates might question or discuss matters with
him. The activity begins with the problem bearer laying out his problem and
ends with a collaborative implementation of his solution if the class agrees to
adopt it. Heres the format of the activity:
1. Attention: Getting the classs attention, the student says, Hey! Ive
got a problem! (Obviously, the teacher reviewed the students case,
deemed the problem worthy of the activity, and gave the student the
go-ahead.)
2. Explanation: Laying out the problem, the student says, Heres the prob-
lem..., explaining the circumstance and its troubling nature:
Icant work on the memoir section of the yearbook because most of
you havent handed in your memoirs. Iknow Ishould have given you a
deadline, but Igot caught up with other things. Now the printer guy is
telling me Ihave less than three weeks to hand in the whole spread. Im
feeling so overwhelmed. Obviously, Ihave no right to demand that you
hand in the memoirs by next week, but Ineed to start working on them
immediately.
3. Solution: All is not lost because the student proposes a solution. But
Ihave a solution! and he delineates specifically how his classmates can
assist in solving the problem:
But Ihave a solution. Ican meet the deadline without too much trouble
if Ireceive two memoirs each day starting next week. This way, Ican edit
the memoirs school evenings and plan the graphics for the spreads over
weekends. With your permission, Id like to assign specific deadlines to
each of you by drawing your names from ahat.
4. Prediction: The student discloses what he and his classmates will gain if
they agree to his proposal and the potential loss if they dont. He says, If
you accept my solution, this is what will happen. If you dont, this is what
will happen:
If you accept my solution, Iwill meet the printers deadline without
panicking and Ipromise you a beautiful memoir section. If you dont
accept my solution, and everyone submits their memoirs the last minute,
Imight have to ask the printer for an extension which will cost more
money and well end up writing memoirs during finals. Of course,
Ican always resign as assistant editor and chief and we can drop the
whole idea of the memoir section from the yearbook. But then all the
work we did in the memoir committees will count for nothing. Will you
helpme?
140 Chapter 8
5. Action: Now the hopeful student waits for his classmates to accept his solu-
tion and commit themselves to submitting their memoirs on lottery-drawn
days. If they agree, he takes immediate action.
Thank you for committing yourselves to my solution. Please place
your names in this hat. The first person whose name Idraw will submit
his or her memoir by next Monday, December2, the second person, by
Tuesday, December3, and so on. Please listen for your name and the ac-
companying date.
6. Rebuttal: The problem bearers proposal is not an open-and-shut case.
Classmates may question or negotiate the proposal before committing
themselves or suggest better solutions. Heres where collaborate problem
solving may come intoplay.
For example, Zachary might suggest they ask for volunteers to hand in
next weeks memoirs before drawing the names from a hat. Skyler may
propose that classmates have the right after the drawing to swap deadline
dates with peers. Oliver may suggest that students have the privilege to pass
on one inconvenient date. On a side note, Sophia might advise nominating
a couple of assistant editors in chief to help the problem bearer edit the
memoirs. To keep the calm, the teacher mediates during these negotiations.
7. Evaluation: On a specific later date, students discuss how well the solution
worked and whether they can apply it or part of it to other problem-solving
situations.
What happens if the class is averse to the problem bearers proposal?
Thats when the teacher intervenes and says the last word on the matter.
The benefits of Hey! Ive Got a Problem!:
Problem bearers know they have an outlet to discuss their problems.

Problem bearers feel empowered by getting the undivided attention of the
class.
Problem bearers test their problem-solving skills.
Problem bearers learn how to accept blame for their role in creating the
problem.
Classmates practice empathy by imagining themselves in the problem bear-
ers predicament.
The teacher gets to perceive the students problems and problem-solving
skills.
The teacher witnesses the classs willingness/unwillingness to sacrifice for
peers.
Another version of this activity is Weve got a problem! where the stu-
dent follows the same steps to a resolution but discusses a problem that holds
everyone into account, for instance, the littering in class, the shoving in the
hallway, the cutting ahead in the lunch line, the heckling of performers in
the auditorium, the graffiti in the bathrooms, the rowdiness on the bus, or the
mishandling of classroom equipment. For the problem solver not to sound
like a goody-goody, the teacher chooses a student to lead the activity.
Solving Problems by MakingToast

With the idea taken from Tom Wujecs Got a Wicked Problem? First, Tell Me
How You Make Toast, students take part in Wujecs novel problem-solving
experiment via a drawing activity.
What does Wujec propose with this activity? By having people draw the
process of how to make toast and comparing the complex diverse diagrams
that result, Tom Wujec suggests that collaborate drawing can serve as a
launchpad of unique approaches to solving a problem.
How do you introduce this problem-solving drawing process to your class?
Ask students to silently draw a diagram of the toast-making process with-
out using words. Give them two to three minutes. Assure students that their
drawing ability plays little importance in the experiment.
Have students identify the nodes (objects) and links (arrows) in their dia-
grams. Group students to compare diagrams and determine which nodes and
links they agree are imperative to the toast-making process. Have the group
redraw the toast diagram, integrating drawings, including only those crucial
nodes and links. Then select a representative from each group to explain the
groups drawing to the class. Taking the process a step further, you might
oblige all groups to collaborate to integrate drawings and conclude with one
set (or two) of nodes and links to covey the toast-making process.
At this point, students see that its easier to play around with concepts in
pictures than in words.
Play Wujecs TED TALK Got a Wicked Problem? First, Tell Me How
You Make Toast to cement the idea that working out tough problems through
illustrations can bring about sharp, insightful solutions. After the viewing,
discuss with students whether their drawings or classmates drawings made
solutions pop forthem.
Making the ToastReal

Select a problem-solving activity currently relevant to the class. Ask students
to draw individually a step-by-step projected solution. (You may allow stu-
dents to cheat with three word captions.) Let students collaborate in groups
to compare drawings and appreciate all approaches to solving the problem.
Encourage them to integrate parts of peers drawings and arrange and rear-
range the new drawing, perhaps using large sticky notepads for individual
nodes. Next, ask for a volunteer from each group to explain his groups
142 Chapter 8
collaborate drawing to the class. Presently, students might vote upon the best
solution or combine groups for deeper illustrative problem solving and new
improved drawings. Eventually the entire class can work on one supreme
solution, using numerous bulletin boards if needed.
Sample wicked problems that classes tested with Wujecs method:
How to ensure the class pet lives a long, healthylife

How to organize the clothingdrive
How to avoid coming late to lab from Spanishclass
How to set up the electric lights in the classroom for the best effect
How to avoid the same boring routine during the schoolday
How to ensure your feeling of security in an unsureworld
How to study better for theSATs
How to organize the book fair (science, history, healthfair)
How to teach the rule for adding a positive and negative number
How to explain the difference in physics between energy andpower
How to make room for everyones recess activities in theyard
How to set up a lending system (books, school supplies, lens solution)
How to avoiddrugs
How to improve literacy in the school
How to meet the history report deadline
How to dispel gloom in theclass
Instant Messaging
A little technology proves to go a long way in our classroom with this inno-
vative activity. For instant messaging, students work in groups to determine
the best solution(s) to a pressing question. Each group receives a name (e.g.,
Tigers, Jaguars) and gets five minutes to discuss possible solutions to the
problem. Subsequently, an appointed group member types his groups sug-
gestions on a message board online. Every group reads their fellow groups
solutions, discusses them, and comments upon them on the message board.
Groups keep discussing and responding to new comments as they come up.
The activity ends when groups exhaust their ideas or the teacher ends the
correspondence. At that point, the teacher cuts and pastes all viable solutions
onto one list, and the class sees if they can come to a consensus. The teacher
gives her input aswell.
Topics for instant messaging:
How can we break up cliques in the classroom?

How can we get everyone to be friendlier with their classmates?
What can we do about bullying in the classroom?
How can we promote school spirit?

How can we prevent people from catching colds from each other?
How can we prevent cheating in the classroom?
How should we study for thistest?
What should you do when someone is taking advantage of your goodness?
What should you do if a friend tells you shes engaging in self-destructive
behavior?
How can we stop the fighting over snacks?
The benefits of instant messaging:
Using the message board as a forum helps students respond in a level-headed

manner.
Students learn to consider everyones responses and think through practical
solutions.
The suspense in anticipating groups responses increases enjoyment of the
activity.
Students see that the entire class can work as a functioningunit.
Everyone feels like her opinion has been acknowledged.
Students feel the support of the class and the teacher when carrying out
solutions.
Heres Your Problem

Heres Your Problem is an activity modeled after the hypothetical problem-
solving scenario Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan provides in his brilliant book If You
Were God. The author presents the reader with a hypothetical problem and
an assignment that comes along with resources and restrictions. He then chal-
lenges the reader to solve the problem with those conditions.
Using the format, Mr. Chandler offers hypothetical problem-solving activi-
ties to his class. Heres a sample:
Problem:
Imagine you are a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. The children range
from six to fifteen. They are all obedient. Three siblings, noticeably poor,
exhibit painfully shy behavior. They will not participate in class. Neither will
they socialize. In fact, the children even eat lunch outside the schoolhouse.
Your assignment:
To help the children overcome their shyness.
144 Chapter 8
Your resources:
Your mind is your only resource.
You may work on the same strategy over a length oftime.
If you like, you may use a combination of strategies.
Your restrictions:
You may not conspire with other children in the schoolhouse.
You may not seek parental assistance.
You may not buy the children anything or give them physical rewards.
What will youdo?

In clusters, students get busy discussing their strategies with one another.
After fifteen minutes, the designated foreperson of each group writes the
groups solution on a large post-it and hangs it up on the board. The class
examines each solution and votes upon the most practical one(s).
Many terrific things happen during this session. First of all, as with all
group activities, the collaboration gives students practice listening to each
other. Second, anticipation heightens as each group wonders what solutions
the other groups will produce. As the solutions are posted, the class tends to
become uncannily quiet while they read and process other groups solutions
and compare them with theirown.
More wonderful still, activities like Heres Your Problem play an immedi-
ate practical purpose in the classroom in helping clueless students glean use-
ful lessons. For instance, in this sample exercise, the more bashful students
in the class might get a glimpse into the ways they can overcome their own
shyness. In truth, the teacher himself might learn a new tactic for drawing out
introverted children from his students.
Furthermore, the problem you present in Heres Your Problem need not
be the be all and end all of your lesson. The hypothetical problem, for
instance, can serve to acquaint students with actual problems that have faced
characters in literature, individuals in history, or people working in a particu-
lar field. As long as students dont know the solution arrived at and utilized,
they can have fun guessing atit.
As a matter of fact, Mr. Chandler didnt pluck the aforementioned problem
facing the schoolhouse teacher from his imagination. He derived it from the
short story, The Kiskis, by May Vontver. In this story, the Kiskis, ashamed
of their poverty, feel inferior to other classmates. MissSmith, their teacher,
attempts to draw out the Kiski children and make them feel comfortable
among the children in the schoolhouse.
After the problem-solving activity, Mr. Chandler assigns The Kiskis to

his class for homework reading, informing them of the identical problem and
circumstance in the story. Now that they solved the hypothetical problem for
the teacher on paper, students get to see if their solutions match Mrs. Smiths
attempts or solution in the story. At home, students read the story with eager-
ness to find out. Thus, with this problem-solving activity, the teacher can
promote student engagement in reading and discussing a story (or other texts
involving people who worked out problems).
Additional benefits to Heres Your Problem:
Heres Your Problem is especially fun because it presents an outside prob-

lem. No ones ego is at stake.
Heres Your Problem probes deeper thinking. Students evaluate ideas,
weigh alternatives, and communicate solutions.
Upon discovering many solutions to the problem, students gain comfort in
knowing that if they cant think of a solution, it doesnt mean there isnt a
good one out there.
Students realize the value of putting many heads together to build on ideas.
What Would You Do? What Would You Do asks the student what he would
do in a hypothetical predicament and requires him to jot down a produc-
tive plan of action. Next, students convene with peers to compare notes and
scrutinize the productivity of each others plan. Lastly, the leader calls on a
member from each group to share his plan of action.
Topics for What Would YouDo?
What would you doif
you were stuck in a power outage for aweek?

you lost your sight for threedays?
your family decided to become vegetarians and you didnt wantto?
you were trying to study in the library and a stranger nearby was talking
loudly on her cell phone?
you found out that you were adopted and that your birth mother wanted
youback?
you were stuck in an elevator and knew you wouldnt be rescued until the
nextday?
someone was stalking you late at night on an abandoned street?
someone pushed his way ahead of you on line when tickets were limited?
you came in during recess and saw a kid rummaging through peoples back-
packs?
you went back to the 1700s and wanted to educate people about germs?
146 Chapter 8
The benefits of What Would YouDo?:
Students use abstract thinking to contrive a course of action.

