#49 Play the "Does that make sense?" game

I find this the best way to break of the habit of using this troublesome phrase

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💡 A tip to try in class this week 💡

Most readers will be aware that asking “Does that make sense?” following an explanation or a set of instructions is a pretty bad way of checking students are listening or understanding. It is all too easy for students to nod and keep quiet either through apathy, a lack of confidence, a fear of letting us down, or because they simply haven’t been listening.

But, if you are anything like me, questions such as “Does this make sense?”, or its equally troublesome brethren “Everyone happy?”, and “Got it?”, are so ingrained in your teaching canon that they are difficult to ditch.

Something that can help in this regard is to gamify the issue. Taking inspiration from Adam Boxer’s repeated instructions game, start the day on 10 points. Write a list of phrases you want to stop saying on your board. Tell your students that you are trying to stop saying them and why, and instruct them to listen out for them. Each time you utter one of these phrases, your students tell you and you lose one point. The challenge is to try and get to the end of the day still in the positives. Trying to get through Period 1 might be a more realistic challenge at the start.

As well as helping you shake a troublesome habit, doing this has the added bonus that it gives your students an extra incentive to pay attention to what you are saying.

What do you think of this idea?

What would you need to change to make this tip work for you?

When could you try it for the first time?

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🏃🏻‍♂️Before you go, have you… 🏃🏻‍♂️

1. … tried last week’s tip about checking for listening when planning and explanation?

2. … read my latest Eedi newsletter about developing a departmental approach to the Do Now?

3. … listened to my latest podcast with Ollie Lovell and Zach Groshell?

4. … read my Tips for Teachers book?

5. … considered booking some CPD, coaching or maths department support?

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