Create a "thinking" environment immediately

I have heard teachers comment that students can't (and do not) think - all they want is to know what the right answer is. Well, I disagree. I do believe many students are hesitant to share what they are thinking and there is the natural fear of being wrong in front of everyone. After all we do not like to be wrong in front of everyone, why should they? Consequently, it is important to create a safe and comfortable "thinking" environment in your classroom.

I start on day one by setting the expectations and guidelines. Now, I am not a big fan of handing out a page of rules and regulations. I do discuss the importance of respect and then I ask them the following question.



I give the students a few minutes to work on this (depending on the students math background I may need to discuss that a square is a rectangle) and then I write the numbers from 1 to 15 on the board. I ask for a show of hands how many students think there is one rectangle, two rectangles, etc. and I do a tally on the board. When I get to 15, I will ask if anyone has a different answer and will place that on the board, if there is one. This is the first day of school, so students tend to be fairly quiet and there is not much conversation going on. I will then ask if anyone would like to change their answer. I do this as I am sending them a message that it is okay to change your answer. Next I will count the tally marks and usually it does not equal the number of students - there are always a couple of students who hesitate participating in this activity. Consequently, I will announce that there appears to be a few people who hadn't decided yet and did they now want to vote. Finally, I do the problem (count the rectangles) and demonstrate my method. As I am doing this I will hear various comments like "Oh, I forgot that one" or "I didn't see that one". We will then discuss their strategies.

When I finish I point out three very important things:
1) If the students got the problem wrong, do they now understand? I discuss the importance of speaking up, asking questions, and never leaving the classroom confused.
2) It was NO big deal if they were wrong! We are all going to be wrong at some point in time. Everyone was polite and respectful and that is how this class will always run!
3) Non participation is unacceptable. I do stress that I will not embarrass them, but I can't read their minds so they will need to help me by participating and sharing what they are thinking.

Consequently, I have the built the foundation of a safe and comfortable "thinking" environment through an activity. I encourage the students to copy the problem down and have their parents try it.

In my next post I will provide the answer to the question and will discuss how to continue building this safe and comfortable "thinking" environment.