The students plan of action gives him an introspective look into his own
thoughts and motives.
Students use analyzation skills to critique the productivity of each group
membersplan.
Students practice solving predicaments with level-headed thinking.
Peers discover insights into human nature.
Recently, Time magazine ran an advertisement with a schoolgirl in the

background and a caption that reads Teach Me to Have a Big Problem. The
girl in the advertisement states that she wants to learn how to think (not what
to think) so she can find answers to larger questions.
The advocates of this advertisement, XQ The Super School Project (xqsu-
perschools.org), has the right idea about redesigning curriculums to teach
kids skills for XQ: the nimble, flexible intelligence needed for today. They
believe that high schools are frozen in time, without equipping students to
succeed in the twenty-first century. Sadly, they have a point. Dont you
agree?
Fortunately, though, as the advertisement suggests, we can change that. We
can challenge students with problem solving. And we can do it with activities
like the ones offered in this chapter. Lets give students the tools for figuring
out every day problems. Lets go toit!
Chapter9
Discovering with Cognitive and

SocialExperiments
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but
in having neweyes.
Marcel Proust (French novelist and author, 18711922)
Human behavior intrigues us all. Discovering what makes people tick, what
drives them to do what they do has been the quest of many geniuses such as
Erik Erikson, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Abraham Maslow. Human behavior
experiments test for the quality of motivations, perceptions, and reactions.
Conducting behavior experiments with your class helps them discover behav-
iors that help and hinder people. The awareness that results from these experi-
ments carry great impact on students throughout their lives.
WHAT ARE COGNITIVE EXPERIMENTS?
Emily Dickinson said, The brain is wider than the sky. She believed that with
metacognitive reflection and discovery, we can travel anywhere in the universe
and beyond. Cognitive experiments explore this maximum potential. They
teach us how we learn, solve problems, and make decisions. Exploring these
phenomena helps students understand how the human brain works so that they
can learn better, take control of their thinking, and make wiser decisions. Try the
following cognitive experiments with your class and see the results for yourself.
CAN WE TRICK OUR BRAINS INTO LEARNING?
Are your students struggling with math? Cant seem to grasp French verb
conjugations? Failing chemistry? Can students trick their brain into learning
147
148 Chapter 9
well? Yes! Heres how: Ask students to concentrate intensely on the first five
minutes of a difficult class and to notice the difference those five minutes
make. Exhilarated with the outcome, students report that five minutes of total
concentration accelerated their understanding of the material and inspired
them to pay attention for the next fifteen to forty minutes of the lesson.
Why does concentrating hard on the beginning of a lesson accomplish at
least twice the amount of learning? The answer is surprisingly simple. The
biggest burden for the brain is to begin a cumbersome task. This experiment
tells the brain it needs only to exert itself for five minutes. Any brain is okay
with that. Once drawn into the lesson, the brain realizes the subject isnt as
daunting and continues to learn with alacrity and often enjoyment. Students
trick their brains over and over with this exercise and reap the benefits.
CAN STUDENTS REMEMBER ELUSIVE INFORMATION?
This clever brain experiment can get students to remember that one elusive
thing in history, vocabulary, spelling, math, or science. Heres how it goes.
Ask students to look at the history date, or vocabulary list (or spelling words,
math formulas, scientific laws) and write down one item they wont know on
the test and why a hint wont work. For example, one student writes, Iwill
never remember that The Battle of Manila Bay took place on May1, 1898.
Im not going to recall the battle was in spring or that 1898 is two years from
the end of the century. Another student writes, Iwill never remember the
definition of preposterous is ridiculous although it sounds like a ridiculous
word. Ihave a hard time memorizing definitions.
Guess what? On the test, the former fills in the accurate date of the battle
and the latter gets the correct definition for preposterous. Why? Because
focusing on whats difficult to remember, embeds the correct information in
the mind. Without their brains realizing the effort, students give themselves
good mnemonics with this activity. Students practice this experiment with
profitable results eachtime.
CAN WE SNAP BACK INTO THE MOMENT?
Do you feel your students arent snapping with the program, that they are
just not with you? You can change that in seconds. Heres what you do.
Out of the nowhere, call out, Okay everybody, freeze! Dont move any
part of your body! Now students find themselves stuck in various awkward
positionsones that evoke laughtera finger in ones mouth, a foot half out
of a shoe, a head tilted to one shoulder.
Discovering with Cognitive and Social Experiments 149
While theyre in this frozen position, ask students to become more aware
of their bodyfor example, to notice first their posture, next the position of
their arms and legs, then the way their knees feel, their right big toe, their
eyes in their sockets. Finally, allow students to relax. Immediately after this
experiment, students discover they feel a new sense of alertnessa greater
affinity with the present moment. Why is that? Because becoming mindful of
ones physical self draws one into the present. Now whenever feeling discon-
nected with their surroundings, students can run through physical awareness
questions and ground themselves in the moment.
CAN PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR MOOD IN SECONDS?
Find your students in a grumpy mood? Ask them to close their eyes and take
a vicarious walk in a familiar, soothing place, for example their homes. First,
lead students to their kitchen and let them look around. Then, steer them into
the living roomlet them linger there for a bit, then onto the dining room, into
their bedroom, and so forth. Eventually, draw students back to the classroom,
and ask them to open their eyes. Experiencing the feelings associated with vari-
ous rooms, students discover the effect surroundings have on their psychologi-
cal well-being. Knowing this, students can now take a vicarious walk through
comforting rooms of their home or elsewhere to ease emotional distress.
Equally effective, although not always practical, students can alter their moods
by taking a literal walk away from a tense environment. They can go splash
water on their face in the restroom or take a brief stroll down the corridor and
come back when their mind has had a chance to catch up with their emotions.
DO WE CONVINCE OURSELVES THAT WE

MAKE RIGHT DECISIONS?
How do we make peace with conflicting thoughts? Show students their self-
convincing powers. Bring into school eight little gifts (a pen, a pencil, key
chain, Silly Putty, stampers, etc.). Place them on your desk and ask students
to rate them according to their desirability. Then let them choose between two
items they find almost equally appealing. After students make the choice, ask
them to rate all the gifts again without looking at their first rating.
What commonly happens is that everyone increases the rating of the item
they have chosen and decreases the one they have given up. This experiment
models the original one conducted by Jack Brehm that proves cognitive dis-
sonance, that human beings will avoid feelings of discomfort when choosing
between conflicting choices by convincing themselves they made the right
150 Chapter 9
choice. On one hand, cognitive dissonance might be a good thing. Supposing

we get a raw deal we cant fight, convincing ourselves that the deal is benefi-
cial soothes our ruffledegos.
Through guided conversation, however, students soon realize how cogni-
tive dissonance can ensnare them. For instance, it can get them stuck believ-
ing they dont like math or are just bad at it without giving it a fair try. Once
aware of the possible ramifications of cognitive dissonance, students wonder
whether subjects they deemed irrelevant to their lives might have importance
after all. They wonder if cognitive dissonance fooled them into believing an
abusive friendship is okay. They wonder if cognitive dissonance helps them
rationalize stealing, cheating, or lying. This experiment lets students chal-
lenge many of their choices, assumptions, and attitudes.
WHAT ARE SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS?
William James said, Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

Thats a succinct, powerful message. Taught from a very young age to check
our behavior, we definitely try to conform to social values and make a dif-
ference. But how many of us truly introspect about the role society plays on
our actions? Social experiments make us wonder how much of our attitude,
thoughts, feelings, personality, and behavior is influenced by society. Social
experiments promote a great awareness for students about the authenticity of
their motivations. Conduct these social experiments and your class will begin
to analyze whether theyre acting upon their own minds.
CAN OUR CLOTHING AFFECT TEST SCORES?
Want to prove to students that their choice of clothing can affect their mental
acuity? Assign identical white lab coats to students in parallel classes. Tell
one class its a doctors coat and the other class that its a painters coat. Give
them a cognitive task and check their scores. In this experiment, similar to
the one conducted by Dr. Galinsky at the Kellogg School of Management
in Northwestern University, the students wearing the doctors coat usually
outscore those wearing the painters coat. Reveal the results to your students
and discuss the difference between clothing and perception. Students learn
that clothing can actually make them sharper! Watch as students wardrobes
shift from casual to sharp on testdays!
Note: If you dont teach parallel classes, test the class first with no coat and
then with the doctorscoat.
Discussion following this experiment might include these pertinent ques-
tions: How would other types of clothing affect test scores. Suppose everyone
would wear pajamas while taking a test, or tuxedos and evening gowns?
Would test scores change? How so? To what extent should our clothing mat-
ter tous?
DO PEOPLE WELCOME CHANGE?
Would you like students to notice if theyre open to change? Announce a

change of routine in your classroom. You might say you want everyone to
write in red pen or that you want students to form groups with girls and
boys separate. Watch and listen to your students reactions. After class,
ask students, Who was curious or excited about the different arrange-
ment? Who was disappointed? Did you behave differently during class?
How so? Why? You can discuss the benefits of change in life, why some
people welcome it and others resist it and whether or not this resistance
is healthy.
CAN PEOPLE SHIFT THEIR PERSPECTIVE

WITH TINY CHANGE?
What do people have to do to shift their perspective? Not much at all. The
results? Mind blowing. Have students switch seats with someone two seats
over. At the end of the lesson, ask students if their new seat gave them a dif-
ferent perspective on anything or anybody in the classroom. Students usually
say they see their surroundings in a fresh light; sometimes literally. Igot to
see the sun playing across the desks and peoples hair. Ive never noticed that
before. says, Annie, It made me feel warm and happy.
For others, the change is less explicable. Idont know why, but seeing
different profiles of people and objects around me gave my brain a shot of
adrenaline, admits Kayla, The math made more sense. What do students
learn? That a small change, even a physical one, can shift ones perspective
and invigorate themind.
CAN WORDS CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOR?
How do words influence us? Modeling one of John Barghs experiments on

priming, hand out sheets with words on them that can potentially form sen-
tences. Instruct students to write sentences with those words. Give half the
class words that connote old age, for example, ache, wrinkle, slow, knit-
ting, cane. Astudent might write, Sadie put aside her knitting. Aching, she
slowly rose from her chair to reach for her cane.
152 Chapter 9
Hand over to the other half of the class words that exude youth, for
example, spring, impulsive, grab, cheer, and gulp. Astudent might write,
Impulsively, Peter springs to his feet and cheers on the team. He grabs a
soda from the fridge and gulps it down. Afterward, permit the first half of
the class to leave the room and then the second half. Have designated record-
ers in the corridor discreetly time how long it takes each group to reach the
exit staircase. Dont be surprised when the recorders report that the old age
group was almost twice as slow as the youth group.
The next day, after hearing the results of the experiment, students find
these questions worthy of contemplation: How do the words in stories affect
our behavior? How do peoples praise or insults affect our behavior? Do we
unknowingly manipulate people with our words? Do people unwittingly or
knowingly manipulate us with words? Once aware of the power of sugges-
tion, what can we do to help people? How can we prevent people from mess-
ing with our minds?
WILL STUDENTS RESTRAIN THEIR IMPULSES?
Do your students have will power? Heres a telling experiment. Before class,
place a pack of Oreos or another popular snack (chocolate bar, donut, chips)
on students desks. (You might ask your class which snack they prefer.)
Tell your class they may eat the Oreos now or wait until the end of class
and receive an additional pack. Then begin teaching as usual. At dismissal,
inform the people who delayed gratification that they may take another pack
of Oreos from your desk, but if they hand in their original pack, theyll get
three packs first thing tomorrow.
The next day, ask those who ate their Oreos right away, why they didnt
take the initial deal. Ask those who accepted the two snacks, why they didnt
hold off for three. Could they describe their struggle? Ask those who delayed
gratification until the following day, how they had the willpower to wait.
Afterward, you can discuss the definition of instant gratification and delayed
gratification and their different benefits. You can delve into examples of
delaying gratification in life situations and the significance of willpower.
At this point, you might also show the class a YouTube video titled
Marshmallow ExperimentInstant Gratification, modeled after Stanford
Universitys Marshmallow experiments, which tests small childrens ability
to control their impulses. Each child is given one marshmallow and told he
or she may eat it now or wait fifteen minutes and get two marshmallows.
The video shows the childrens struggle while waiting (their sniffing, pok-
ing, staring at the marshmallow) and those children who cannot delay their
gratification and pop the marshmallow into their mouths.
After participating in this personality test and watching the children in

the marshmallow test, students realize that delaying gratification pays off.
But heres something else to share with your class. In follow-up studies, the
children in the original marshmallow experiment who delayed gratification
outperformed their peers as adolescents in areas such as verbal fluency, atten-
tiveness, and coping skills, even enjoying greater popularity and higher SAT
scores! Let your students ruminate aboutthat!
DOES COMPETITION BRING OUT

