Shawna Rothgeb-Bird General

Quick and Simple Language Activities

Over the past few years, I’ve spent a decent amount of time amassing quick and simple language activities to use with my class. I’ve focused on finding things that easily adapt to a wide range of abilities, can be used in a variety of ways, and are fast to set up. I like to use these activities during my language groups/centres time, but they’re also really handy to have around in case there are any last minute schedule changes or an unexpected absence.

1) Photo of the Day: I load up a photo from a website like National Geographic (their Photo of the Day galleries are great) or a news source. I like to choose photos with a lot of interesting elements to them – things my students can talk about, think about, compare to their own experiences, etc. I provide my students with some sentence starters (I teach a second language program) and then ask them to write about the photo, prepare a short presentation for the class, or discuss it in groups. My sentence starters are things like:

“In this photo, I see…” / “Dans cette photo, je vois…”

“I think ________ becase ________…” / “Je pense que ________ parce que ________…”

“This photo makes me think of…” / “Cette photo me fait penser à…”

My students talk about where they think the photo was taken, what they think is happening in the photo, what details they notice which provide them with insight into where/when the photo was taken and what is going on. These activities have taught them a lot about providing evidence and justifying their responses, which has helped their literacy development considerably.

 

2) Journal Tic-Tac-Toe: At the beginning of the week, I set up one of my language centres with a tic-tac-toe sheet (really just a 3×3 grid) where each square has a different writing prompt. Over the course of the week, students choose three prompts to write about, with the caveat that their three choices have to make a straight line. The prompts can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. You can tie them into your Social Studies or Science units, or you can focus on specific writing forms, or follow a simple theme. These sheets provide students with choice while focusing on specific skills or subjects.

 

3) Story Starters: My husband is a professional artist, so sometimes I ask him to make things for me to use in the classroom. It’s pretty awesome when he has the time to make something for me! One thing he made me several years ago was a bunch of sets of “story starters” – collections of images (two characters, an object, and a location) based on fairy tales or themes. I printed them out on cardstock, laminated them, and put them all on their own keyring. In my classroom, I use them for writing and drama. They’re handy to have around for having students come up with simple skits to get them speaking (especially useful in a second language classroom like mine). Sometimes I use them in their original sets, other times I mix and match characters, settings, and objects from different stories/themes. I have about twelve different sets of these, which I keep in jars/tubs that students can draw them out of randomly. Here’s an example of a printsheet with a few different sets:

Story Starter Small Set 1

 

4) Boggle: I have a standard Boggle template I’ve made and a bunch of laminated square cards that I can write letters on with dry-erase markers. The square cards have magnets on the back so that I can stick them on the blackboard. Students have to make as many words as possible with the letters provided. In French, I don’t worry about adding accents to vowels, telling my students instead that they can add accents to the letters as necessary when forming words. We keep a tally in the class throughout the week of which students have found the most words and/or the longest words, which really motivates them to try and find more as the week progresses. I usually pick the letters for the week by starting with a long word so that my students have a really good one to find. Sometimes I use letters that I know will form a vocabulary word from a unit we’re studying. I don’t do Boggle every week, but they enjoy it every time I do!

 

Hopefully those are a few ideas others can use in their classroom when they need something fast and simple to prepare. The nice thing about them all is that once you’ve set them up once, they’re really easy to come back to again. I have all my favourite photos bookmarked, for example, and I keep lists of Boggle letter sets my students were really successful with.

If you have any favourite quick/simple set-up language activities you do with your students, let me know! I am always looking to add to my repertoire.

Shawna Rothgeb-Bird General

On Work/Life Balance

When I started teaching five years ago, I quickly became known at my school for being at work late. I was usually one of the first teachers to arrive, and I was nearly always the last teacher to leave. I would be in the building for ten to twelve hours a day. I brought work home with me many nights, and every weekend I would spend hours marking, planning, finding ways to keep working long after I should have been finished for the week. I had the sense that if I didn’t spend that much time doing work, I would fall behind, my students would suffer, and my colleagues wouldn’t see me as a dedicated teacher.

(The funny thing about that, as an aside, is that I never thought any less of my colleagues who didn’t spend ten hours a day at work. I could see that they were all good teachers no matter how much time they spent at work. So why did I feel like I was any different?)

