questions with no answers
what should a teacher do when she asks a question but none of the students have the answer because none of them did the reading?
Stephanie,
I would take points away from all of them and have them read the work aloud in class by turns. You may also want to try giving pop quizzes at the beginning of class on the assigned reading. I also train students to do overviews on the reading since many of them work, have families, and are students.
Judy Mohammed
Re-assign the reading, be more specific. If possible make it a group assignment. Let the class aware of the consequences.
John,
I always give it to the class to do the research, however, I also do my own research so that I am prepared.
Judy Mohammed
Pop quizes based on the reading assignment can work well for a quick discussion at the beginning of class, regardless of points assigned. If the concepts involved may be seen by the instructor as difficult, and are verified by student responses, supplemetary material in the form of additional readings or (better yet) simulations may be used to follow up.
John,
Questioning leads to great discussions in class. It also allows us opportunities to check students' understanding.
Judy Mohammed
I developed an in-class 'fill in the blank' worksheet for each chapter and then take my quiz questions from those worksheets. The students really appreciate them because it gives them something to search for instead of simply reading or copying sentences for outlines. I lecture on the high points & then they can fill out the worksheets in small groups. As questions arise, I address them with the whole class and move on.
I'm fairly new (3yrs) to instructing and had a bit of a struggle acclimating to how these students 'study now' vs when I was a student. 'Reading the chapter' seems to take too long and they lose focus....or so they say. I learned quickly that there's a whole new world in education/student motivation/& priorities than when I was in school.
My students are smart and show a real desire to learn but they do not like reading unless they have some type of interaction such as 'crossword puzzles, fill in the blanks, or do presentations,etc...
Low pop quiz scores were somewhat motivating, but the above mentioned ways have increased test scores significantly more due to their engagement.
Jeanne,
It is great to see that you are recognizing the changes in students and are actively reaching out to them. Sometimes, it is easier to just do what we know and trudge on. We need to be aware of our students' everchanging needs and adjust our own methods. Great job!
Judy Mohammed
I would give them a chance to reed the material and ask the questions again. Also, I might like to give them a pop quiz after they have satisfactorally answered the questions to see if they have absorbed the material.
Kevin,
Great techniques! Sometimes I even challenge them to create test questions while reading the material and I sometimes use one question from each student (not in the same test).
Judy Mohammed
Punitive actions such as reading aloud might work with elementary students, but in secondary and post-secondary world? Never. It breeds resentment. Post-secondary classrooms, especially in career colleges and night/weekend classes, are too much a mix of generations for that to be effective.
I've discovered that semi-flipped classes have generally reduced/eliminated issues such as that. Of course, I've also introduced so many TED Talks, appropriate YouTube videos, discussion boards, and group assignments, that students are no longer accountable to me so much as their peers. There will always be students who simply refuse to read, but punitive measures, or measures that are perceived as punitive, are no longer as effective as they once were.
For consideration -- are they not reading because they are struggling with the material? Is the text over their heads? We ran into this at my previous school, the psych text was at a 13th grade reading level... and most students were closer to 9th or 10th grade. If that's the case, forcing them to read aloud won't help. I discovered this by accident when I ran into the case of no one reading. Trying to help a few salvage their dignity and trying to salvage the class, I assigned the students to groups of 2-3 to read smaller sections together, quietly, in class. They were then assigned to summarize the section in their own words and present it to the class. It was when I went to each group as they worked, just to make sure they were working, that I learned that they were struggling with the text and didn't understand the material.
Another consideration -- give the reading assignments as far in advance as possible. This will give the students a chance to manage their time AND give them time to talk to you if they are having trouble with the text or their schedule.
Case in point, in the end, you need to know why students aren't reading before you react.
Michelle ,
I do not read the text during class time. I assign the reading and discuss the material in the class. Everyone has opportunites to share opinions, even those who have not read. I also teach them how to peruse the material to get the jist of it if they were unable to read for class.
Judy Mohammed
I was replying to your statement: "...and have them read the work aloud in class by turns." I did not suggest that you did that personally.
Michelle ,
Thank you for your clarification. I do hope that I did not offend in any way.
Judy Mohammed
I experienced this many times. What I have done in the past is to start asking questions about the material probing type questions sometimes the class has a strong understanding of the material. Sometimes not
Michelle ,
Thank you. I appreciate your comments.
Judy Mohammed
George,
Probing is a good tool to use to with these type of questions.
Judy Mohammed
What has always worked well for me is to ask questions about yesterday's objective while I am taking roll for the day. I will call a student's name.......they will respond......and then I proceed to ask them the question.
By about the third day, everybody is doing the assigned reading and they begin to ask better question of me during the lesson as a result.
Dustin,
This is great. Students appreciate this classroom a whole lot and they are more responsive. Great job!
Judy Mohammed