THE BEST OR WORST INUS?
Heres how you see the role competition plays among your students. Gather stu-
dents in the gym to play a short competitive activity (e.g., 1015 minutes of foot-
ball, volleyball, and soccer). Select players and spectators. (Depending on the
age of the class, you might want girls and boys to play separately.) Be sure you
explain the rules of the game and teams wear the proper safety gear. Dont let on
that youre conducting an experiment, although its okay if the class suspectsit.
After a few downs, you might change up players and spectators. When you
end the game, ask the class the following questions: What is competition? Do
you think youre competitive? How do you know? If you were a player in
the game, did your behavior or someone elses surprise you? If you were a
spectator, did you notice anyones competitive behavior? Do you think some
people are born more competitive than others? Does competition bring out
the best or worst in us? Is competitiveness a good or a bad thing?
Box 9.1 Psychological Experiments as Building Blocks for Lessons
While psychological experiments can serve as lessons in and of them-

selves, theyre also great building blocks for classroom lessons. For
instance, upon assigning Annie Dillards memoir, An American Child-
hood, Iconduct the behavior experiment above in hope students will
relate to Annies competitive nature when reading a particular chapter in
the story. Ill never forget one year how the football game brought out stu-
dents most aggressive impulses. Ignoring the rules of the game, players
tackled the ball carrier to the ground and tried to pry the football from her
arms. Scared for the girls safety, Ishouted for my students to get off their
victim, but not before Iheard a voice muffled beneath them yelling, Iwill
never give it up! NEVER! Finally, her teammates relented, and there
stood the victor battle-worn and triumphant, holding the football aloft.
154 Chapter 9
In class, when Iquestioned this student about her incredible determi-

nation to keep the football, she simply stated, At that moment, Ididnt
care what happened to me. The most important thing was not to give
up. This statement corresponded beautifully with the protagonists
resolve in the story to endure a painful physical chase squaring the
point that people will jeopardize their well-being to win a competition.
After reading the story, we had a great discussion about competition and
whether the classmates and characters stubbornness were foolhardy or
praiseworthy. The competitive activity and its outcome proved a benefi-
cial springboard for this lesson.
Before long, psychological experiments prove so much fun that students

approach me for permission to repeat the experiments we did in class on
friends and to reenact famous experiments they research on their own. My stu-
dents enjoy analyzing the results and their implications for us in the real world.
Here are samples of classic cognitive experiments students reenact on
change blindness and selective attention:
STUDENTS REENACT COGNITIVE EXPERIMENTS
The DoorStudy
To put peoples observation to the test, students model the Door Study (Levin
and Simons, 1998) in which an experimenter asks a stranger on the campus for
directions to the deans office. While the stranger is giving the experimenter
directions, they are rudely interrupted by two people (actors) passing between
them carrying a large board. During this interruption, one of the actors carrying
the board replaces the experimenter receiving the instructions. The test is to see
whether or not the stranger notices hes now giving instructions to a different
person. In most cases, the stranger continues talking as if nothing happened.
This experiment demonstrates the phenomenon of change blindness, the dif-
ficulty observers have in noticing even large changes to visual scenes.
The Selective AttentionTest

In this experiment (Chabris and Simons, 1999), selective attention test sub-
jects are asked to watch a video and count how many times the basketball
players in white shirts pass the ball. The video lasts for less than a minute.
Concentrating on the players, half the viewers fail to see someone dressed in
a gorilla suit strolling into the scene for about nine seconds. Like the Door
Study, this experiment attests to the inattentional blindness people tend to

display when focusing on something particular in their environment.
The Monkey Business Illusion

This experiment (Simons, 2010) throws in a monkeys wrench for those who
know the selective attention experiment. Like the latter experiment, viewers
are asked to count the passes made by a group of basketball players. Those
familiar with the gorilla experiment notice the gorilla making an entrance. At
the end of the experiment though, the viewers did not notice other changes in
the atmosphere, for example, the curtain changing color or a player leaving
the game. The object of this experiment is to show that those who know an
unexpected event is bound to occur are no better at noticing other unexpected
events. Therefore, selective attention still applies in this experiment.
After student experimenters reveal the outcome of these experiments, a
class discussion ensues about the credibility of human judgment. After all,
if the human brain misses details from one moment to the next, how can we
depend upon eyewitness reports? Students assert that these experiments high-
light the importance of surveillance videos and forensic evidence. They now
also understand why people can look right at you in the street and not see you
and why some people are just not good at remembering faces. They discuss
so many other things: why we get fooled by magic tricks, the psychological
role inherent in good stage performances, the crafting necessary in getting
people to look at TV advertisements. Students muse about whether distrac-
tions such as speaking on a phone or listening to music while walking in the
street further limits our perception in the visual world.
STUDENTS EXPERIMENTS
Soon enough, after successfully reenacting experiments, students might

express the desire to devise their own experiments. First, its important to
make it clear that some experiments are inappropriate or dangerous, for
example, those that invade privacy or frighten people. (Quick to catch on,
students seldom run inappropriate ideas by me.) Then with your consent and
that of the principal (and ample planning), let students carry out cognitive or
social experiments on unsuspecting schoolmates and classmates. The result
of the experiments, although inconclusive, gives students a new frame of
reference and provides for profound discussion in the classroom.
Here are samples of students unique social experiments:
How courteous are people in school? Two students decide to find out.
One experimenter purposely keeps dropping the contents of his knapsack in
156 Chapter 9
crowded corridors and notes how many people pause to help and how many
walk by apathetically. Another experimenter carries a clumsy stack of empty
UPS boxes, and roams the building during recess, keeping track of how many
people offer to open doors forhim.
Will people go out of their way to help a stranger? In the girls bathroom,
the experimenter leaves her glasses case in a prominent place along with her
name, class number, and a message that reads, If found, please return! The
experimenter waits outside the bathroom to see how many people walk out
empty-handed before the Good Samaritan emerges with the case. The experi-
menter might repeat this experiment several times.
Do people in a school feel responsible to pick up litter? A students sets
an empty box labeled trash at the bottom of a staircase and watches during
recess to see if any passerby bothers to toss it into one of the several recycle
trash cans in blatant proximity at the top and bottom of the next landing. The
experimenter might repeat this experiment many times in different areas of
the school.
As a result of these experiments, some questions make their way to the
forefront of classroom discussion: Is the student body responsible for one
another? For their school environment? If so, to what extent should they feel
responsible? Students often publish their findings in the school newspaper.
Often, when conducting experiments in the classroom, student experiment-
ers have the opportunity to interview participants immediately afterwards and
discuss the results. Lets take a look at two cases in point:
Will people admit they need help? Three bright students post a sign on
the classroom bulletin board volunteering to tutor classmates for a test. The
tutoring is offered on a first come first-served basis. The experiment is to see
if people will admit they need help. After the experiment, the tutors interview
students about how they felt signing up. Did they feel they were taking a
risk? In addition, the signers were asked if they knew people who were too
embarrassed to sign up for tutoring. Then the class discusses whether or not
admitting that one needs help is a virtue or weakness. (Of course, the tutors
remain true to their word and assist those who requested tutoring.)
Will classmates sacrifice for their peers? During recess, the experimenter
woefully exclaims that he left his sandwich at home and has no money to
buy lunch. (Other experimenters carry out the same experiment in separate
classrooms.) The experiment is simply to see who will come to the students
aid, whether by offering him part of their lunch or lending him money.
After recess, the lunchless student divulges the experiment and asks his
benefactor/s why they came to his aid. Then the class discusses what sacrifice
means and why some people are more willing to sacrifice than others.
Following the discussion, experimenters show a video clip The Sharing
Experiment in which Spanish children are brought (in pairs) to a fake photo
shoot only to be told that the photographer is late. While waiting for the
photographer, the children are given snacks in two covered dishes. Yet,
when the children lift the covers, one finds his dish empty. The video shows
how, in all cases, one child shares half his sandwich with the other who didnt
get the snack. Discussion for this video involves why these children volun-
teered their snack, whether or not they were responding to ethics taught by
their parents, and why sharing made them happy.
Every now and then, not to my surprise, students cant help but test their
teachers behavior in the classroom. Some colleagues question whether its
disrespectful. Idont think so. When the atmosphere of the class is one of
continual discovery and students have a positive relationship with their
teacher, students good natured intentions eradicate any remnant of disre-
spect. And usually the sharp teacher figures out when hes the subject of an
experiment. Heres a case in point:
Can students condition their teachers? Aweek after Mr. Reese taught the
class about conditioned responses, he kept getting this niggling feeling that
something was incongruous with his students behavior. In the beginning of
the lesson, students were looking directly at him but then seemed distracted or
to purposely avert their eyes. Then at one point, when he made his way to his
desk to get a photograph, he noticed the students attention snap back tohim.
Mr. Reese remained at his desk for several minutes until it dawned on him
that he was the subject of an experiment. Was his class trying to condition
him? He decided to find out. Walking over to the side of the room, Mr. Reese
observed how all students immediately looked down in their notes or inside
their books. As he headed toward his deskhe got their undivided atten-
tion. Then Mr. Reese said, Are you trying to condition me to stand in front
of my desk? The class erupted into applause. You found us out! Marina
said, Many teachers like you have the habit of standing on the left side of
the room, and we kids on the right feel left out. So, we wondered if we could
conduct a learning experimentuse positive and negative reinforcement to
encourage our teachers to stand in the middle of the room. And it worked so
far 3/4 times!
Discovering through cognitive and social experiments charges students
with positive energy. As subjects and conductors of these experiments, stu-
dents concede that experiments test trends in human psychology. Students are
always on the lookout for good experiments and relish sharing their findings.
They accost new ideas with avidness and persist in discussion until they reach
logical conclusions. Unexpected and surprising results of experiments keep
all discoveries new and enchanting. Students are no longer content with the
surface of learning. They become open to change. They emerge from the year
with a different outlook of themselves and others. Experimenting engages
students in some of the most profound learning of theyear.
Chapter 10
Conducting Surveys
Everyone takes surveys. Whoever makes a statement about human behav-

ior has engaged in a survey of some sort.
Someone did a study of the three most-often-heard phrases in New York
City, says TV host and comedian, David Letterman, One is Hey, taxi.
Two is, What train do Itake to get to Bloomingdales? And three is,
Dont worry. Its just a flesh wound.
Atelephone survey says that 51percent of college students drink until
they pass out at least once a month. The other 49percent doesnt answer
the phone, says talk show host Craig Kilborn.
WHY CONDUCT SURVEYS?
Survey jokes aside, bona fide surveys carry a meaningful purpose. While
conducting surveys, students collect and arrange data to either glean knowl-
edge or prove a point, sociological or otherwise. School surveys compare
peoples likes and dislikes, opinions, behaviors, habits, and concepts of right
and wrong. Automatically, the results of the surveys effect positive change in
the classroom or school.
WHEN ARE STUDENTS READY TO TAKE SURVEYS?
Once adept at carrying out discovery missions and cognitive and behavioral
experiments, students are used to taking the initiative and thrive on conduct-
ing surveys. They immediately gravitate to the idea of producing survey
159
160 Chapter 10
questions and discovering information. Soon youll find the atmosphere

abuzz with discussions about survey topics.
HOW DO YOU BEGIN THE PROCESS?
Show students how to conduct surveys: Before sending students off to conduct
surveys, acquaint students with various types of surveys, showing students
how to create tables and graphs for survey results. Most important, youll want
to help students evaluate the data and think of ways to use the information.
You might consider beginning this whole process by conducting a simple
classroom survey, such as the WHO Survey.
The WHO Survey

