Stan,
This is very good advice. Well define and fully understand the student's response before responding. Excellent point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
This requires good listening skills. It is important that we develop good listening skills; we must concentrate on a students response before we can respond to them and then ask questions of the student to see if we are perceiving their response correctly.
Benny,
Thank you for your insightful delineation of this technique. Very helpful.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I agree with your technique, June. Turning the question back to a student has many benefits. For one, the student is learning to explore the information they already know, apply any useful information related to the question they asked, and realize the answer to the question themselves. The student learns to critically think and go through a path or process to get an answer, which is something they will find useful not only during their exams but in life in general as well. Another benefit from the technique that is as significant as critical thinking is the heightened confidence in oneself and one's own knowledge. It builds on the student's confidence in their knowledge, which they can apply during lectures, group projects, quizzes, and exams.
Dianne,
Well done. This technique is like when your middle school math teacher required you to 'show you work' on each math problem so your thought process (as opposed to just the answer) could be confirmed opr corrected to maximize your understanding of the problem and solution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I tell the same thing to my students when they are practicing in clinic before they see patients. I focus in on what they are struggling with in a particular technique and make them state these steps out loud as they are doing it and it really seems to help them reinforce the proper technique.
Jeff,
Very good. Thinking out loud is an excellent strategy. Thanks for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
When I teach how to use the library databases, I ask the students to think aloud about the steps to take for finding information in a search. We then discuss the options available to perform such a search.
June,
Very good. Guiding through the cognitive process, rather than just answering, is a strong way to confirm already learned knowledge.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Whenever a student asks me a question, more often than naught I will turn the question back to them in a way that makes them think about what the answer should be. Instant gratification. The more they learn to take the time to think about what they are asking, they may find they already know the answer.
Esther,
Yes, the overabundance of information and misinformation makes this a difficult task, at times. Validating the facts of a situation is very important. Good point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I also agree that we need to think first. There is so much information that comes through via the internet, newspaper, and other sources. There are times that this information could be wrong, so I feel that we should first stop and read the information first before we act on it. If this is done, people won't be misinformed about things.
Esther Young
Ann,
This is a most excellent response! Start the peer-to-peer collaboration with Socratic questioning. Very nice.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I work in the field of veterinary medcine, where there are MANY different options for solving one issue. I like to turn a student's question back on them & the class, to make the student think for themselves and get a variety of options from the class.
Ex: my cat pees on my bed- what should i do?
I'll say, "Well, from what you've learned so far, what are some options you all can come up with?" Since everybody has such different memories of the same lesson, and memories that are colored with experience, they always come up with lots of solutions- ones I never would have! There are instances where the students may NOT have learned something yet, so cannot answer, unless they have personal experience (which I always welcome them to share). In that case, I tell them several options, or what several other vets do. I'm pretty opinionated, so try not to just jump in and blurt out my opinion, unless it's followed by, "But I've seen other people do..." :)
Rolando,
It seems most human communication has opportunities for misunderstandings. Good point
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hello Renee,
I totally agree with you, unfortunately, at times the hesitation or that momentary pause is taken as lack of knowledge, has it happened with you before?
Cecilia,
;-] Challenging his authoritative knowledge...Mmm... interesting reaction - not uncommon. In today's world your approach is the safest route.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Think first is good advice. Re: urban legends: once someone told me not to use my cell phone while it was plugged in, it could blow up. I started thinking about this, it sounded goofy and I wanted to look it up myself. The guy got mad. "I only work for AT&T! They sent us a memo about this!" I've reached an age where I don't take everything at face value.
julia,
Meeting the student where they are is a key strategy for good instruction. Very good.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I try to build upon their past knowledg and allow them time to complete the new problem.
