Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say

This week in class we read the article, "Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say", by Steven Reinhart. I loved this article. Reinhart gives every teacher the tools and techniques needed to implement a student-focused style into any classroom. While I was reading, I thought of Allison last quarter. She modeled this style of teaching and demonstrated being patient and asking good questions. At first I was little unsure of this style because I had expected her to lecture and tell us if our answer's were right or wrong like every other math teacher I've had.

After reading this article and attending class, I've learned the importance of everyone participating. For example, in the article, Reinhart stressed the importance of asking questions to the whole group. I never thought about how when you ask a question to just one person, the rest of the class checks-out because it is an unspoken suggestion that the other students no longer have to think. However, while I completely agree with Reinhart, I wonder, if as a teacher you let your students know that you never take just one answer, would this keep the students thinking?