The WHO Survey lets students see what they have in common with their
peers. The teacher asks students to jot down a Who question for their class-
mates. For example, Who finds math difficult? Who likes reading? Who likes
Mike and Ikes? Who enjoys babysitting? Who always wears a seat belt in the
car? Who thinks cursing is wrong? Who wants to switch seats? The teacher
collects five to ten of these questions from volunteers and reads them one by
one to the class while a designated student records the number of hands raised
in response to each question.
Table10.1 illustrates the results of the WHO Survey:
Table 10.1. The WHO Survey
Number of Students out of 24:
Finds math difficult 10
Likes reading 21
Likes Mike and Ikes 24
Enjoys babysitting 11
Wears a seat belt 20
Thinks cursing is wrong 10
Wants to switch seats 5
Now on the SMART Board using Microsoft Excel, the teacher can enter
the data on a spreadsheet with the following headings:
100%Majority of usSeveral of usFew of us0%
Together with the teacher, the class plots the result of each tally. For example,
if 10/24 students find math difficult, they check off the box several of us for
Conducting Surveys 161
the category finds math difficult. If 21/24 students like to read, the teacher
checks off the box The majority of us for the category likes to read, and
so on (Table10.2).
Table 10.2. Spreadsheet for the results of the WHO Survey

100% Majority of Us Several of Us Few of Us 0%
Finds math difficult
Likes reading
Likes Mike and Ikes
Enjoys babysitting
Wears a seat belt
Thinks cursing is wrong
Wants to switch seats
To give the class a pictorial representation of the data, the teacher demon-
strates how to create a bar graph or pie graph for this information:
Figure 10.1. Bar Graph for Results of the WHO Survey
As you can see, the tables and graphs tell the class much about themselves
in a glance. At this point, the class discusses what they can do with the infor-
mation. For example, discovering that several people find math cumbersome,
the class might suggest arranging a buddy system for those who need tutor-
ing. Seeing that the majority of the class likes to read, the class might consider
setting up a lending library in the classroom or starting a book club. Noting
that everyone likes Mike and Ikes, the class might propose buying Mike and
Ikes for prizes at the school carnival et cetera.
Just as meaningful, the WHO Survey highlights students habits and values.
Any virtue the table boasts (e.g., always wears seat belts) proves beneficial
whether by promoting pride among the class or encouraging the minority to
join the majority. Any vice the table uncovers is a great catalyst for important
162 Chapter 10
Figure 10.2. Pie Graph for Results of the WHO Survey
discussion. For instance, if the table shows that a number of children think
cursing is okay, classmates who oppose cursing can discuss why its not
acceptable. Then, perhaps, the teacher and class can discuss why people use
foul language and how they can correct the habit.
Subsequently, over the course of the month, the teacher might oversee
students conducting WHO Surveys in class. This allows the class to practice
a number of things: creating their own questions, carrying out the survey in
class, creating their own tables and graphs, assessing the content, and speak-
ing about or writing proposals for the classs consideration.
Once students understand the purpose of survey taking and know how to
arrange and evaluate survey responses, theyre ready to conduct deeper sur-
veys. How do they set about doing that?
THE BENEFIT OF WRITTEN SURVEYS
Typically, teachers dont always have the physical time in class for students
to conduct oral class surveys. Thats why the written survey comes in handy.
Students can distribute written surveys to classmates in class, collect the
surveys the next day, and work on arranging and evaluating information on
their own time. To this end, teachers introduce students to written surveys
with close-ended questions with or without follow-up questions. These
questionnaires take seconds or minutes to complete. Hence, respondents can
answer several at home and bring them back the next day. Older students
might send each other surveys to complete online.
CREATING QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN SURVEYS
To create meaningful written surveys, students prepare questions on top-

ics that matter to them. Their questions must extract answers that prove
a point. Advise students to ask precise questions that leave no room for
ambiguity. In addition, ask students to make sure theyre curious about
getting the results. If theyre not, they need to reevaluate the questions or
discard the topic and try again. Furthermore, always require students to
write the purpose of their survey so that you can see what factors they took
into consideration.
Here are three types of written surveys you might present to your class
following the WHO Survey. Students mimic the style to create their own writ-
ten surveys. Students discover much from these surveys and evaluate how
the class can benefit from the results. Most class surveys presented here can
work for schoolwide surveys as well. In case of the latter, the teacher should
determine with the class the best means of carrying out the survey and the
required number of respondents.
THREE TYPES OF WRITTEN SURVEYS
1. The Few Second Survey: The Few Second Survey presents two close-
ended questions on a topic and asks respondents to check one item from
a category. Consequently, this survey limits the information that will be
given. Usually, this type of survey ascertains whether there is a correlation
between two factors.
A: How many servings of fruits or vegetables do you eat per day?
three
two
one
none
164 Chapter 10
Do you prepare your own food?
yes
no
The purpose of this survey is to see if there is a correlation between people

eating more fruits and vegetables when they dont have to prepare their food.
B: How often do you press the snooze button on your alarm clock?
every day
more than once a week
rarely
never
I dont use an alarm clock
How often do you come to school late?
at least once a week

about once every other week
seldom
never
The purpose of this survey is to see if there is a possible connection

between pressing the snooze button and coming late to school.
C: How easy was it for you to learn how to read?
very easy
easy
okay
difficult
How often did you read today?
frequently
occasionally
seldom
never
The purpose of this survey is to find out if theres a possible correlation

between the experience students had learning to read and the relationship they
have with reading today.
2. The Two Minute Survey: The Two Minute Survey calls for more infor-
mation by asking respondents to qualify their response with a written
comment. Evidently, this survey extracts more information than the few
second survey.
A: How would you describe your relationship with your teachers? Check one
category.
excellent
very good
good
could be better
To what do you attribute the quality of your relationship with your teachers?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
The goal of this survey is to provide students with ideas of how they can
improve their relationships with teachers.
B: What is your favorite day of the week?
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Why is this your favorite day?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The purpose of this survey is to discover what people do on their favorite

days and to see whether its possible to enhance ones week with activities
people do on their favorite day.
166 Chapter 10
C: Which is your preferred type of exercise?
walking
jogging/running
biking
swimming
rollerblading
skateboarding
playing a competitive sport
other ________
Why would you recommend this type of exercise?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The purpose of this survey is to discover the classs favorite exercises and
to determine how to engage more people in physical activity.
3. The Five-Minute Survey: The Five-Minute Survey asks respondents to

check off more items for each question and to provide a comment. This
survey obviously produces more feedback than the latter two types of
surveys since it takes more variables into account.
A: Which habits annoy you? Please check all that apply:
It annoys me when people:
crack their knuckles.

sneeze without covering their mouths.
tap their feet.
text while youre talking to them.
stand too close to you.
chew with their mouths open.
repeat the same jokes or stories.
other ______________________________
What are some ways you try to motivate people to stop their annoying
habits? Do your efforts work? _________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The purpose of this survey is to discover whether people share common

pet peeves and to discuss productive and nonproductive ways of dealing with
others annoying habits.
B: What is your definition of a true friend? Please check all that apply.
A true friend is someone who
cheers me up.
listens to me.
gets people to do things for me.
shares his belongings.
gives me things.
saves me a seat.
sits with me during lunch.
lets me copy his schoolwork.
calls me when Iam sick.
does favors for me.
hangs out with me.
sticks up for me.
lies for me.
tells me what Iwant to hear.
How many true friends do you have?
1
2
35
510
other ____
Are true friends hard to come by? What have you learnt about friendship
over the years?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The point of this survey is to evaluate students value system and to lead
them toward authentic friendships.
C: On the average, how much time do you spend every evening doing the
following activities?
168 Chapter 10
530 Minutes 30 Minutes1Hour 12Hours 2HoursUp

Homework
Talking on the phone
Texting
Watching TV/movies
Playing computer games
Talking with family
members
Are you satisfied with the way you spend your evening? Why or why not?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The purpose of this survey is to see how people spend their evening and
determine whether they can use their time more constructively.
AFTER STUDENTS DESIGN THEIR SURVEYS, WHAT NEXT?
After students design their surveys, they should submit them for your
approval. Check students surveys for depth and appropriateness. You want
to make sure students dont ask a question such as, Who did you nominate
for Homecoming Queen/King? where respondents choose a name from a
ballot and express the reason for their nomination. This type of survey would
only generate gossip and hurt feelings among the student body. Always look
for surveys that will produce results for a constructive purpose.
Once surveys are approved, students are in business. They distribute their
surveys, collect them the following day or days, and evaluate the feedback.
For these surveys (and most others in this chapter), students submit the fol-
lowing materials:
A sample of the survey questions along with a statement expressing the

purpose of the survey (Note: The purpose of the survey is not put on the
survey itself lest it influence responses to the questions.)
A stapled booklet of all survey responses
A table and/or graph that depicts the result of survey responses
A 350- to 500-word report discussing the results of the survey including:
A summary of the results based on the data collected

Inferences based on those results
Suggestions or advice to survey respondents
These requirements work well for most written surveys. You might modify
these requirements according to the particular survey or your students age
and ability.
OTHER MEANINGFUL SURVEYS
If you sit down and think of surveys, no doubt you will come up with many
more varieties suitable for your class. The surveys below have proven to
take on exceptional favor and value among students in scores of schools. See
which ones appeal to you!
HELP THE SCHOOL SURVEY
The possibility of creating massive changes in school lends students the

motivation to conduct this survey. Whether given in class or schoolwide, the
topics for the Help the School Survey must matter to the entire school body.
Students submit the results of the survey (with all the requirements mentioned
earlier) to the administration for appraisal. Clearly, the administration is on
board with receiving this type of survey before the teacher assigns it.
THREE SAMPLES OF HELPING THE SCHOOL SURVEYS
A: What is your opinion about the schools new uniform? Please check each
statement that applies.
The school uniform eases peer pressure.

The school uniform lends decorum to the school.
The school uniform looks good.
The school uniform saves me time deciding what to wear in the morning.
The school uniform boosts school spirit.
What, if anything, would you change about the school uniform?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The goal of this survey is to evaluate the impact the school uniform has on
the student body and to suggest possible modifications.
170 Chapter 10
B: From what source do you receive the most inspiration?
nature
poetry
books
stories of heroism
quotes
music
videos
songs
art
comedy
experts
history
religion
community work
Can you give an example of how this source inspires you?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The purpose of this survey is to determine which source the student body
depends on most for inspiration so that the faculty can better cater to students
via this source.
C: Which aspect of the learning workshop did you find most effective? Please
check all that apply.
the principals speech on mastering personal motivation

the teachers panel on reflective learning
the questionnaire assessing your studying skills
the guest speakers lecture on the principles of memory
the video presentation on the Roman Room Method and the Journey
System.
the G.O.s skit on goal setting
the career counselors advice about money-making careers
How have one or more of these presentations impacted you?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The purpose of this survey is to provide positive feedback on the effective-

ness of the workshop so that the faculty can take students preferences into
consideration when setting up future engaging workshops.
The Brief Interview

The Brief Interview asks for a thoughtful written response to personal or
opinion question/s on a specific topic. Although this survey might take a
little longer to complete, students respond to the questions cheerfully as long
as they dont have to deal with an influx of surveys at a time. The process
of collecting and evaluating this survey may take a week to complete, but
the results prove worthwhile! (Survey takers are required to submit the same
material for this survey as for the others.) Survey takers usually publish the
results in school newspapers or post them on message boards.
Sample questions produced by students for The Brief Interview:
What do you think is worselying or stealing? Why?

