Teachers need to know what students are thinking and in this Japanese classroom the teacher offers an example of how to elicit some of this thinking. The teacher has different students write out and explain their methods at the front. He encourages students to appreciate how the problem can be solved in multiple ways, encouraging a different student to showcase their method. The teacher also pushes for depth, trying to unpack the procedures in the mathematical methods.
This is an urban, public school. Watch out for how the teacher:
- Calls on different students to explain their methods
- Challenges students to explain their methods in more detail
- Explores the underlying logic of each method
How do you elicit student thinking in your own classroom?
