Pass It On (Tips from Teachers)

Dave Thurston from Austin Texas says...

In promoting dialogue among my students as they investigate and solve problems, I have discovered a technique that works well for me. Of course, dialogue means talking, so my students work in groups. No pencils or other recording devices are allowed for the first 5 minutes, while groups make decisions about what strategies they might try in solving the problem and what materials they think they will need (any of these decisions can be changed, with justification, at any point during the problem-solving).

Once groups have their materials and are ready to begin, only one person is allowed a pencil for recording. This practice discourages individuals in the group from working on their own. I will often only allow enough materials for the group to use as a whole and find that encourages more heads together, more suggestions, more arguments and more explanations as they try to convince others to see it their way. If any group wants additional materials they have to justify it. An example of that justification might be that they want to leave original trials intact while they try alternatives.

Try it... it works!

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