Two months ago, I went back to work after being on parental leave for a little over a year. One of the concessions I had to make, now that I have a child at home, was how much time I spend at work. I pick my daughter up from day care at 4 PM, which leaves us just enough time to get home, play a little, have dinner, take a bath, and go to bed. On days when I have to be at work later than usual (such as staff meeting nights or union meetings), I don’t see my daughter at all. She is just getting up as I leave the house in the morning, and she’s in bed by the time I get home on those nights. Because of this, I make it a point to leave as early as possible every day that I don’t have something after work.

Before, my hours were generally 7:30-5:30 or later. Now, I get to work between 7 and 7:30, but I leave by 3:30 every day. I am spending considerably less time at work. And here’s the thing: my students are fine, I’m fine, and my classroom is running pretty much the same way it always has. The only appreciable difference between my last year at work and this year is that I’m spending a lot less time “at work” and a lot more time with my family. I still bring work home sometimes, but I don’t feel guilty when it doesn’t get done. I still spend some time after work prepping for the next day, but more of my prep and marking is done during school hours (such as at lunch and recess). I’ve changed some of my assessment practices to make assessment easier and quicker (more on that in another post).

My professional life has not suffered in any way from me leaving at a reasonable time and leaving work at work. My personal life, however, has benefited tremendously from this new schedule: not only do I have more time to spend with my daughter, but I have more time for my husband and friends as well.

I am still behind on marking, just like I was when I would be at work late every night. There is still more I could do to prepare for lessons or plan ahead of time, just like before. There are many days when I am running around all day to get things done before leaving, and there are days when I bring a stack of work home because I have no choice but to get it done that night. But that’s my point: it was like that before, and it’s exactly the same now, only I’m spending a lot less time at work and a lot more time with family and friends.

And my students are okay.

If you’re a teacher doing what I was doing – spending over ten hours a day at work because you think you need to in order to be a good teacher – try taking a step back for a few weeks. Try leaving earlier, leaving work at home, changing some of your assessment methods so that you’re spending less time marking. You might be surprised at how little it changes your professional life… and how much it changes your personal life.

Tammy Axt General

How important are the arts?

arts

Look very closely at the picture above. This picture was taken at an elementary school in St.Kitts while I was on a tour. I stopped to look at the bulletin board and on the board was a list of classes that the students could choose from for the upcoming term. There choices were Cooking, guitar, drumming, steel pan, dance, drama, sewing, arts and crafts and masquerade. As an arts teacher, with a team of three to support the pursuit of arts at my school, we would not come even close to offering our students all of these subjects as a separate choice.

The reason why I was lucky enough to be taking a school tour in St.Kitts was because two summers ago I was a member of Project Overseas. As a participant on Project Overseas, I spent the month of July giving workshops to teachers in St.Kitts about autism and it was the experience of a lifetime. Although I was there to lead workshops, I definitely learned a lot about my own practice and came back with a lot of questions about our education system. First and foremost, how important are the arts?

Teaching in an elementary school, I see the benefits of the arts every day. For many of my students, it is a chance to be successful in an otherwise challenging day. For other students, it is the outlet that helps them deal with challenges in their home life. I could tell the story of my struggling student who beamed when all of his classmates gave him a standing ovation in class for his beat boxing presentation. During our Black History Month assembly, one of our students did such an amazing dramatic interpretation of a Maya Angelou poem the whole audience broke into thunderous applause at the end and she looked so happy. There are stories of art projects, songs written, original dance moves and hours upon hours of critical thinking and creative expression.

The arts also support learning in all other areas of the curriculum. The scientific inquiry process and the creative process follow a very similar trajectory. They both encourage a lot of curiosity and a chance to try something out and revise as needed. The arts also support learning in math. Music notation and instruction in rhythm is basically a different way of thinking about fractions. Many music posters with division of beats look identical to fraction strips. When I walk around my school, I also often see art projects based in tessellations or symmetry. Social studies is basically embedded in the third overall expectation in the arts curriculum. Analyzing historical contexts and the past and present community perspectives is taught every term in Ontario arts classrooms and that is directly tied with the Social Studies curriculum. Finally, language is often what drives music melody and dramatic presentations.

The arts are also bring us together and make us feel good about ourselves. I have read so many studies about how music and the arts provide stress relief and comfort in times of need. With a very important move towards providing support to our students in the area of mental health, we need to recognize the important role that the arts can play in achieving this goal.

