With so much focus on constructing good questions to maximise Retrieval practice these days, how then do we deal with students who simply reply with “I don’t know”? InnerDrive teamed up with assistant principal and author Michael Chiles to explore this question in this blog…

When students offer a non-explanatory action like “I don’t know” it may be that they genuinely don’t know the answer. but for many, it is typically because they are embarrassed to talk. Others use it as a complimentary pass to avoid thinking. Regardless, your students will grow as learners if you can help minimize the number of “I don’t know” answers in your class.

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10 ideas to get rid of “I don’t know” answers in your classroom

Distinguish between “I don’t know” and “I don’t know”

When students respond with “I don’t know” to your question, it may be because they genuinely don’t know the answer. Or it may be because they simply want Camiseta Paris Saint-Germain to opt out of the class discussion.

It is crucial that we shape our classroom culture to make sure this isn’t the go-to response. recent research has found that teachers with supportive and friendly attributes promote quality student engagement. You can display this through affirmations and show open-mindedness with nonverbal behaviour, such as giving smiles and nodding when students are answering your questions. This must encourage your students to participate with a lot more meaningful actions as time goes on.

Reduce concern of failure

Many students resort to “I don’t know” because they lack confidence and worry about giving the wrong answer. A way to minimize this concern of failure is to create a psychologically safe classroom, which is one where students believe they can make mistakes without being humiliated by their teachers and peers.

Research has found that a psychologically safe environment improves students’ confidence, making them a lot more comfortable giving answers without worrying about whether they are right or not. You can create a psychologically safe classroom by openly valuing every student, building a learning-focused environment and promoting good behaviour.

Increase wait times

Wait time is the term used to describe how long a teacher waits after asking a question before soliciting an answer.

Extending your wait times can help make Camiseta Feyenoord sure you get high quality answers from a broader range of students, rather than just from the quickest and/or loudest. Some worry that doing so might demotivate those who have already got the answer, but evidence suggest that simply extending wait time for a few small seconds can make a wealth of difference.

Ask “What do you think?”

Some students respond to a question with “I don’t know” because they are anxious that they have to give a firm, fully committed answer, typically under pressure.

Research suggests that when students generate an answer to a question (i.e., carrying out Retrieval Practice) with high stakes, it can negatively affect their learning. This makes it a lot more tough for them to recall the relevant information they need to form their response, boosting their chances of saying “I don’t know”.

Try following up with “What do you think?” when you ask a question to lower the stakes. This insinuates that you are trying to find the student’s perspective, alleviating the pressure put on them to give right answers. It also helps minimize their concern of failure.

Comment on someone else’s answers

You can promote student participation by getting them to comment on their peers’ answers. For example, if student A does not know the answer, ask the same question to student B, and then get student A to comment on student B’s answer. student B’s answer supplies a hook to instigate student A’s retrieval, which aids the formation of student A’s response.

Ask someone else a different question

In a situation where student A does not know the answer to your question, you can ask an alternative question to student B and then go back to student A for their action to the original question. The alternative question, however, need to be similar to the original question so student B’s action can activate student A’s retrieval of relevant information.

An added benefit of this method is that it prevents the repetition of questions and promotes variation in student responses.

Front loading

It can help for teachers to communicate early on that they value engagement through asking questions. A way Camiseta Selección de fútbol de Canadá to do this is to give your students a brief on what they must expect for the upcoming school year in the first few weeks of term.

Narrate to your students that you plan to ask a lot of questions in class, and that you do this because you want them to practice retrieval and engage with lesson material a lot more deeply. This mentally prepares students to be called on, removing the element of surprise, ultimately minimizing their channull