How many shoes/sneakers/boots do you own? Do you feel its necessary to
own this number of footwear? Please explain.
Do you think texting has destroyed peoples social life? Why or why not?
Do you suggest studying with friends for tests? Why or why not?
How often do you interact socially with people above age forty? How do
you find their company?
Would you think of donating blood when youre seventeen? Why or why
not?
What do you do to relax? Do you suggest others do the same? Why?
What are the three main attributes to look for in a spouse? Why?
Would you agree to marry a smoker? Why or why not?
Are you a procrastinator? If so, why do you procrastinate? If not, how do
you manage your time?
Do you get enough sleep? How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Why?
Do you think suicide is a selfish act? Why or why not?
Are you on a diet? Why? Does your diet compromise your health? Do you
see any indication of how dieting in school is getting out of hand?
The Just Because Im Curious Survey

Similar to The Brief Interview, this survey asks questions that produce reflec-
tive responses. The questions, though, underscore personal taste or whimsical
thinking rather than rational opinion. Survey takers for the Just Because Im
Curious survey submit the same material for this survey as for the latter
172 Chapter 10
ones, minus table and graph. Respondents may take longer to complete this
survey if unaccustomed to thinking along the lines of some out of the box
questions that fall into this category.
Sample survey questions produced by students for the Just Because Im
Curious Survey:
Which of these three cartoons do you like best? Why?

Which of these copies of Monet paintings appeal to you most? Why?
If all food would look like a white blob but could magically taste like any
food you wanted would you give up food as we know it? Why or why not?
Can you taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi? If so, can you de-
scribe the difference?
Whats your favorite clothing store? Why?
Would you rather marry an ugly but rich man/woman or a gorgeous and
poor man/woman? Why?
If you had the choice to go back to the past and change an event or take a
look into the future, which would you choose? Why?
If you could choose between having the power to fly or turn invisible,
which would you prefer and why?
What number child are you in your family? Have you ever wished you oc-
cupied a different position? Why or why not?
If you could set the next trend, what would it be?
How do you occupy your time when commuting/driving alone?
How often do you style your hair? Do you style it by yourself or at a salon?
How often do you have nightmares? What do you think is the cause of your
nightmares?
Whats the main reason you buy takeout food?
At first blush, this batch of survey questions seems to have no purpose

other than to satisfy curiosity. But thats not true. The responses make people
wonder about peoples preferences and the possible ramifications of their
choices. The following report aptly shows a students ardent feelings toward
the results she gleaned from the Just Because Im Curious survey.
For my survey, Iquestioned sixty people between the ages of fourteen and
eighteen and asked them the following question: If you could choose between
having the power to fly or turning invisible at your will, which would you choose
and why? My supply of answers was revealing and truth be told, disappointing.
None of those surveyed chose a superpower for the purpose of helping other
people. For example, no one chose invisibility to help the United States govern-
ment spy on questionable activity or assist the police during a hostage crisis.
Without exception, respondents said they would use their powers for selfish,
petty, and often criminal behavior. Forty-eight out of the sixty people surveyed
chose invisibility as their superpower. Their reasons for this choice exposed
deep feelings of insecurity and even paranoia. Many wanted to hear peoples
private conversations and observe others in the privacy of their homes. More
disturbingly, some said invisibility would allow them to take revenge of their
enemies, steal expensive clothes from department stores, and rob banks. Other
people had purely pragmatic motives for choosing invisibility such as flying for
free on airplanes, leaving school early undetected, and sneaking in past curfew
without their parents knowing. The answers for those who chose invisibility sug-
gest that beneath our law-abiding and sane exteriors, many of us, if we were to
remain undetected, would behave in a manner we never would in public.
The twelve respondents who chose flight as their superpower did so for the most
mundane reasons, most to save on airfare. Given the potential of this extraordi-
nary gift, this response is depressing. Not one considered the option of flying to
Niagara Falls, the Alps, or soaring above the atmosphere for a magnificent view
of planet earth. No one chose to use the power of flight to aid the fire department
in rescuing people from tall buildings or snatching people off bridges.
It seems that we are so trapped by the selfish confines of our lives that we can-
not even fathom what we could do if we had the power to look outside ourselves.
Perhaps we need to reevaluate why we are here on earth, why we matter, what we
can accomplish. Isuggest instead of thinking how we can get ahead, we should
think of ways to support each other so that we can fulfill meaningful destinies.
Tova Younger
The Character Survey

Of all surveys, this one most affectively compels respondents to probe their
conscience. To set an example, the teacher first conducts the character survey
with the class before students craft their own. For this survey, respondents
answer the survey for their own benefit. No one collects these surveys unless
volunteers offer them for evaluation.
The teacher, though, might discuss the topic of the survey or any one of
its questions at length. Throughout the year, whenever the subject or moment
calls for it, she might acquaint the class with a character survey.
Take a look at a sample of a character survey for yourself. This Character
Survey on honesty compels students to think of ways to acquire greater integ-
rity. As students takes the survey, they become more aware of their level of
honesty.
The Character Survey: How Honest Are You?

Please answer the following questions honestly.
1. Have you ever borrowed a siblings sweater or other item and secretly
returned it?
2. Have you ever told someone you forgot where you bought your shirt/top/
pants/jacket because you didnt want the person to purchase it too?
174 Chapter 10
3. Have you ever made up the Only big people ... excuse to avoid having
your sibling tag along?
4. Have you ever warned a kid that the man over there would throw him
out of the store if he didnt keep quiet?
5. Have you ever concocted a story when you were late to school to avoid
the impending consequence?
6. Have you ever reassured an overbearing salesperson that you would
come back later when you had no intention of doing so?
7. Have you ever exaggerated your homework load to a parent to dodge a
responsibility?
8. Have you ever denied a teachers accusation when you knew you were at
fault?
9. Have you ever had someone do your homework for you and pass it off
as your own?
10. Have you ever copied someones homework?
11. Have you ever allowed someone to copy your homework?
12. Have you ever cheated on a test?
13. Have you ever informed your teacher that something serious came up
to avoid taking a test?
14. Have you ever fabricated a reason you had to hang up the phone to end
a boring conversation?
15. Have you ever turned down someones invitation by saying you already
made other plans when you were just not in the mood of the persons
company?
16. Were you being honest with yourself when you answered these questions?
Do you think you are an honest person? Arelatively honest person? Do you
think there are degrees of honesty?
While students love taking character surveys, theyre just as eager to cre-
ate them. Fortunately, its a cinch to model this survey style. All students do
is choose a different character trait and write introspective questions for that
topic. Students have come up with character surveys titled, How Selfless
Are You?, How Loyal Are You?, How Sympathetic Are You?, and so
forth. Students might alter the style of the surveys title by introducing the
verb earlier: for example, Are You a Gossip?, Do You Judge People?,
or Are you rude? Usually, we get to discuss a couple of students character
surveys, and the class reflects upon the rest at their leisure.
The Anonymous Poll

The Anonymous Poll is a quick class survey that never gets old. You can take
this poll literally every day without students losing interest in it. Teachers
and students choose this poll to collect unbiased data on sensitive topics. The
best thing about this poll is the quick results. Whereas most surveys require
a degree of contemplation, the Anonymous Poll only requires an on the spot
candid answer. How does it work?
As its name indicates, the Anonymous Poll is a secret ballot. Students
put their heads down and raise their hands in response to the poll takers
questions. The teacher jots down the number of hands for each question and
afterward reveals the results of the poll for class discussion.
If the teacher believes the class wont give honest answers for her sake,
the teacher might ask students to write their answers on slips and pass them
forward. This procedure is more time consuming, but often worth the trouble.
Here are questions you might ask for a quick Anonymous Poll:
Raise your hand if you feel people can be nicer to each other in this
classroom.
Raise your hand if you feel the same people keep getting privileges in this
class.
Raise your hand if you think people in this class are popular for the wrong
reasons.
Raise your hand if you or someone you know is being bullied in this
classroom.
Raise your hand if you or someone you know is having a difficult time
keeping up during chemistry class.
Raise your hand if you or someone you know was left out during the last
activity.
As you can tell, these questions help the class and teacher get a hold of
multiple dynamics in the classroom. The discussion proceeding this poll
gives the class and the teacher ideas on how to handle a situation better.
For example, if the poll determines that someone is being bullied or hav-
ing a difficult time with chemistry, the class can discuss steps to rectify the
problem.
The Anonymous Poll also proves helpful to gauge students attitudes about
an upcoming event or and/or its aftermath. For instance, here are questions a
teacher might ask in the Anonymous Poll before and after a weekend retreat:
Before the weekend retreat:

Whos looking forward to the retreat?
Whos okay with going?
Whos not looking forward to the retreat?
Whos dreading the retreat?
176 Chapter 10
Post the weekend retreat:

Who had a great time at the retreat?
Who had a good time at the retreat?
Who didnt have a good time at the retreat?
Who would like to go on the similar kind of retreat again?
Whats the benefit of this specific anonymous poll? It teaches a life lesson
about facing new experiences. How so? Frequently, before a retreat or trip,
students stress about things. For example, who theyll be sitting next to on the
bus or whether theyll get along with their roommates in the motel. Before the
trip, the Anonymous Poll lets anxious students know theyre not aloneother
people are also less than enthusiastic about the trip. Post the trip, when most
students come back with glowing reports, the second poll proves to students
how their original fears were unfoundedhow we tend to make monsters of
situations in our minds. This lesson helps students calm down when facing
future new experiences or challenges.
After disclosing the benefits of the Anonymous Poll, the gracious teacher
allows students to submit questions they want to ask in the poll for the sake
of initiating a particular reform. Remember, the teacher is the one taking
the poll, so the class feels obligated to take it seriously. Questions students
submit might sound like this: Whos willing to start school at 7:50 a.m. so
that we can get dismissed a period earlier in the afternoon? Whos willing to
cut lunch time for a longer study period? Who thinks students should receive
detention if they dont show up to band (choir/cheerleading/dance) practice?
Who thinks we should paint a school mural on the campus? Who would join
more extracurricular school activities this month if there were less home-
work? Who feels theres an adult in the school he or she can confide in? Who
has considered dropping out of school? Students use the results of these polls
to introduce a proposal to faculty members.
Lets review the benefits of conducting surveys. Heres what happens.
In a nonintimidating survey environment, students address a large number
of issues in an efficient, quick way with the probability of a high response
rate. Students discover that if you ask the right questions you will get candid
answers. Students learn how to collect unbiased survey data and develop
sensible reports based on analyzed results. Perhaps, most importantly, invest-
ing time in asking and learning about others experiences keeps the channels
of communication open in school. People providing feedback know theyve
been understood and feel valued for helping to formulate theories and deci-
sions. Everyone has a voice. No one feels alone. What can be better than that?
Chapter 11
Fostering Public Speaking
Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.

Gerald R. Ford
PUBLIC SPEAKING: CAN EVERYONE DO IT?
A teacher is absent. They asked you to combine his class for a public speak-
ing. Sixty-two students gather in the auditorium for a public speaking exer-
cise. What do you want them to do? Describe any emotion. But first youre
looking for a particular student who just informed you yesterday she will
never speak in public; that is, you can give her a failing grade, hang her by
her toes, ship her to another school, but she wont speak.
You say, Rosie, where are you? Would you come up here?
Rosie looks marbleized. People urge her, You can do it.
She looks at you with the venom of the most hateful viper.
You say, Please? You can speak about fear.
Through clenched teeth, she says, Icant.
Come on, you press. Just say one sentence. Thats all.
You are about to relent, when Rosie gets up woodenly and stumbles forward.
For one long moment, she pauses at the lectern. And then a miracle happens.
She begins to speak about her fear and cant stop. With a distressed sound, she
describes the slow asphyxiation of her larynx in the face of public speaking. The
audience laughs in good humor. Encouraged, Rosie pretends she has suddenly
come to the harsh realization shes in the spotlight and acts out a melodramatic
fainting spell.
177
178 Chapter 11
The audience cracks up. Then this new Rosie, springs back to the lectern
and continues her spiel; gasping, spewing anagrams of garbled words, and
gesturing wildly, until she says, Okay, enough about me, my knees cant
take this anymore. The grade gives her a roaring applause. She beams and
bows, curtsies, and holds out her hands to the audience. Later, a flushed
Rosie approaches you and thanks you. Throughout the year, she braves public
speaking with grace. That was all she neededto face her fear head on.
If youre thinking, Yeah, right, this wont work on my speech-phobic
students, youre probably correct. The remedy for Rosie doesnt work for
everyone, but eventually all studentspainfully shy students who cant look
you in the eye; kids who have severe speech impediments; or merely anxious
students, like Rosie, who never had the chance to prove themselves before an
audienceovercome their fear of public speaking.
Whats so crucial about public speaking anyway? Dont kids learn commu-
nication by participating in lessons and socializing with peers? Why torture
reluctant speakers to speak before an audience?
Mainly because conquering the fear of public speaking takes students to
a whole new level of communication. Every time students speak before the
class, they receive validation for having something worthwhile to contrib-
ute. The confidence students gain from this experience polishes their self-
esteem and goes a long way in helping them become active members of the
class and society. Once students learn to speak easily before an audience,
they can speak anywhere and get their message across. In school, they can
influence others and agendas more forcefully. Outside school and later in
life, they can speak up at family gatherings, celebrations, board meetings,
and other events.
How Do You Begin?

