#57 Don't give the correct answer until after your explanation

If you do give the correct answer, you might shut down thinking

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💡 A tip to try in class this week 💡

Here is something I see a lot in the lessons I watch each week. The teacher asks a question, the students respond either on mini-whiteboards, with ABCD cards, or via a sequence of Cold Calls, and the teacher says something like:

So, 27 is the correct answer. Josie, can you tell us where you got 50 from?

Or:

27 is the correct answer. Let’s go through it now.

In both scenarios, the teacher confirmed the correct answer before hearing a student's explanation or sharing their own explanation. I think this is a missed opportunity.

Imagine you are a student who has an answer different from 27. How would you feel? Sure, you might be motivated to listen to the explanation to find out how to answer the question correctly, but you might also think: okay, so there is yet another thing I don’t get, and promptly switch off.

Now, imagine you are a student with the correct answer of 27. Would you be fully engaged in the explanation that follows? Or might you conclude that seeing as you got the question correct, you have earned a little cognitive break, which might result in you missing a critical insight from the teacher or another student?

Either way, confirming the correct answer before an explanation risks incentivising students to switch off from that explanation. Holding the correct answer back until you have heard from several students (remembering to Hide your Tell, of course!) or until you have finished your explanation does the opposite.

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 going through the answers?

2. … read my latest Eedi newsletter about building a little bit of problem-solving into every lesson?

3. … listened to my latest podcast with Josh Goodrich about coaching responsively?

4. … read my Tips for Teachers book?

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

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