Including Others as Experts

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Including Others as Experts

We have all reached that point at some time in a year:  we give our students a problem that requires them to use a skill or concept they were taught recently, and you know that they know it, but they give you that blank stare like you just asked them to write the code to launch a rocket ship to Mars. And because we are all great teachers with big hearts that want our students to succeed, we help them light up that pathway in their brains again through a mini-lesson. 

I had this experience quite recently in my classroom. We were working on systems of linear equations and my students were asked to graph some lines to interpret the solutions. Yet when I gave them time to execute the work, they looked at me like I was crazy. The way I saw it, I had two options: take the time to do a mini-lesson on a concept I was sure they had mastered previously, or try something different. I chose the latter. 

This winter I am participating in the “Choosing to See” book club to prepare for the Spring Conference. One part of the ICUCARE framework is “Including Others as Experts”. Pamela Seda articulates it beautifully: our students do not come to us as blank slates. They all have knowledge and experiences to bring to the classroom. So, I decided to apply that part of the framework at that moment. First, I found a short video online that went over the skill. Students had a few minutes then to apply their knowledge. This was maybe two to three students. Then, I announced to my entire class that I am not answering any questions about how to graph a linear equation. Instead, I named the students that I could see understand it and told the class to check in with those peers. Then I sat down and watched. It was painful at first, but within five minutes, a few started getting up and asking around. Then more started getting up and asking around. Within ten dreadfully long minutes, all of my students were leaning on each other for help, using mathematical language to communicate their thoughts and questions. It was so exciting!

As you plan an upcoming lesson or unit, how could you include students as experts? What small move could you try that would help students see not just you but other classmates as people with answers?

 

Alexis Wolf

Region 4 Director

January 26, 2024