Do NOT Raise Your Hand

The teacher asks students a question and in a perfect world classroom, all hands go up.  Now, honestly, how often does that happen?

There is a direct connection between high-engagement classroom environments and student achievement, but how can we strengthen the level of engagement?  

I recently tried out a strategy that I read about in Dylan William's Embedded Formative Assessment - no hand raising allowed, unless you have a question.  The premise is that if teachers call on those students that raise their hands, other students may choose not to participate.  Some may even opt to zone out.  Yikes!  What does that mean for engagement and more importantly, student understanding?  When the students do not know who will be called on, they all need to be engaged and ready to answer.

As I tried this with a few classes, focus on the lesson seemed to grow before my very eyes.  Now keep in mind that wait time is an essential component of this strategy.  Students need time to process. Additionally, if a student is randomly called on and does not have a response after adequate wait time, I've given him or her the opportunity to "phone a friend" and then circled back to original student, asking this child to restate the answer given.  

Traditionally, teachers that employ this engagement strategy have used Popsicle sticks or names on ping pong balls.  William even suggests having "a student 'selector' for the day."  Of course, now in the age of technology, there's an app for that.  Android has Names in a Hat; iTunes has Shuffle Names and Student Callout.  

To make this instructional move more welcoming to students, William suggests asking "two students at random for responses to a questions, but for the third answer, ask the remainder of the class if anyone has anything else to contribute."  When the child does not have an answer, William also suggests letting other students respond and coming "back to the original student and say, 'Now, which of those answers do you like best?'"  What power this offers the student, all within the realm of being both engaged and accountable.  It all boils down to classroom expectations.

As teachers we have many tools in our tool box to keep our students focused and on task.  Hopefully, this is another tool for you to draw on.  What other moves do you make to maximize student engagement?  Share your ideas.  We all learn from each other.