You can start warming kids up to public speaking by having them stand near
their desk when giving an answer, reading aloud, or relaying a message to the
class. Once they witness the audiences favorable response, they can brave
the first impromptu speech. Challenging Rosie before parallel classes worked
because Rosie was well accepted in the grade and knew classmates were root-
ing for her. Many kids, though, need little reassurances before venturing to
speak before an audience.
Impromptu Speaking
The next big step, impromptu speaking, eases students into the formal
speaking role. Little preparation is needed for this type of speaking. Some-
times, it requires students to jot down ideas or create short outlines on
paper. For the actual impromptu speaking, students might get up to share
Fostering Public Speaking 179
experiences, role-play, explain the rules of a game, show the correct way of
doing something, or state an opinion.
The following impromptu speeches serve as good icebreakers, but you can
also sprinkle the curriculum with impromptu speeches throughout the year to
practice off-the-cuff speaking.
Getting to Know You: As the name suggests, Getting to Know You gives
the class a glimpse into their classmates thoughts, personalities, life experi-
ences, desires, and attitudes. How does the activity work? You hand the class
a list of personal questions. After perusing the questions, students take turns
heading to the podium to answer one of their choice. Since there are many
questions to choose from, students can easily find one or two to their liking.
Getting to Know You questions for younger kids:
What is one of the hardest/most astonishing/scariest things youve ever

done?
What is your most prized possession? Can you explain its value?
What never fails to make you laugh? Why?
Tell us something no one knew you did when you were little.
What is one of the kindest things someone did for you?
Which talent do you wish you had and why?
Whats the most amazing thing that can happen to you now? Why?
What bores you? Why?
In which situations do you feel mature? In which do you feel immature?
Please explain.
What do you wish for? Why?
Which three adjectives best describe your personality? Please explain.
Whats your all-time favorite childrens story/toy/favorite board game?
Why do you like it?
If you could turn back the clock and change one thing you did, what would
it be?
What is the best news you could receive now? Why?
Getting to Know You questions for older kids:
What qualities do you look for first in a friend? Why those qualities?
What personalities do you clash with? Why?
Are you an introvert or extrovert, or a combination? How do you know?
What is the best mistake you ever made? How did it impact your future?
What resolutions have you made this year? Have you carried them out?
If you could get free unlimited service from either a tutor or guidance coun-
selor, which would you prefer and why?
If you were to own a successful store, which kind would you prefer and
why?
180 Chapter 11
If you could have any job or career you wanted, what would it be?
How are you different in school and at home?
What is your most joyful contribution to the world so far?
What physical thing do you crave most? Why?
If youd be graduating tomorrow, would you be sad?
Whats most impressive about your family?
What is the most fundamental thing someone taught you?
The Peer Interview: This impromptu interview puts the student in the
spotlight for a few happy minutes as they answer an interview question. You
might introduce The Peer Interview a bit later in the school year since peers
have to know something about each other for the activity. You can work The
Peer Interview in either of two ways:
1. Instruct students to prepare a personal interview question for the person

sitting behind them or to their right or left. (For example, How did you
get that scar on your forehead?) Upon the teachers cue, each student
takes turns approaching the front of the room to answer his interviewers
question. The interviewee answers the question on the spot. The audience
may ask follow-up questions.
2. A volunteer from the class approaches the podium and the audience
spontaneously comes up with personal interview questions for him. The
interviewees answer the question(s) on the spot. The audience may ask
follow-up questions.
To protect his privacy, the interviewee may take a pass on the question. Inter-
estingly, students seldom pass or dodge questions. As a matter of fact, stu-
dents are positively gung-ho to speak, practically gushing when its their turn.
This interview confirms the human need to express oneself and be heard.
The following are sample questions students put forth in interviews:
Is there a specific reason you walk so fast?

What do you like about surfing?
Whats the story behind your name, Cinnamon?
What changed for you when your brother moved out of the house?
What made you decide to get that haircut?
How do you always have so much energy?
Do you have a hobby besides drawing?
Why do you always choose to sit in the back of the room?
Why do you laugh a lot in psychology class?
How does having immigrant parents influence your life?
What was the best part of living in California?

I notice you always wear that necklace. Does it hold special meaning
foryou?
What are the perks of being class president?
Dont you get sick of eating sushi for lunch? What would you eat for a
change?
Another eye-opener about this activity is how much it reveals about

the intricate makeup of people. For instance, once an interviewer asked a
classmate to explain her carefree attitude. The interviewee responded that
80percent of the time her carefreeness is a show! That response launched
a bombardment of questions her way that the interviewee answered with
aplomb and grace.
How Did You Do That? For this useful impromptu speech, students talk
about how they worked out an idea, process, or problem. You provide stu-
dents with a list of questions to choose from and give them five to ten minutes
to collect their thoughts and jot down information to share with the class.
Within their explanations, speakers might lend the audience information on
how to calculate risks, figure out solutions, cope with disappointments, or
conquer dilemmas.
Examples of questions for How Did You Do That?
Tell us how you successfully handled a situation that got out of hand.
Tell us about a time you found yourself in an awkward spot and got out
ofit.
Tell us about a time you had a difficult time saying no to someone but
did so anyway. Were you proud of your decision? Did you use a method to
make refusing easier?
Have you ever disagreed with a policy but had to abide by it? How did you
learn to cope?
Did you ever teach a child a difficult concept? How did you do it?
Tell us about a time you had a novel idea and used clever strategies to get it
approved.
What was the best decision you ever made? How did you come to it?
What was the biggest mistake you ever made? How did you deal with the
fallout? What did you learn from the experience?
Do you have a coping strategy for saying goodbye to people you love?
Did you ever accept criticism with finesse? How did you do that?
Tell us about a fear youve conquered.
How can you tell when youre at risk of losing control? How do you pre-
vent it from happening?
182 Chapter 11
What approach works best for you in coping with disappointment?

What was the most difficult task you had to carry out? How did you go
about it?
How Does the Teacher Respond to Impromptu Speeches?

After an impromptu speech, you can discuss the salient points that made the
students speeches successful. For example, you might point out speakers
coherent sentences and proper enunciation. But dont overwhelm students
with too many rules for impromptu speeches. The primary goal of informal
speaking is for students to get used to speaking before an audience. Save the
critique for formal speeches. Over time, when the class have braved formal
speeches and built on speaking skills, they will naturally use those skills for
impromptu speaking as well.
Formal Speaking
Formal speeches dont have to sound conventional or stiff like boring
graduation speeches. While the format of formal speeches requires a definite
structurean introduction, body, and conclusionand preparation time for
research, writing, and rehearsal, the genres you select can make the task plea-
surable. The following genres raise the formal speech out of its stereotypical
stodginess and have proven themselves a hit in many classrooms.
The How-To Speech: Similar to the impromptu speech, How Did You Do
That, the How-To Speech imparts practical advice. The big difference is that
for the How-To speech, speakers come up with their own topic and teach the
audience how to do something, providing three steps or ways of doing it. Top-
ics range from altruistic ones to self-help ideas. Often, How-To speeches clue
students in on what theyre doing wrong in social settings and how to do it right.
Here are several How-To topics students have carried out successfully:
How to be a good host How to fall asleep fast

How to cheer up an ill person How to get things done
How to project confidence How to succeed at an interview
How to remember peoples names How to get over an embarrassing
How to make conversation moment
How to overcome homesickness How to read body language
How to apologize How to look good in photographs
How to join a conversation without How to speak with respect
butting in How to deliver bad news
How to clean your room How to write a birthday card
How to respond to sarcasm How to control your temper
How to stand up to a bully How to look cool
The Six-Eight Word Memoirs: The Six-Eight Word Memoirs (adapted

from I Cant Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous&
Obscure) give students a chance to disclose their talents, tastes, pet peeves,
secrets or surprising facts about themselves.
Each student writes a list consisting of sixeight word memoirs. Each
memoir must reveal something significant about the student that raises the
audiences curiosity. The speaker has one minute to read the memoirs and
four minutes to elaborate on a couple of them. If hes competent at impromptu
speaking or willing to take the risk, the speaker invites the audience to choose
the memoirs they would like him to expand upon instead of choosing ones
of his own.
An example of a students list of SixEight Word Memoirs:
Ican solve the Rubiks Cube in two Idrove a ten-passenger van at age nine.
minutes. My creativity peaks late at night.
Idont like listening to female singers. Im antiracism, chauvinism and most
Ill eat anything with sauted onions. other isms.
One of my teeth is near my nose. Icome from a lineage of grave diggers.
Ichanged my laugh in eighth grade. Ihave 18 aunts and uncles.
Sweet people turn on my cynical side. In sixth grade, Idonated my hair.
My dream is to break into the Vatican.
Ask me any question about Harry
Potter books.
The Pros and Cons: The Pros and Cons activity combines public speaking
and grouping benefits. For this activity, partners collaborate to come up with
a two-sided topic that includes many pros and cons. Each partner then decides
which side to present to the class audience.
For the speech to have substance, each partner, before speaking, must
write a persuasive speech on her topic following the format of a persuasive
essay: The speech introduction begins with an attention-grabbing device and
a strong thesis statement. The body paragraphs include three paragraphs,
each one providing a logical reason for supporting the thesis statement. The
conclusion wraps up the speech package in a memorable way.
On the designated day, students deliver speeches in pairs; the pro side
always speaks first.
During each delivery, the class takes notes of striking points. For a few
minutes after each pair of speeches, the class collaborates in groups to review
the platform and vote for the one they favor. Then the teacher calls on a per-
son from each group to render the groups majority vote and how they arrived
at their conclusion.
Examples of topics for The Pros and Cons:
The pros and cons of
184 Chapter 11
Drug legalization Gun control

Learning grammar as a separate subject The Electoral College
Reading literature stories in class Building a wall between Mexico and
instead of at home the United States
Homeschooling Cutting welfare programs
Racial profiling Socialism
Raising the minimum wage Term limits for federal officials
Affirmative action Watching educational TV
Cruel characters in fiction Eliminating the penny from U.S.
Tax hikes on the wealthy currency
Recycling
Miscellaneous topics closer to home:
Creating a class yearbook Studying with friends

Going to college abroad Taking selfies
Texting Sleeping on the top bunk
Wearing makeup Dabbing oil off pizza
body building Paying people to do your chores
shopping online Responding to call-waiting
Bringing lunch from home Wearing designer clothing
Playing video games
This speech actively engrosses everyone. Speakers brainstorm and work

on writing skills, persuasive tactics, and logical reasoning. They impart new
and useful information while the audience comes to acknowledge that there
are often two sides to an issue. Moreover, the audience must listen carefully
to actively participate in group discussions and analyze information. Lastly,
groups get to convey their viewpoint and listen to other groups viewpoints.
The Poetry Recitation: Did you ever memorize a poem because you loved
its sound or message? Your students might have had this experience already.
If not, with this speech assignment, they quickly develop an appreciation for
memorizing and reciting poetry. For this activity, students hunt for a twelve-
to thirty-lined poem that contains captivating language, an emotional quality,
and a moral. Ideally, the poem should make its first debut in class, meaning
the class should not recognize it.
The speech assignment:
Once students select their poem, they introduce the reason the poem drew
them. Then students recite the poem in the most impactful way. After the recita-
tion, students give a short analyzation of the poems plot and the moral it holds.
What students need to take into account:
A strong performance depends on powerful internalization. To do the
poem justice, students need to immerse themselves in the meaning of
the poem and assume the identity of its speaker. Urge students to take
the time to think about the proper tone and pacing and practice reciting
the lines. To role-play a scene in a poem, students might dress up or use
props. If the poem rhymes, warn students to avoid a sing song tone by
deemphasizing the rhyme. Students also need to refrain from using pre-
dictable gestures.
A sample of poems students chose for The Poetry Recitation:
My Favorite Word by Lucia and James L. Hymes, Jr.

