Cold vs Warm Calls
Three months into the school year…
How are your discussions going?
How are you ensuring that all students are contributing to classroom discussions?
One strategy we often hear about is “cold calling”. The students understand that here is a class norm where the teacher will call on students randomly to respond to questions. Some teachers use equity sticks to ensure a greater variety of students are called upon. The goals for cold calling would be to increase the variety of voices heard in math and to increase accountability.
Major drawback? The students called upon may not be prepared and/or confident in responding. Many young mathematicians need processing time as well as the opportunity to practice their thoughts before having the confidence to share them with the class. Cold calling students can actually suppress student voice in the classroom.
The alternative? Warm calls and establishing the practice of “rough draft” thinking and talking. Transform Wait Time into Think Time. Give students 10 to 20 seconds or more to quietly think and perhaps sketch out responses before moving into Partner Talk, where students have the opportunity to try out their ideas one on one before taking a risk in front of the class. Teachers see greater participation in whole group discussions when they take the time for these two steps.
Tracy Zager presented a session on student discourse at the CGI conference this past summer. In that session, she shared that bringing in the practice of rough draft thinking transforms student participation in discussions because students see that they don’t have to have a fully developed idea before they begin to share. Students begin to realize that mathematicians adjust their thinking often as they work through complex problems. This realization frees the imagination and opens the door to curiosity and joy.
What have you tried to promote equitable student voice in the math classroom? I’d love to hear from you!
Margaret Williams