Today we pick up on the idea that Doug Lemov of Teach like a Champion, 2.0 refers to as "Ratio", the thinking about the ratio of participation of your students and the thinking that is happening in your classroom. As we intentionally think about transferring the cognitive load from us the teacher to the student, it can be challenging to think of how to get there. Most of what Lemov describes has been around for a long time, but, it is always good to revisit good teaching techniques and refine our practices.
Today, we talk about something really tricky.... t r i c k y... Cold Call... Anytime we call on kids, regardless of hands raised... when we use popsicle sticks or a randomizer... When students can be called on without volunteering...
It's tricky because using it incorrectly will damage your classroom culture... I mean it, it will ruin it, so tread carefully my friends, on this, the week of Halloween, using this technique is downright scary.
Let's look at what messages it sends when used incorrectly:
1. it sends a message that learning is a "I caught you not paying attention" thing
2. it sends a message that learning must be "fast paced"
3. it sends a message that learning is punitive
4. it can discourage participation
5. it can increase anxiety with fragile students
Okay, so why bother? Well, we want to instill a culture of high participation and engagement. We want students to be accountable for their own learning and carry the workload, so cold calling does have a place in your classroom, but, use it in conjunction with Turn and Talk, Think Time and Wait Time to be most effective. Our job as teachers to is to set up students for success and we do this when students know what to expect and have time to think. It is is rewarded with food feelings about learning. (dopamine washes across the brain, this is a good thing)
Here are some things to put into play when using Cold Calling:
1. Keep it predictable and transparent - tell students when you are going to use it. By doing this you setting them up for the high expectations. Let them get ready. Use a cue, when you say, for example, "solve this using mental math", or think about this "deeply"... this sends a message that cold calling is about to happen...
2. Keep it systematic - don't spring it on the class when you feel they are not paying attention. It is a time for students to show you what they know, not a time for punishing a kid who is goofing off.
3. Keep it positive - you are rooting for their success and your body language shows it... some kids don't know what they know... getting them to talk about what they know can be surprising, allow students to show thumbs up when they have it... giving them time to be prepared...
4. Bundle - ask questions that build on one another, one kid's answer supports they next question you ask, this supports a kind of "group think", where kids are supporting each other with their answers
5. Pacing - who said the questions have to be "rapid fired?" keep the pace slow and even, so that students have a chance to think... or talk about their thinking with peers, or script our their answer first... Also, ask the question, pause, then call the name... this builds anticipation... great for feeding the hippocampus and calming the amygdala of the brain.
6. Plan ahead - plan out when you will use Cold Call in your lessons, being purposeful in collecting data
Here are some examples:
References:
Lemov, D. (2015). Teach like a champion 2.0: 62 techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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