Dear Reader by Rita Mae Reese
Balance by Adam Zagajewski
Skin Stealer by Shel Silverstein
Merry-Go-Round by Langston Hughes
Happiness by Raymond Carver
Daddy Fell into the Pond by Alfred Noyes
Alone by Maya Angelou
Fredrick Douglas by Robert Hayden
Heres the versatile thing about this assignment: You can substitute
any other recitation for the poetry recitation. Students can recite favor-
ite passages from literature, biographies, or self-help books, excerpts of
historical or present day speeches. For reviews before a test, students can
make up their own poems on subject material, recite it to the class, and
hand out copies.
***
As a rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best
information. Benjamin Disraeli
***
Do You Know? Informative speeches are by far the most interesting

genre we cover in formal speaking. Nothing is as exhilarating as research-
ing intriguing information and sharing it. For this informative speech, you
challenge speakers to tell the audience something they dont know. Students
get a kick out of educating the class and their teacher! Speakers must submit
primary resources to prove the credibility of their findings. Knowing that
students are delivering bona fide information imbues the atmosphere with an
awed silence during this speech.
Categories for Do You Know? might fall under science, technology, psy-
chology, history, culture, health, entertainment, or general knowledge.
186 Chapter 11
Examples of topics students chose for the informative speech:
How ants communicate The Wagon Train

How the polygraph works Tiger parenting
Left-handed people Home remedies
Dealing with grief The worlds richest people
Graphology Celebrations around the world
The complexity of the Food and The underpinnings of the Mafia
Beverage Industry Hotels made of ice
The threat of nuclear warfare Doll collectors
Making sense of deja vu Outlandish automobiles
Childrens perception of time Hit Songs and what they have in
Color vision deficiency versus color common
blindness The background of the Israeli and
Facial blushing Palestinian conflict
Great painters and their legacy The World Patent and Trademark Index
Guantanamo Bay (the WPTI)
The significance of Star Wars The role oil plays in the world
The history of biker gangs Peoples attitudes of good and evil
Code breaking How people beat the system
Superstitions around the world
Many other topics can encompass this informative speech. Here are a few
more categories below.
Research of origins plays a popular role for the Do You Know Speech. The
following topics especially drew students interest:
The origin of inventions such as ice cream, chewing gum, the fork, and
toothbrush
The history of accidental inventions such as penicillin, potato chips, Vel-
cro, and the microwave
The origin of eponyms (words named for a person or place) like Bloody
Mary, Caesar salad, leotard, and sandwich
The origin of popular songs such as the Happy Birthday song or Mary
Had a Little Lamb
The origin of idioms, for instance, wild goose chase, crocodile tears, sitting
duck, everything but the kitchen sink
Among other favorite research topics is the evolution of inventions over

time and interests sure do vary! One student presents the development of
photography starting with Louis Jacques Mande Daguerres metal images all
the way to digital photography. Fascinated with her grandfathers dentures,
another student explores the evolution of false teeth beginning with George
Washingtons wooden ones leading up to current implants. Athird student
unveils a labyrinth of information about cosmetics, tracking its use from pre-
historic cavemen to ancient people of the Middle East like Egyptian Queen
Cleopatra all the way to the cosmetic empire of Elizabeth Arden.
Youd be surprised how students uncover revelations connected to their
research of origins, some albeit questionable in their source. For instance,
intrigued by the influence of buttons on clothing, a student researched but-
tons through the ages including details such as how buttons on sleeves came
into fashion. She found a source in a funny anecdote. Allegedly, Frederick
the Great, ruler of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, displeased with his soldiers for
wiping their noses on their upper sleeves, ordered metal buttons sewn on the
top sleeves. The buttons, threatening to scratch the faces of those who thought
of employing sleeve as handkerchief, soon stopped the habit! Eventually,
the fashion caught on to civilian dress and the buttons migrated to the lower
sleeve for decoration.
To captivate the audience, students also research historical practices.
Within one speech, the class hears, for example, all about the ancient Egyp-
tians and that they shaved their heads and wore wigs to protect themselves
from the sun. In another speech, the class learns that mirrors, the first silver
ones, were constructed by the Romans to help show off their wealth by
reflecting gold. One has to wonder if people those days were less vain about
their physical appearance (perhaps more about their possessions). By far the
favorites are the ancient practices students think ludicrous, for example, that
the ancient Chinese wore nail polish to establish social status. Believe it or
not, during the Chou Dynasty (circa. 600 BC), royalty wore gold and silver
polish and later black or red. Lower ranking women were permitted to wear
pale colors but risked punishment by death if they gravitated to royal colors!
To the audiences delightful surprise, many informative speeches unveil
enlightening trivia: frolicsome or shrewd in nature. For instance, as an audi-
ence member, you might find it amusing that American inventor Jesse Reno
designed the first working escalator as an amusement park ride at New Yorks
Coney Island in 1896. You might find it equally humorous that in 1923, Otto
Schnering, Founder of the Curtiss Candy Company hired a pilot to fly over
the city of Pittsburgh and drop several thousand Baby Ruth candy bars (each
equipped with a parachute to avoid hurting people). Talk about advertising.
What They Say: How many times do we tell people some vague informa-
tion based on what They say? Well, this speech identifies the Theys of
society and what they say in specific rather than general terms. An infor-
mative speech as well, What They Say challenges students to investigate a
recent or pioneering clinical study and present its information to the class.
Once again, students must provide primary sources to uphold their informa-
tion. Teachers can direct students to reputable primary sources, for example,
The Journal of the American Medical Association, The National Institute of
188 Chapter 11
Mental Health, The American Psychological Association, The Elementary

School Journal, and Educational Research.
For the delivery of What They Say, speakers give a bit of background on
their topic. For example, before discussing the study that determines we
should be drinking more whole milk, the speaker might talk about the reasons
people choose low-fat or skim milk over whole milk. Afterward, the speaker
hands out the study or an article from a trustworthy publication that discusses
the study and gives a few-minute summary of it.
To qualify this speech, departmental teachers might instruct students to
research studies pertaining to their curriculum. They might guide students to
particular resources. Whats wonderful about this assignment is that it raises
respect for researchers and depicts how continued research betters our lives.
Students explorations unveil wondrous ideas about anything from health to
education and offer great springboards for class discussion. Not a shabby
additional boon, this assignment also mimics many of the skills necessary in
tackling high school and college papers.
Topics students chose for this speech:
The reason seven hours of sleep might be benefit us more than eight
Underage drinking and its hazards
Why drinking coffee is healthy
Why we dont need to drink eight glasses of water a day
The reason NASA says theyre closer to finding life beyond earth
How boys and girls learn differently
How an arts education increases compliance, higher attendance, test scores,
and graduation rates.
How music training sharpens the brains creativity, decision-making skills,
and memory
The best way to engage children in math
Proof that read-aloud testing improves math scores in high school students
Proof that reading literary fiction improves empathy
Show and Tell (not just for small children): Have you ever come face to
face with the horns of a Water Buffalo? Have you held World War II med-
als? Examined toothpick paintings? Welcome to Show and Tell in the middle
or high school classroom where students exhibit amazing keepsakes, relics,
heirlooms, hobbies, or talents and tell the stories behind them. Contrary to
what some people believe, Show and Tell isnt only for the PreK-1 classroom.
In fact, Show and Tell can give students a sophisticated look into the past and
present world or current lives of students.
Some riveting objects and materials for Show and Tell give us a glimpse
into history. For instance, Ryan brings in the Rapid Calculator, manufactured
in 1918 by S.W. Allen Company, found in the neighbors trash. Curious to

know how the contraption worked, Ryans father lugged the 9.92 lb machine
home, and the family deciphered the instruction manual. In class, Ryan dem-
onstrates on this pinwheel machine the not so rapid steps to multiplication and
division calculations that involve setting up the numbers and pulling a lever!
Another student brings in old newspapers from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle
dated in 1930. While renovating the house, she and her family found these
newspapers stuffed in the walls of the kitchen, probably used for insulation.
To an amused audience, she displays the advertisements for Noxema, an
official sunburn remedy, a corner plot of land facing Prospect Park ideal
for miniature golf course, and a Whippet 1929, a sedan, for $250, in excel-
lent condition.
Inevitably, Show and Tell also exhibits different cultures, hobbies,
and talents. Indicative of her familys background, one student brings
in heirloomsPersian rugs and antiques from her grandparents home.
AMoroccan student displays the dress she will wear as a bridea
300-year-old henna dress made of gold threads, velvet, and silk. Several
students treat the class to the sentimental value of their collectionscoin
collections, key chain collections, eraser collections, even shot glass col-
lections! Students give performances. One girl brings in her tap shoes,
relays the historical background of tap dancing and then performs a tap
dance routine. Abudding actor gives peers a sneak peek into a play his
community is performing by dressing in costume and acting out parts of a
scene. Acellist talks about the cello and plays Joey Tempests The Final
Countdown for which he receives a standing ovation.
Readings and anecdotal stories arent uncommon either for Show and
Tell. Taylor reads friends well wishes from her past eighth-grade autograph
book. Jordan reads aloud entries from his mothers childhood diary and then
compares them with entries in his little sisters diary to reveal highly simi-
lar personalities. Holding up remnants of casts, a student speaks about the
trauma and pain of breaking both her legs at the same time. Another student
brandishes a battered loose-leaf and tells how it survived three days under the
train tracks before an MTA employee was able to retrieve it.
What Is the Criteria of Skills for Formal Speeches?

Obviously, the complexity (and stringency) of the criteria should depend on
the age and level of your class. Working with above average middle to high
school students, you might introduce sixteen basic speaking skills during
the course of the year. But always dwell on mastering a few per speech. For
instance, for a narrative speech such as The Six-Eight Word Memoir, you
might focus on voice expression, gestures, and eye contact. For an informative
190 Chapter 11
speech, you might emphasize a creative introduction, clear articulation, and

proper pacing. Ideally, students build upon skills with each speech.
Nevertheless, rules dont always overlap for each speech. For example, the
persuasive speech calls for thesis statements and supporting information; the
poetry recitation, for the analysis of poems and their moral content. There-
fore, the criteria for speeches tend to alter a bit, although many of the same
characteristics of content and delivery remain the same.
How Do Students Learn the Criteria?

Fundamentally, the teacher should first demonstrate skillsfor instance,
how to project while speaking, use even eye contact, and infuse words with
energy. Furthermore, the teacher should deliver model speeches for each
assignment. She may also share video clips of people demonstrating speeches
or skills. For the poetry recitation, for example, a clip of a poetry contestant
reciting Mother to Son by Langston Hughes with excellent voice expres-
sion lends students an example to emulate.
You may also turn to outsiders for help. Any newcomer to the classroom
who can demonstrate effective speaking is a worthwhile investment! Asurvi-
vor of a tornado, a lieutenant from the army, a published author, a restauran-
teur, a disk jockeyanyone who has a story to tell or a skill to show. Dont
be afraid to go way out when choosing a guest speaker who knows how to
captivate an audience. For instance, to exhilarate your sixth grade, you can
invite a party clown to class to teach the art of clowning that involves bal-
loon twisting, magic tricks, face painting, and comedy techniques. As a part
of your curriculum, you can also invite students from parallel classes or sister
schools to deliver model speeches. New faces refresh the atmosphere and
are always welcome. Excited about visitors, the class usually gives guests an
exuberant applause even before their talks.
How Does the Teacher Evaluate Formal Speeches?

