Do Your Responses Start or Stop Student Thinking?

As teachers, we are inundated with questions from students at what feels like a rate of one question per second. These questions can be valuable and often provide great insight into students’ knowledge and areas that need additional support. The way in which we respond to these questions can promote more student thinking, but they can also unwittingly end the conversation.

In this blog post, we’ll investigate three of the most common questions we hear from students when working in groups in our classes. With each question below, we will identify responses we may give that end the students’ thinking, as well as highlight possible responses that we could use instead to keep students thinking.

Is this right?

This is probably the most asked question in any math classroom. It’s quick and used so frequently that we often respond with a quick yes or no and then move on. But if we tell students they are right/wrong, this does not encourage students to do the deeper work of checking their answers, verifying their solution makes sense, or utilizing other resources to arrive at this answer. This response positions us, the teacher, as the sole provider of knowledge and does not ask the students to consider how they can answer this question with the resources of the classroom.

Responses that end student thinking

• Yes/No

• You’re so close! You just forgot to [insert key idea that tells students the error AND how to fix it].

Responses that keep students thinking

• What resources can you use to check your work? (This emphasizes that other groups/students have knowledge too.)

• I’m really curious about the process your group used to arrive at this solution. Can someone explain to me how you got this answer? (This focuses on the value in the process over the end result.)

• How confident are you in your group’s response and what would make you feel even more confident? (This encourages students to assess their own confidence with their work and find ways to increase this confidence without needing a teacher to check their work.)

• If another group had a different answer, what could your group do to convince them that your solution is correct? (This asks students to consider various ways in which they can check their own work and come to their own conclusion.)

Can you tell me what to do next?

This question comes from students who are stuck and unsure about how to move forward with their group. But the distinction here is the use of “me.” A common teacher response is, “Did you ask your group?” or “What does your group think?” Students sometimes hear this and internalize that you are refusing to help them, even though that is not your intention. The goal here is to encourage students to rely upon the collective knowledge of their group members and learn from them–especially when you know one or more of those peers can answer that question. However, we don’t want students to feel like we’re not there to help, so when students ask this, it is extremely important that we follow up with them after they’ve had a chance to learn from their peers about what they gained. This shows them that we are not refusing to help them, and that we believe in their peer’s explanations. Additionally, if the explanation didn’t make sense, asking them what they gained provides the student a chance to get clarification on what they heard and then offer the student more specific support.

Responses that end student thinking

• Of course! Next you [insert the idea that will help the student continue working through the problem on their own].

• Did you ask your group? (The teacher never returns to check on the student after this question).

Responses that keep students thinking

• What was an idea shared by a group member that provided clarity on this problem? (This reinforces the knowledge of the peers in that group.)

• What additional information do you need so you can feel confident explaining this to someone else? (This lets students know it’s ok to ask for a second (or third) explanation and encourages them to reflect on what information they are still confused on.)

• Another group was thinking about [insert idea related to the problem here]. How does their idea support or change your group’s current idea? (This question can be used with an individual student who seems to be disengaged from their group, providing them a subtle hint that they can use to contribute to the rest of the group.)

Can you please help us?

When working in groups, this is the ideal question we want our students to ask! They’ve moved away from right/wrong thinking, are focused on the collective learning of their group by focusing on “us,” and are now ready to dive deeper into a concept that the entire group cannot understand yet. However, we still have the potential to remove student thinking if we are overly helpful and provide too much support.

Responses that end student thinking

• I would love to! So the next thing your group should do is [insert ideas on how to solve the problem].

• What is your group’s thought? (students share) Oh, your error is [insert explanation of group error AND how to fix it].

Responses that keep students thinking

• What is your group’s current understanding of the problem? (We typically encourage you to ask this to the person who did not ask the question, to ensure all students have the same question and collective understanding.)

• What does your group need to know more about to continue moving forward? (This will allow you to consider how to provide just enough support to the group but not provide too much that you’ve finished the problem for them.)

• What resources does your group have available that can help you answer your question? (This again focuses on the collective knowledge of the room, rather than relying only on the teacher as the source of knowledge. Students can use previous notes and/or peers to gain insight, support their work, or challenge their process.)

As teachers, our goal is to encourage our students to be critical thinkers, collaborate with peers, and become more confident in their thought process. By taking time to slow down and reflect upon how our responses to our students’ questions can contribute to or take away from our students’ learning, we continue to grow in supporting all learners and keeping our students at the center of the learning. So, what questions do you have? 🙂