4 ms·

A bit tangential but, when a teacher asks if anyone knows x, he/she doesn't want the nerd wiseguy who actually knows to answer, he wants someone who is unsure t

by 725686 2y ago

A bit tangential but, when a teacher asks if anyone knows x, he/she doesn't want the nerd wiseguy who actually knows to answer, he wants someone who is unsure to answer so that everyone can participate in the learning experience.

pxc 2y ago
When a teacher does that every class, multiple times a class, it becomes agonizingly boring for the students who actually understand what is going on. The long silences while no one is willing to raise their hand are painful and irritating. That kind of thing is exactly what pushes the 'nerd' to act the part of the 'wiseguy', sighing as he raises his hand, blurting an answer out out-of-turn, etc. It's also a good way to encourage your smartest students to completely disengage and sleep through class. The more the class consists of exercises like this, the more it feels like a waste of the more advanced students' time and the greater the sense of distance it creates between the more advanced students and the ones who are slower or more behind. You'd be better off just putting the more middling, slower or less consistent students in the hotseat than asking if 'anyone' knows the answer, and then whenever their answer has a problem asking if anyone can rephrase or reframe the thing just taught in a way that makes more sense to the unsure student, then ask the student who answered earlier if they're satisfied with that answer or if it's not quite rock solid for them. That way, the more advanced students can at least still participate in moving the discussion forward in a non-antagonistic way (if you are ruthless about prohibiting mockery of incorrect or partial answers). Same thing if you ask questions that have multiple somewhat obvious answers but only accept one oral answer per student (maybe take additional written answers for credit as homework or a bonus or just some kind of feedback, to make it easier to adhere to that rule). Then your more eager students are more opening up the floor for more reluctant students than just preempting them.
- AStonesThrow 2y ago
  There is a written version of this called "cloze sentences". One of my teachers would distribute cloze notes before each lecture. Then it was up to follow along, and fill in the blanks. Or, jump ahead if we felt confident, without the classroom atmosphere of "let's see who knows this first!" She also used humorous props and catch-phrases. Introduce the prop, explain its meaning, return to the prop and repeat the catch phrase, and pretty soon, the whole class is chanting along with it. It was an adult class, an introduction to a complex and philosophical topic, and we ran through it in a few weeks. She did not omit Powerpoints with animations.
  - pxc 2y ago
    That sounds like a really, really fun class with an enthusiastic teacher. I'd never heard of that kind of thing. Thanks not just for the story but also sharing the name of the technique! It definitely sounds like it allows flexible pacing in the same class that could help a teacher to accommodate different students well.
strken 2y ago
When the nerd wiseguy answers anyway, he/she doesn't actually want to disrupt the teacher's flow, he/she finds the ten seconds of complete silence awkward and wants to move on to the next thing. Seriously, it was so annoying to have to participate in the charade. I put a paperback in my pencil case, but some teachers took it personally if I read during class, and it's absolute torture to have to listen to a disengaged group stumble through an answer to a question like this with your full attention on the front of the class. As an adult nobody tries to teach you using question and answer for anything that requires more time than a first aid certificate because they know damn well that you'll leave and/or pull out your phone.

by 725686 2y ago

pxc 2y ago

When a teacher does that every class, multiple times a class, it becomes agonizingly boring for the students who actually understand what is going on. The long silences while no one is willing to raise their hand are painful and irritating. That kind of thing is exactly what pushes the 'nerd' to act the part of the 'wiseguy', sighing as he raises his hand, blurting an answer out out-of-turn, etc. It's also a good way to encourage your smartest students to completely disengage and sleep through class. The more the class consists of exercises like this, the more it feels like a waste of the more advanced students' time and the greater the sense of distance it creates between the more advanced students and the ones who are slower or more behind. You'd be better off just putting the more middling, slower or less consistent students in the hotseat than asking if 'anyone' knows the answer, and then whenever their answer has a problem asking if anyone can rephrase or reframe the thing just taught in a way that makes more sense to the unsure student, then ask the student who answered earlier if they're satisfied with that answer or if it's not quite rock solid for them. That way, the more advanced students can at least still participate in moving the discussion forward in a non-antagonistic way (if you are ruthless about prohibiting mockery of incorrect or partial answers). Same thing if you ask questions that have multiple somewhat obvious answers but only accept one oral answer per student (maybe take additional written answers for credit as homework or a bonus or just some kind of feedback, to make it easier to adhere to that rule). Then your more eager students are more opening up the floor for more reluctant students than just preempting them.

AStonesThrow 2y ago
There is a written version of this called "cloze sentences". One of my teachers would distribute cloze notes before each lecture. Then it was up to follow along, and fill in the blanks. Or, jump ahead if we felt confident, without the classroom atmosphere of "let's see who knows this first!" She also used humorous props and catch-phrases. Introduce the prop, explain its meaning, return to the prop and repeat the catch phrase, and pretty soon, the whole class is chanting along with it. It was an adult class, an introduction to a complex and philosophical topic, and we ran through it in a few weeks. She did not omit Powerpoints with animations.
- pxc 2y ago
  That sounds like a really, really fun class with an enthusiastic teacher. I'd never heard of that kind of thing. Thanks not just for the story but also sharing the name of the technique! It definitely sounds like it allows flexible pacing in the same class that could help a teacher to accommodate different students well.

strken 2y ago

When the nerd wiseguy answers anyway, he/she doesn't actually want to disrupt the teacher's flow, he/she finds the ten seconds of complete silence awkward and wants to move on to the next thing. Seriously, it was so annoying to have to participate in the charade. I put a paperback in my pencil case, but some teachers took it personally if I read during class, and it's absolute torture to have to listen to a disengaged group stumble through an answer to a question like this with your full attention on the front of the class. As an adult nobody tries to teach you using question and answer for anything that requires more time than a first aid certificate because they know damn well that you'll leave and/or pull out your phone.