I recognize that I teach in a school with a large staff that requires a lot of planning time so having specialized arts teachers is easier for us than many others. However, when you start looking at the research conducted by People for Education in 2013 versus the same study in 1998 about specialist teachers I start to wonder about the direction we are taking. In 2013, only 44% of elementary schools had specialist teachers dedicated to teaching the music curriculum. In 1998, the number of specialist music teachers was 58%. My question is if planning time went up over the last 15 years why are there fewer music teachers required?

Can classroom teachers do an amazing job at teaching, drama, dance, visual arts and music? Of course they can! I see amazing instruction in the area of visual arts at my school all the time. However, with funding for arts performances and programs down as well as declining commitment to have specialist teachers are we moving in the right direction?

Tammy Axt Building Inclusion, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, General

Modifications and Accommodations in the Music Room

Modifications and accommodations happen daily in every classroom in Ontario. Teachers strive hard to make sure that their students have the necessary tools and supports to help them achieve the expectations of the Ontario Curriculum or modified goals. The following are some of the accommodations and/or modifications that I have used this year with a focus on the most common tool used in music…instruments!

When you ask my students what their favorite part of music is, many of them would answer quickly that they like using the instruments. I agree, instruments are AWESOME, but they can also be very challenging for students with impairments in fine motor skills, breath control, impulse control or visual acuity. To help these students, try a few of the following tricks…

  1. Xylophones- Most xylophones have removable bars for students who are overwhelmed with all of the notes laid out before them. I take the bars off that the students don’t need to play a particular song. I also rearrange the bars to make sections of the music more playable for some students. For example, I will move the E and F bars away from the G and A bars so that the student can more easily see the space between the two and identify them as separate. Selecting only part of the melody or accompaniment can also give students with processing difficulties a chance to keep up with the pace of the music. For my students with impulse control challenges, I give them a heads up that while I am giving the instructions I will be holding their mallets and as soon as we start playing I will return them. Furthermore, improvisation can be your student’s best friend on the xylophone as it takes the pressure off of playing specific notes. Finally, metallophones have much better contrast for students with visual impairments than regular xylophones.
  2. Recorders- To help students match their fingers to the right holes on the recorder, I have used small pieces of coloured electrical tape. I put a small piece of blue on the first hole of the recorder and put a small piece of blue on their pointer finger of their left hand. I add one finger at a time and work towards removing the tape when the student is ready. I have also matched a colour coded system to the music that they are reading. For students who have large challenges in fine motor skills, I have also taped the back hole for the first section of the year to let them focus on the front holes.
  3. Drums and Percussion Instruments- When it comes to the percussion family, instrument choice becomes very important. Maracas, bells and guiros are some of the more difficult instruments to use to produce clear rhythms. Rhythm sticks and bucket drums are a much better choice as the sound is more easily produced and controlled. Another helpful tool is to use words to learn rhythms. Using words to help students learn rhythms is great for all students but is especially important for students who need extra support. From the tabla in India to the taiko drum in Japan, there are so many countries that use words to share rhythms. Simple or repetitive words are much more accessible than musical notation for many students.

 

Tisha Nelson General

Reflections on Black History Month

February is Black History Month. It is a month dedicated to paying homage to the diverse contributions and experiences of ordinary and extraordinary Black Canadians, members of the African Diaspora around the world, as well as those who live and whose roots stem from the continent of Africa. There are, in fact, many months that have like-intentions to highlight the narratives of historically marginalized groups in Canada: Women’s History Month in March, Asian Heritage Month in May and National Aboriginal History Month in June. The presence of these months speaks to the result of historical silencing of these narratives from mainstream discourse wherein a call for intentional action in addressing missing voices have been issued in public spaces. But how might we authentically achieve the goals of heritage/history months within our classrooms in ways that go beyond their designated months?

As noble starting points, heritage/history months, and in particular, Black History Month, can be addressed in tokenistic or celebratory ways that miss the intention behind their existence. Songs and dances, foods and celebrating public icons are great starting point in capturing the wealth of often untold histories/her-stories of the Canadian experience. Narratives of pioneers, inventors, politicians, “rebels” and “heroes”, civil right leaders, doctors, nurses, mothers, fathers, caregivers, veterans, children and their experiences in schools, laws, lawsuits, inclusion, exclusion, all make up the rich tapestry of Canadian nation building. With narratives so rich and deep, it important to have these included in the discourse of everyday schooling regardless of the month. As such, heritage/history months should be seen as an impetus to intentionally integrate the diverse narratives of Canadian communities in the everyday-discourse of our classrooms.