Distribute an evaluation sheet for each formal speech containing the compo-
nents you want speakers to take into consideration. Students can use the sheet
as a guide and then hand it to you for grading when its their turn to speak.
For the sake of saving time, you might check off items on the evaluation sheet
or use a rubric, but its important to write at least a few sentences of praise
accompanying the checklist to individualize the evaluation.
Now here comes the crucial part. Instead of just handing back the evalua-
tion sheet after a speech, use what you filled out on the evaluation for an open
critique before the class. This way, the audience gets to learn something from
each delivery. You might think an open critique embarrassing to the student,
but its all in the manner of how its done. If you speak in a matter of fact tone
about the weak points of the speech, and give constructive criticism, students
wont take offense. To the contrary, students will express gratitude for the
straight forward direction.
How do you further keep the open critique a nonissue? Keep track of stu-
dents progress and give a progress report while critiquing a speech. Doing so
personalizes public speaking and doesnt turn it into a contest. Students learn
that everyone has their strong and weak areas and rejoice with classmates for
overcoming obstacles.
Heres a sample of an evaluation sheet for a formal speech:
SHOW AND TELL EVALUATION SHEET
Name: _______________________________________ Score: __________

Topic: ________________________________________
Content:
Introduction:
_____ Arouses interest
_____ Brief and to the point
_____ Establishes a clear focus
Body:
_____ Includes topic sentences
_____ Maintains a logical sequence
_____ Contains sensory impressions
Conclusion:
_____ Ends in a memorable way
Delivery:
Voice:
_____ Clear articulation
_____ Vocal expression
_____ Adequate projection
_____ Good sense of pace and pause
192 Chapter 11
Body Language:
_____ Frequent eye contact
_____ Good posture
_____ Natural gestures
_____ Appropriate facial expression
Time Frame:
_____ Five to ten minutes
Comments: ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Should Students Critique Speeches?

A peer critique for speeches can generate ill feeling. Therefore, permit stu-
dents to discuss only the good points of peers speeches (and only when you
ask for their input.) Instead of a peer critique, collect a myriad of famous
speeches, audio, and video, for students appraisal.
How Do Students Critique Videos?

Students can start out evaluating content. You might guide students in vari-
ous ways. They can listen to speeches for credibility, logical sequence, and
colorful usage. Students can point out a speakers use of parallel structure
for emphasis or his penchant for making active verbs the controlling force
of his speech. Routinely, they can discuss the clarity or lack thereof within a
speechwhether the presidential candidate sticks to the topic, the chef uses
smooth transitions between ideas, or the CEOs analogy makes sense.
Next, the class can begin to focus on sound and visual impressions. They
can identify the speakers annoying verbal tics such as the repetition of like,
whatever, uhm, or the elongating of words such as and to buy think-
ing time. Soon theyll recognize the impact of the speakers voice. Theyll
note the monotony of Amelia Earharts delivery about the future of women
and aviation, the mettle in Prime Minister Winston Churchills voice rally-
ing the British troops to brace themselves to their duty, the venom in Senator
Joseph McCarthys speech railing against communists, and the resolve in
President George Bushs speech to bring Saddam Hussein to justice. Theyll
comment on the speakers eye contact, gestures, and facial expression. They
will listen to speeches for style, sense of humor, and inspiration. After a
while, nothing will escape your students scrutiny in public speaking classes.
WITNESSING THE TRANSFORMATION
By the time you wrap up the public speaking experience, students have given
many speeches and listened to numerous speeches by peers, classroom guests,
and audio and video personalities. Adept at preparing, delivering, analyzing,
and critiquing speeches, students are ready to speak up with confidence when
necessary. Moreover, they understand that effective communication means
knowing the value of words and using them to connect with people. These
skills will follow students through life.
Witnessing the transformation from amateur to proficient speaking, you
will urge colleagues to incorporate public speaking in their curriculum. With
no downside, the public speaking experience knows no bounds. Students will
tell you in years to come how public speaking has enriched their lives.
Heres what middle to high school students have to say about the power
of public speaking:
Basically, Ive always felt isolated in school because Ididnt know how to
start a conversation or join a discussion without sounding dumb. My agony
ended in public speaking class. Impromptu speaking familiarized me with
the audience. Igot comfortable just talking. Now Ican speak to anyone
without being afraid.Mia Graham, grade 8
All the impromptu speaking helped me for formal speeches. When my
formal speeches did not go as Iexpected, Iwas better able to improvise
on the spot. Eventually, my public speaking took on great ease since Iwas
confident Icould handle the curve balls. Chava Schein, grade 12
We had to provide the class with a life lesson. Isaid, Dont play with a
baby after he eats. Itold them how Ionce held up my baby brother like
an airplane and swooped around with him until his food came up and fell
directly into my mouth. Ill never forget how the class screeched. That
speech gave me the guts to try out for the school play and Igot a fifty-line
part! Anton Dietrich, grade 6
When you have to keep giving speeches you dont have the time to
think about your ego. Youre constantly thinking of topics and running
them by friends, writing and changing parts, and doing more research.
By the time you get up there, youre like, Okay heres my best shot,
and it turns out just fine. Ididnt have a bit of stage fright. Peyton
Moreau, grade 7
Before Itook public speaking, Iwould tolerate school by doing my own
thing; Iwas a bit of a loner. After my first formal speech titled, How to get
attention, the class laughed with me and Irealized for the first time in high
school that Iwas capable of contributing something. Carlos Delgado,
grade 10
194 Chapter 11
Public speaking taught me that having an opinion doesnt count for much.
Youve got to back it up with something concrete. Ive learned how to
uphold my opinions with bona-fide research. As a result, Ican recognize
when people are fudging it in everyday life. Kaylee Moran, grade 12
***
Emily Dickinson said,

We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the sky.
Your students will attest to this exalted feeling that results from public speak-
ing. Theres nothing like it!
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Student Testimonials1
MissZeffren challenged us to explore the depths of human nature and not

to settle for face value. She guided us to go beyond our natural train of
thought, to think out of the box and truly contemplate and understand the
world and people surroundingus.
Gitty Anemer Ziemba
Everything MissZeffren taught us came alive! Her manner of presentation

was electrifying as she opened our minds to new ideas and worlds.
Adina Boylan Kerstein
I find myself thinking of MissZeffren often. Ihear her voice in my head,

urging, pushing me to stretch further, reach higher, never settling for me-
diocrity in the way Ithink and conduct myself. MissZeffren never taught
us what to think; she taught us how to think. She was genuinely interested
in hearing our opinions, whether it was how we compared and contrasted
stories, what we thought the definition of courage is, or what lessons we
can learn from Clifford, the big reddog.
Yael RabinowichFink
My favorite teacher was MissZeffren. Her lessons included an interesting

activity to help us live a concept or an experiment to drive a point, and
always a practical application to our lives. She taught us how to be more
aware of our environment. Iespecially owe a lot to MissZeffren for giv-
ing me the confidence to write. Inever thought Iwould ever be able to
write competently, but MissZeffren showed me that Icould. She always
199
200 Student Testimonials
praised my work and gave me valuable, constructive feedback. Today,

when Ipick up a pen, MissZeffren is the one guidingme.
SaralaBlatt
MissZeffren was one of those rare teachers you didnt want to disap-
point. Her apparent delight when we understood a concept or wrote a
well-worded essay was more motivating than other teachers most disap-
proving looks in reaction to a misstep. She managed to push us to learn and
want to learn with her humor rather than gravity, with her eagerness rather
than strictness, and with a smile rather than displeasure.
Tzivi LanskyWitty
In the classroom it didnt feel demanding to work hard and think. It felt
exciting and liberating. MissZeffren gave every student a voice, and it
wasnt threatening to explore our minds out loudwhich was helpful be-
cause we could hear others students thoughts and reactions and integrate
ideas. Our learning wasnt for the test. Ithink thats really what Iappreci-
ated most. For the first time, Iwas learning for the sake of learning, not
for the grade. The classroom felt like an ongoing conversation that was
stimulating, purposeful and engaging.
Yocheved Mahana
For some reason, when MissZeffren would walk into class, my mind
would already be racing in preparation for a fascinating lesson. She found
a way to reach every one of our minds and hearts. She kept us hooked by
bring in interesting articles and clips. Her tips and life lessons taught us
how to think for ourselves and look at the world with an open mind. She
taught us so much more than her subjects without us even realizingit.
Chayala Kleinkaufman
MissZeffrens English class inspired me to look deep inside myself. Her

lessons took theoretical concepts and brought them down to earth through
projects and assignments which Istill reflect on, and which guide my work
as a social worker to thisday.
Rochel Teichman Mendlowitz,LSW
Throughout her lessons, MissZeffren skillfully interwove fascinating

facts, thoughts, and insights. These often prompted elaborate discussions
that were captivating to all students regardless of their aptitude in the
particular subject. Above all, Irecall MissZeffrens firm ambition that
the classroom provide a safe haven to all students. Iam fortunate to per-
sonally attest to the warmth and secure feeling that enclosed her classes.
Student Testimonials 201
Beyond her love for teaching and learning, Miss. Zeffrens concern and
respect for every individual made every one of her students feel valued.
Dena Neuburger
NOTE
1. All testimonials are from MissZeffrens former eleventh- and twelfth-grade

students.
About the Author
Having tapped into the hearts and minds of at least five thousand students,
Elisheva Zeffren knows what makes kids tick. MissZeffren has revolu-
tionized schooling by showing educators what works in the contemporary
classroom. Enjoying a personal connection with eighteen principals over
her career and having tested her teaching strategies in their schools with
unbridled success, the author debuts her ideas in Motivating Minds. Currently
an educational consultant and high school teacher in Brooklyn, New York,
MissZeffren confers closely with the faculty who welcome her assistance.
Write to Elisheva Zeffren at Ezeffren@teachingsos.com
Visit the authors website at www.teachingsos.com to ask a teaching question,

browse advice, or give your own input to thousands of educators worldwide.
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Motivating Minds How To Promote Engagement and Participation in K-12 Classrooms

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Motivating Minds How To Promote Engagement and Participation in K-12 Classrooms

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MotivatingMinds

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 2634 Stannary Street, London SE114AB

Copyright 2017 by Elisheva Zeffren

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-PublicationData

978-1-4758-3637-0 (cloth : alk. paper)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of

Printed in the United States of America

Preface: Are Students Unmotivated These Days? ix

Many educators thinkso.

When Iasked these educators what we should do to motivate students,

A high school teacher wrote:

New York, to Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Massachusetts. What

It is with overwhelming gratitude that Iwould like to thank God. Without

SEND STUDENTS ENTICING INVITATIONS

Heighten anticipation by sending or handing out invitations for upcoming

Top Secret Information Inside

Words you might use inside the envelope:

Ready to become a wizard? Bring a brightly decorated wand to class

USE ANTICIPATORY STATEMENTS AT

Welcome wizards! Your wands are blinding my eyes! Ready for me to

CREATE YOUR OWN TUNE FOR

BRING IN CURIOUS OBJECTS

Bring in something curious to trigger surprise. It can be a reptile, a model of

CREATE INTRIGUING HEADLINES

Boy Startled by Animal That BargesIn

What Came Right Into Their LivingRoom

He Cant Believe Whats BehindWall

Something inside this home seemed fishy, so investigators set up a stakeoutand

Why Police Were Called Immediately

New Human Species Discovered?

In 1972, researchers uncovered this craniumbut a new find has experts

See Rest of This Fossil (And Why Its soOdd)

For introducing Margery Williams book, The Velveteen Rabbit:

For an article on the dangers of aspartame:

The Sweet Poison the FDA Didnt Want to Approve

For a lesson on villains in literature:

USE POSITIVE OR HAPPYWORDS

Lets spring to our computer stations to practice writing HTML codes!

DRAW A NAME FROM ALOT

BUILD CURIOSITY FOR READING

If you would personify death, what would be its message to humankind?

How powerful are books? Can they save lives? Howso?

ASK STUDENTS WHAT HAPPENSNEXT

Theres an added excitement to discovery when students predict an outcome

Class, Im curious about something now. Im wondering if we will agree

Incidentally, you can create a high degree of anticipation by hinting to edu-

have an interest in knowing the information suddenly become curious to

By giving little clues, the teacher succeeds in transfixing her audience.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF HINTING WHEN

WRITE THREE PROPHECIES

This initiative works for discouraging unwanted comments as well. Lets

Practice a little reverse psychology to spur students concentration by speak-

In five minutes, youre going to know what causes you to laugh!

REVEL IN THE MOMENT

Encourage students to take group photographs with their finished products

LEAVE YOUR CLASS OFF ANTICIPATING

Icant wait to start the program tomorrow!

Mention something incredible youll be doing with your class:

Tomorrow Im going to teach you how to gain respect by correcting a few

WHATEVER YOU DO, DONT BE PREDICTABLE

unit. Your test on probability is next week Wednesday, February9. With

Using the Fun Theory to Engage

Preface: Are Students Unmotivated These Days? ix