What does it actually look like to go beyond a heritage/history month? More than having images of people of racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds posted around the classroom, moving beyond the month might look like intentionally including diverse voices and perspectives in the classroom conversation. It may not solely be reading texts where the protagonist comes from a minoritized community, but rather inviting a discussion around the missing voices in existing texts. It may not be limited to including math questions that include ethnic sounding names, but rather investigating the practice of name changing or prevalence of anglicizing names in general. In grappling with what moving beyond heritage/history months might look like, consider some of the following questions:

  • How might diverse narratives be shared in ways that do not reinforce limiting and sometimes harmful stereotypes?
  • How might teachers engage students in learning opportunities when the student body seemingly is void of students who share the specific heritage that is being acknowledged during the month?
  • What might the conversation sound like or feel like when addressing painful memories as well as uncomfortable truths?
  • How might one invite the telling of stories by those who love them rather than telling their stories for them?

I end this post with more questions than answers. Perhaps this is an invitation to engage our students/colleagues in uncovering that which lie beneath the surface.

Tisha Nelson Black History Month, Challenging Topics, Equity, General, Inquiry, Math

Geometry and Race

Can you have a conversation about Black History Month without discussing race?

Important question? Bold question? Irrelevant question?Let me digress here to share an exchange I had with my grade 3/4 students during math class in February.

I’m a math teacher. Although the conversations that take place in my class go deep within and far beyond the math curriculum, I love inviting my students to make connections between real life and the mathematical ideas we explore.

In an integrated unit on Data Management and Geometry, my students were invited to investigate and name the many attributes of 2D figures with a focus on the properties of polygons. They learned the latin prefixes used to name various polygons based on the number of sides. We engaged in an angle scavenger hunt all over the school, classifying the angles we noticed as acute, obtuse and right angles. We also wrote a song that highlighted our learning, adding verses as the learning progressed throughout the unit (https://heartandart.ca/?p=3638).

In a particular conversation about the similarities and differences among quadrilaterals, I questioned my students on the need to classify polygons and then further classify them within the category of quadrilaterals. I then invited them to name the other ways in which things or people are categorized based on different attributes. Almost immediately some students shouted, “skin colour!” Was I shocked? A little bit, but I thought, let’s go there. I had never really engaged in an conversation about race with this group of students and I was curious to hear what was on their minds about the subject. The conversation then delved into discussing the confusion between incongruent language that is often used to describe skin colour when the actual colours in questions were browns, tans and peach-like hues. This conversation invited students to voice questions and make connections between the experiences of fitting in and not fitting in in particular spaces – in a similar way that a trapezoid fits into the category of a quadrilateral, but not in the experience of being a parallelogram. It was an interesting conversation that led to what one student called it as being “shape racism” and another student naming it as “social injustice.” Students have a lot on their minds – I was intrigued with what they shared and the ways in which they articulated their thinking and confusions about the experience of labeling.

Race and geometry were intertwined in that one conversation. Who would have thought? So back to my original question which may, depending on how you look at it, or may not be related to everything I just articulated. Can you have a conversation about Black History Month without discussing race?

Will Gourley Challenging Topics, Constant Learning, General, Mental Health, Professional Learning and Growth

Time for a change

quote by Admiral Grace Hopper
quote by Admiral Grace Hopper

The words above can pervade many work cultures.
It is no different in education. Here’s why.

“We’ve always done it this way,” says…

There is nothing to strive towards. It says, “we’re out of ideas.”
Change is frightening, requires hard work to implement, and may have unpredictable outcomes. It says our corporate culture is too fragile and or afraid to take chances that might result in failure. Run!

“We’ve always done it this way,” says…
Disruption and change are not allowed in the building because they challenge the structures and status quo. It says, “free and fresh thinking are not welcome.” Is there any place where this is a healthy work ethos?

“We’ve always done it this way.” says…
It’s easier to go with the flow than rock the boat. It says that making waves might sink your career. Let me throw you a lifeline.

A friend gave me some great advice when I started out my career as a teacher. He said, “Never stay at a school for too long. Take the opportunity to join new communities of learners to keep your practice growing.” In my career, to date, I have worked at 3 schools and have loved every new adventure.

Was it scary to leave and join a bunch of strangers? Yes! Was it worth? YES!
Do I miss my colleagues? Of course, but that is exactly what coffee shops were made for — reconnecting.

Joining a new staff allowed me to broaden my professional practice and experience new communities of learners while broadening my world-view in education. Think of it from this angle; by making a change you will bring the benefit of your experiences and enthusiasm to a new school. It is in these shifts and new partnerships that strengthens our collective wisdom, and is crucial to innovation of our profession.

It is the time of year where we are asked to submit our teaching assignment requests for next September. For many new teachers this is a great chance to stretch beyond the confines of the comfort zone towards new opportunities.

Frank Zappa said, “Without deviation from the norm, progress is impossible.” This has to start from within. If you work in a place where innovation and growth are discouraged, let me encourage you to take a chance, step out of your comfort zone, and make a change. Seek out communities where ideas are fostered, tested, and curated.

Change is often messy, but it is important to progress. A very very few might still lament not being able to hand write report cards. Although, at the time, there were skeptics of the technology and the disruption it caused while teachers learnt and mastered a newer method of reporting.*

Step out, break free, and affect change in your space. Do anything, but maintain the status quo.
I encourage you to find like minded educators who value the process over perfection and consider where to make a change in your practice whether it is by applying to a new school or in courageously sharing fresh ideas in yours.

*If you’ve seen my handwriting you will be glad the reports are typed and printed.

Mike Beetham Assessment, Celebrating Success, Communication with Parents and Guardians, General, self reflection

Weekly News

I want to share with you an experiment gone really right. Over 2o years ago, a very good friend of mine and I started working with high-risk youth (Grade 6 -8) in our board in the summers. We had developed a program based around adventure-based learning. Our focus was to use the outdoors and physical challenges to assist them in developing social and self-regulation skills that would increase the probability of their success in school. One of the tools we developed was a Daily Newsletter (as we called it at that time) to inform families of their child’s progress as well as provide a summary of the days successes and occasional not so good outcomes. That one teaching tool has evolved over the last twenty years into what is now my Weekly Parent Book.

At the end of each week, at my classroom computer station I sit, look around my room and ask myself the following questions:

  1. How well did I meet the needs of each of my students?
  2. Did I make time to talk with each student on a one-to-one basis to find out how their life is going?
  3. Did I push too hard or not hard enough in moving them along their academic journey?
  4. What did I accomplish this week in literacy, numeracy etc.?
  5. What went well in Room 16 this week?
  6. What did not go well in Room 16 this week?
  7. How will I use that information to make the next week more successful for everyone?

That weekly routine has turned into one of the most rewarding and successful self-reflection tools I have ever had. Its initial, sole intent was to inform parents of what was going on in their child’s classroom. What it has become is a tool that I use to inform families, publish good news stories, share advice on how parents can help their child, updates on school-wide initiatives and most importantly, a tool to reflect on my week’s teaching.

It is a time that I actually use to decompress from the week’s events, look back in order to plan ahead for my next week and set goals of what I need to accomplish the following week (from a curriculum standpoint or what is needed to help specific students move forward). As the year progresses, the content of the weekly news becomes a shared work whereby students start to contribute to its production. That is when this tool becomes a very powerful learning tool for all of us.

Of course being the old school type, every Monday our morning circle starts with the sharing of the past week, goal setting using the feedback on that two-sided sheet of paper and then the ritual of adding it to their Parent Book to go home and be read and signed by an adult in their home. It goes home on Monday and is not due back until the following Monday to accommodate a wide variety of family scenarios and work schedules. The back of the page usually has some photograph that was taken during the week, an advice column, new goals for the class, a funny parent story or some other kind of important read for my families. At the end of the year it turns into a yearbook that can serve as a memory of their year. I still have all of my copies and when I need a little nostalgia fix all I have to do is go back and look through my career, year-by-year.

Weekly News

Tammy Axt Diverse Learning Needs, General

IEPs for Music

This week I am faced with the task of completing my term two IEPs for the subject area of music. Below is my process in determining the need for a student to be placed on an IEP for music and some of the past comments that I have used for my students.

Determining the need

Every year in term one and term two, I receive a list from the special education support team of students that are on an IEP. Attached to this list is the question of whether or not I feel that any of the students currently on an IEP require specialized goals for music.

The first question that I ask myself when determining whether or not a student requires an IEP comment for music is “Does the student’s exceptionality impair their ability to be academically successful in music?” In order to determine the answer to this question, I gather some assessment data on the student. This can be challenging at the beginning of the school year when the IEP needs to be completed in a very tight time frame. To help speed up the process, I recommend reading the student’s IPRC’s statement of decision or previous IEPs as they can direct you to analyze the student’s specific exceptionality in the context of your class. Afterwards, I watch my students for impairments in things like receptive language, language processing, expressive language, cognitive abilities, sensory engagement, visual spatial processing and both fine and gross motor skills. In a nutshell, after I have read the decision about the student’s needs in their OSR, I watch closely to see how that impacts their learning in music.

Once I have evidence to support my decision, I go about setting the direction for the music section of the IEP. After analyzing the data, I must decide whether to modify the number of expectations or modify the grade level expectations that I am using to assess the student. In addition, if the student is on an alternative IEP, I must create a measurable goal for them. I do my best to create a goal that will both challenge the student and ensure success for them.

After I have decided on the goal for the term, I compile the accommodations, assessment methods and annual program goals for the students. I then pass all of the information over to the teacher in charge of the IEP. See below for some examples.

Comments for Alternative IEPS

will demonstrate a response to a variety of songs once in a music period.

will physically respond to music (e.g., claps hands, whole body movements).

will participate in music 30% of the time

will participate in music class by singing and playing the xylophone, drums and unpitched instruments for 30 minutes every class

will create and perform a simple composition with some support

will perform a musical piece in front of a large audience

will participate and explore on the xylophone, drums and unpitched instruments

will ask music teacher or peers for help

Comments for IEPs

will apply the creative process to create and perform simple music compositions from modified musical notation.

will sing unison songs in tune and play simple accompaniments.

will perform simple music compositions from modified musical notation.

will communicate his feelings and ideas in response to a piece of music.

will respond to a piece of music through movement and using a light show.

will sing unison songs in tune and/or play simple melodies and accompaniments for music from a wide variety of cultures, styles and historical periods.

will create and perform music in unison on the xylophone and unpitched percussion instruments.

Assessment Methods

Observation of student playing an instrument

Checklist

music performance

self-reflection after singing a song

demonstration of moving to music

Accomadations

Colour cues

Large size font

Use of headphones

Visual cueing

Extra time for processing

Scribing

 

 

Resources – Here are a few resources to give some guidance when writing IEPs.

PRS Matters has written a great bulletin called “The Individual Education Plan (IEP)-What You Need To Know http://www.etfo.ca/AdviceForMembers/PRSMattersBulletins/Pages/Individual%20Education%20Plan%20Advice%20to%20Members.aspx

A great resource for writing IEPS is located on the Ministry website “The Individual Education Plan (IEP), A Resource Guide (2004)”

 

 

 

 

 

Will Gourley Constant Learning, Differentiated Instruction, General, Questioning

Waiting is worth its weight.

I wanted to share a post about the joys of waiting.

No it is not Health curriculum based so uncover your eyes and read on.
It might be worth the…time spent before something happens.
Ha! You thought I was going to write the word ‘wait’ there.
Dang it! I just did.

In the Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s song The Waiting the chorus goes, “the waiting is the hardest part” and in the classroom it is no different for teachers.

There are a lot concepts to cover. There are a lot of assessments (for, as, and of learning) to record. And yes, there are a lot of students to teach. One thing there does not seem to be enough of is time. So in an average, active modern learning environment, there is little time left to permit students to engage in anything but what Daniel Kahneman refers to as System 1 Thinking. Yet, what we need to be doing, more than ever, is allowing our students and ourselves to engage in System 2 Thinking.

Here’s a graphic comparing the two. Click to enlarge.

Thinking-Fast-and-Slow

Understanding and implementing think or wait time in my classroom has changed the dynamics of learning for my students. It is no longer a contest to see whose hands can defy gravity the fastest or longest. It has increased the number of participants and ideas shared. It has deepened our discussions in many subject areas such as Science, Social Studies, and Literacy.

For my part, questions are crafted, whenever possible, that require the awkward silences achieved while learning and thinking beyond automatic or immediate responses. Letting students know before they respond that no hands will be acknowledged until think time has happened for the entire class has helped transition my instruction.

What about Math? Yes, even Math. Here’s an example to support think/wait time in Math from Kahneman’s book Thinking Fast and Slow that I share with students and adults alike:

A ball and a bat cost $1.10.
The bat costs $1 more than the ball.
How much does ball cost?

According to the book most people get this question wrong because they are engaging the wrong system of thinking. I did. So how can we as educators afford more think/wait time in all of our classrooms?

My suggestion is to slowly integrate it into your daily instructional routines. Be intentional with a few questions in specific subject areas to start. Be patient. The silence can be deafening at the start, but is worth it.

Want to know the answer to the bat and ball question?
Take your time. You’ll get it. It’s worth the wait.